Miami Hurricanes 50-1 Countdown: Ranking the top 50 post-spring players … No. 4 Javion Cohen
CaneSport is breaking down the top 50 post-spring players on the Miami roster, a list that doesn’t include any post-spring roster additions. Today we break down No. 4, Javion Cohen.
NO. 4 MIAMI OL JAVION COHEN
Why he’s No. 4
It’s never a bad idea to lure an Alabama transfer who started there to your program, right? And that’s what the Canes did when they were able to land Cohen out of the portal. He arrived and this spring was the team’s starting left guard and very much looked the part of a top lineman. After Cohen only played 28 reps at ‘Bama as a true freshman in 2020, he became a full-time starter at left guard there in 2021, then this past season started 10 games and earned second team All-SEC honors. His Pro Football Focus stats show that in 2021 he accounted for 21 knockdown blocks and played 1,073 snaps over 14 games. Then this past season he played 554 total snaps and had 17 knockdown blocks with 1.5 sacks allowed, four pressures, four quarterback hits and three penalties called against him. His PFF grades? With 70 a good grade, he graded out at 72.5 percent in 2022 including a stellar 80.5 pass blocking grade (and 68.9 as a run blocker). In 2021 he graded out at 61.8 percent overall (49.8 pass blocking, 64.9 run blocking). At 6-4 and 305 pounds he’s agile and strong enough to bully defenders in the run game. And that’s something Miami didn’t see a lot of last year when the team ranked No. 108 in the nation in sacks allowed (3.0 per game) and No. 95 in rushing offense (128.1 yards per game).
What he needs to do to move up this list
Cohen already has played at the highest level against some of the nation’s best teams in the SEC, so there’s every chance he will dominate even more than he did with the Crimson Tide with another year under his belt. He is a steady force on the interior line and should be one of the ACC’s top linemen. Really the only thing that might hold Cohen back is meshing with a new offensive line group in a new offense under new coaches. That learning curve started this spring and he looked like he fit in well.
Realistic season objective
Cohen has the tools to be an All-ACC type performer after he started for two years at Alabama and fared well. This was a huge pickup out of the portal for a Miami program that had not great play up front on offense a year ago. Adding Cohen and fellow UCF transfer Matt Lee at center really reshape this line from the struggles of 2022. Now you have Jalen Rivers, Zion Nelson if he’s back healthy or perhaps 5-star signee Samson Okunlola at LT, Cohen at LG, Lee at center, either Rivers or Anez Cooper at RG and 5-star signee Francis Mauigoa at RT. There should be a big jump up in level of play on the OL from 2022 to 2023.
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