Miami Hurricanes 50-1 Countdown: Ranking the top 50 post-spring players … No. 35 Samson Okunlola
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
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. 35, Samson Okunlola.
NO. 35 MIAMI OL SAMSON OKUNLOLA
Why he’s No. 35
One of two 5-star offensive line prizes in the 2023 recruiting class along with Francis Mauigoa, Okunlola’s favorite food is pancakes and that’s what he’s all about on the football field. At 6-5 and 305 pounds, he enrolled early and spent the spring as the backup left tackle behind Jalen Rivers. But if Okunlola picks up the know-how needed, don’t be shocked if he sneaks right into that starting LT role this fall. That would all Rivers to move back to his more natural guard position, since Rivers doesn’t really have the arm length/quickness for an ideal tackle prospect. A lot will also hinge on the health of Zion Nelson, who has started over 30 games but with recurrent knee issues remains a question mark for his longevity this season.
What he needs to do to move up this list
Okunlola comes from a high school program in Massachusetts that didn’t play top national competition, so there was quite a bit of a learning curve for him this spring just in terms of going up against so much faster, stronger, athletic defensive linemen. But by fall camp we think the adjustment will be made, and he just has to show he’s ready on the practice field since Miami doesn’t have other tackles with his combination of size and athleticism.
Realistic season objective
Given his size and athleticism it’s just a matter of time before Okunlola makes a big impact. With Zion Nelson’s status unclear off a recurring knee injury, Okunlola could be a guy that gets more and more reps with the ones this fall. Okunlola could also wind up at guard, but regardless he is a lineman you can already tell has an NFL future ahead. We don’t see him redshirting this year – he should be a valuable piece of the line who gets better and better as the season goes along. We’ll leave you with this, courtesy of OL Javion Cohen: “I think Samson’s technique is very close to being pro. I tell him that almost every day, which is why I’m on his tail a lot. I want him to be great.”
Watch highlights from one of his games from last season below, with several pancake blocks noted:
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