Miami Hurricanes 50-1 Countdown: Ranking the top 50 post-spring players … No. 17 Francis Mauigoa
No. 50 Miami DT Thomas Gore … No. 49 Malik Curtis … No. 48 Kaleb Spencer … No. 47 Ahmad Moten … No. 46 Jaden Harris … No. 45 Logan Sagapolu … No. 44 Markeith Williams … No. 43 Frank Ladson … No. 42 Chris Graves … No. 41 Keontra Smith … No. 40 Robby Washington … No. 39 Emory Williams … No. 38 Jacurri Brown … No. 37 Brashard Smith … No. 36 Terry Roberts … No. 35 Samson Okunlola … No. 34 Dylan Joyce … No. 33 Jared Harrison-Hunte … No. 32 Jaleel Skinner … No. 31 Corey Flagg … No. 30 Ray Ray Joseph … No. 29 Don Chaney … No. 28 Anez Cooper … No. 27 Branson Deen … No. 26 Zion Nelson … No. 25 Isaiah Horton … No. 24 Rueben Bain … No. 23 Daryl Porter, Jr. … No. 22 Te’Cory Couch … No. 21 Davonte Brown … No. 20 Andy Borregales … No. 19 Nyjalik Kelly … No. 18 Jahfari Harvey
CaneSport is breaking down the top 50 post-spring players on the roster, a list that doesn’t include any post-spring roster additions. Today we break down No. 17, Francis Mauigoa.
NO. 17 MIAMI OL FRANCIS MAUIGOA
Why he’s No. 17
We will go ahead and end the suspense now. Yes, Mauigoa is the highest rated true freshman on this list, and cracking the top 20 on the roster is quite an accomplishment for a guy that hasn’t played a single down of college football yet. But we were sold on Mauigoa when we watched him this spring … with an assist from his 5-star ranking in high school. There’s just nothing you can point to as an area in which he should really struggle – he already has the size, strength and requisite athleticism. Perhaps the technique will be the big thing for him, but he was in essentially a college-prep program at IMG. So we feel very good about Mauigoa coming in and not just being an impact as a true freshman but being one of the Miami Hurricanes’ best offensive linemen. And he better be since Miami appears ready to trust him as the starting right tackle based on the spring lineup. At 6-6 and 326 pounds and with 17 percent body fat, Mauigoa had pretty much every high school accolade you could want before heading to Miami. He was ranked the nation’s No. 2 offensive tackle and No. 12 prospect overall by the On3 industry rankings. He was selected to Under Armour All-America Game and Polynesian Bowl. And he had an offer from pretty much every top program out there.
What he needs to do to move up this list
Spoiler alert: We have Mauigoa’s older brother, Francisco, higher on this list after he enjoyed a really strong spring and looked like Miami’s best playmaking linebacker (he transferred in from Washington State). Did we do that to light a fire under Francis? Well, yes and no. We think Francis can move up ahead of his brother and into the top 10 this season … but it’s always going to be a question mark until you see someone do it at the college level. Six months ago Francis was still in high school. So he just has to show that when the lights come on it’s not too big for him, that the moments that matter he will step up and come through for this team and protect the quarterback.
Realistic season objective
Mauigoa isn’t coming in here with a big head expecting things to be handed to him. He knows it has to be earned, and he has a great work ethic in conjunction with his off-the-charts physical gifts. As Mauigoa put it this spring, “All that 5-star stuff? I don’t think it really matters on this level right now. Coming in here you’re zero stars, same as everyone. So all that hype, it doesn’t really mean anything if you don’t put out the work.” Mauigoa will put in the work and we think it will pay off with a strong freshman season. Realistically we think he can start at right tackle and be a guy who grades out at over 70 percent, which would be a very solid first campaign. Oh, and the comparison from On3? It’s to Penei Sewell – “Francis Mauigoa’s nimble athleticism and physical play style reminds us of Penei Sewell. Both are strong functional movers despite their weights at over 320 pounds. They excel as run blockers while also having the feet and coordination to succeed in pass protection as offensive tackles. Mauigoa tests as a better athlete than Sewell at the same stage.”
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