Miami Hurricanes 50-1 Countdown: Ranking the top 50 post-spring players … No. 5 Francisco Mauigoa

The Miami Hurricanes have massively reshaped the roster from a year ago with five primary offensive starters gone (QB Tyler Van Dyke, RB Henry Parrish, WR Colbie Young, OL Javion Cohen and Matt Lee) along with seven on the defensive side (DT Leonard Taylor, DT Branson Deen, DL Jared Harrison-Hunte, S Kam Kinchens, S James Williams, CB Jaden Davis and CB Te’Cory Couch).

50. RB JORDAN LYLE … 49. RB CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON … 48. DE COLE MCCONATHY … 47. S ZAQUAN PATTERSON … 46. TE CAM MCCORMICK … 45. NY CARR … 44. JUSTIN SCOTT … 43. OT Markel Bell … 42. RB AJAY ALLEN … 41. TE RILEY WILLIAMS … 40. OL MATTHEW MCCOY … 39. LB CAM PRUITT … 38. DT JOSHUA HORTON … 37. LB RAUL AGUIRRE … 36. S MARKEITH WILLIAMS … 35. S JADEN HARRIS … 34. QB EMORY WILLIAMS … 33. WR JOJO TRADER … 32. D’YONI HILL … 31. RAY RAY JOSEPH … 30. ISAIAH HORTON … 29. MARLEY COOK … 28. JAYLIN ALDERMAN … 27. JADAIS RICHARD … 26. SAMSON OKUNLOLA … 25. ELIJA LOFTON … 24. ELIJAH ALSTON … 23. DAMARI BROWN … 22. REESE POFFENBARGER … 21. ZACH CARPENTER … 20. SAM BROWN … 19. CJ CLARK … 18. ELIJAH ARROYO … 17. WESLEY BISSAINTHE … 16. DARYL PORTER, JR. … 15. DYLAN JOYCE … 14. MARK FLETCHER … 13T. TYLER BARON/MISHAEL POWELL … NO. 12 SIMEON BARROW … NO. 11 AKHEEM MESIDOR … NO. 10 ANEZ COOPER … NO. 9 JACOLBY GEORGE … NO. 8 FRANCIS MAUIGOA … NO. 7 ANDY BORREGALES … NO. 6 JALEN RIVERS

Which brings us to our annual series breaking down the top 50 players on the current roster. As we go along on this list you’ll get an idea of the overall depth of talent on Mario Cristobal’s team this year as he seeks Miami’s second 10-win season in the last two decades.

Today we are at No. 5:

NO. 5 LB FRANCISCO MAUIGOA

Why He’s No. 5

Mauigoa starred last season after arriving from Washington State, but then missed this spring coming off surgery for a torn labrum. He’ll be back full go this fall, and he’s one of the nation’s top returning linebackers production-wise. Working out of the middle for Miami in 2023 he led the team with 82 tackles, had a team-high 18 for losses and 7.5 sacks, which tied for the team lead with Rueben Bain. He added an interception and, per Pro Football Focus, had 15 QB hurries. He was noted with 10 missed tackles, and when targeted in coverage he allowed 19 of 33 completions for 186 yards. PFF gave him a solid 71.5 percent overall grade (78.1 run defense, 58.1 percent cover grade). Prior to Miami? A former 3-star prospect in the Class of 2021 out of American Samoa, Mauigoa had 60 tackles, 5.5 TFL and 3.5 sacks as a starter his final year at Washington State in 2022, also forcing three fumbles (tied for the Pac-12 lead) with an interception. As a freshman in 2021 he started twice and had 17 tackles. Per PFF in 457 reps in 2022 he graded out at a solid 75.7 percent (70 is considered good). He had a 74.1 run defense grade and 76.3 cover grade. He also was noted by PFF with five QB hurries and nine missed tackles. Mauigoa only played 58 reps in 2021 as a freshman. The bottom line here: He starred in the middle of the Miami defense last year and should be even better in his second year of Lance Guidry’s system this time around.

What he needs to do to move up this list

Be as good and maybe even better than last season. Mauigoa is described as a coach on the field by his teammates and coaches, and his playmaking shows up in his statistics. So all Mauigoa needs to do is get back to full health and keep flying around to the ball. There’s every likelihood he will again lead Miami in tackles, and perhaps tackles for losses once more.

Realistic season objective

We can see Mauigoa pushing close to 100 tackles with double-digit tackles for loss and a handful or more sacks. He’s used in a myriad of ways by Guidry, including blitzing and in man coverage. He’s solid against the run and is excellent at diagnosing a play early, putting him in the right spot to make a play. Mauigoa only has one other defensive player ahead of him on this list, DL Rueben Bain. Both are big-time playmakers.

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