Miami Hurricanes 50-1 Countdown: Ranking the top 50 post-spring players … No. 13 Jalen Rivers

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 … No. 17 Francis Mauigoa … No. 16 Jacolby George … No. 15 Cam McCormick … No. 14 Henry Parrish

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. 13, Jalen Rivers.

NO. 13 MIAMI OL JALEN RIVERS

Why he’s No. 13

Rivers is a guy with a really high ceiling who just hasn’t really emerged yet, in part due to injury. His most natural position is guard, but he’s versatile enough with length and strength to play tackle, and that’s where he was this spring – the first team left tackle. So it’ll be really interesting this fall to see if he remains there or if a guy like, say, 5-star freshman Samson Okunlola can show he’s ready for that job to allow Rivers to move back to guard. There also is every hope that former starting LT Zion Nelson will be back off recurring knee problems. If that happens and he’s back in form then Rivers would again be able to team with Alabama transfer LG Javion Cohen to give Miami a really good interior line along with C Matt Lee (it was Anez Cooper as the first team RG in the spring with Rivers at LT, and 5-star freshman Francis Mauigoa was the starting RT). As for Rivers’ background? A former highly touted four-star prospect out of Jacksonville (Fla.) Oakleaf High School, he struggled with injuries the last two years. This past season he was injured against FSU and never got back on the field. He wound up playing in nine games, starting seven at left guard. The year prior, 2021, he won the starting left guard job but suffered a season-ending injury in Game 3. As a true freshman in 2020 he played in seven games off the bench. He hasn’t graded out particularly well per Pro Football Focus, with a 55.3 overall grade in 2021 (159 reps, 45.9 percent grade pass blocking, 55.0 run blocking) and a 60.6 grade last season (631 reps, 73.3 pass blocking, 53.6 run blocking). Note that 70 is considered a good grade.

What he needs to do to move up this list

The first thing is to stay healthy. Rivers has earned a lot of praise from coaches when he’s full go and is a consistently good lineman. One question mark, though, is if he’s got the length and quickness you really need at left tackle. Certainly he’s got more than enough of it at guard, but you saw in one sack he allowed to Rueben Bain in the spring game that perhaps he will struggle against quicker defensive ends if he does need to remain at left tackle this fall. So he has to prove something there. This also is a totally revamped line after the struggles of last season, and Rivers could be the only holdover from that starting lineup. Which means there will need to be cohesiveness built, and Rivers needs to be a bit part of making sure that happens.

Realistic season objective

As we go through the rest of this countdown, you’ll find that Rivers is the No. 3 lineman behind Javion Cohen and Matt Lee. The team wants to be a heck of a lot better than last season when Miami ranked No. 108 in the nation in sacks allowed (3.0 per game) and No. 95 in rushing offense (128.1 yards per game). It’s a reshaped line thanks to recruiting and the portal, but Rivers has to do his part as probably the top returning guy on the offensive line. The benefit here is that Rivers can play four positions on the line, and his versatility will allow Miami to make sure the best guard/tackle combination is in the game. If Rivers stays healthy he can be an All-ACC level lineman.

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