{"id":214792,"date":"2026-04-01T17:38:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T17:38:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/214792\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T17:38:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T17:38:23","slug":"miamis-offensive-line-mastermind-starts-this-season-with-a-refreshing-new-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/214792\/","title":{"rendered":"Miami’s Offensive Line Mastermind Starts This Season with a ‘Refreshing’ New Challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"

CORAL GABES \u2014 The Miami Hurricanes’ <\/a>biggest question starts with the offensive line, and their mastermind, Alex Mirabal, continues to stick pieces together with the Canes’ new offensive line. <\/p>\n

\u201cI feel invigorated,” Mirabal said. “I feel renewed. I feel refreshed. It\u2019s awesome to start with a new group of young men. Obviously, you have Matt McCoy<\/a>, you have Samson Okunlola<\/a>, you haveRyan Rodriguez<\/a> to help me, along with the other guys that are coaching on the offensive line staff, to help me establish the culture, the foundation, the principles of how we want to play football on the offensive line at the University of Miami. <\/p>\n

“But I love it. It\u2019s a challenge for me, and as I said, it\u2019s reinvigorating and a rebirth for me. So, I love it. I love it. I go back to how I was when I was a high school coach, where you get a new group of kids every year and just, let\u2019s go. Let\u2019s roll.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jan<\/p>\n

Jan 8, 2026; Glendale, AZ, USA; Miami Hurricanes offensive line coach Alex Mirabal against the Mississippi Rebels during the 2026 Fiesta Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

As spring practice continues, Mirabal also knows that challenges with a brand-new group of players can come with many pros and cons. However, the goal right now is to be better each day. <\/p>\n

\u201cGoing great,” Mirabal said. “It\u2019s going great. It\u2019s a work in progress. It\u2019s progress. They\u2019re doing what they have to do to get better. They\u2019re learning how when they get beat, to get back up and go back to the next rep. \u2026 You don\u2019t win or lose practice. <\/p>\n

“You get better throughout the course of practice. To me, that\u2019s what practice is and I\u2019ve always held that belief… They let you finish runs. So, to me, it\u2019s just about progress and getting better as a program and that\u2019s what we\u2019re doing. We\u2019re not keeping track of wins and losses during spring football. We\u2019re just trying to get better, and we got better today than we were on Saturday.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jan<\/p>\n

Jan 19, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes offensive lineman Ryan Rodriguez (76) against the Indiana Hoosiers during the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Canes offensive line will have several young talents, highlighted by five-star freshman Jackson Cantwell, but it will also have a veteran presence of players who have been waiting their turn and will now get their chance to shine. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a heck of a center here in James Brockermeyer and we had another heck of a center named Ryan Rodriguez,” Mirabal said. “And to Ryan\u2019s credit, he loves the University of Miami, and he didn\u2019t transfer. So, to me, he\u2019s a guy that should be praised for choosing to stay at Miami. <\/p>\n

“He waited his time, and you know what? He kind of did it [using] the old path, right? That\u2019s what used to happen at Miami all the time, when guys would play when they were juniors and seniors and they weren\u2019t playing as freshmen and sophomores and there\u2019s nothing wrong with that.”<\/p>\n

Building a culture like this has taken some time, but returning to the “old path” will only benefit the Hurricanes in the long haul.<\/p>\n

“Everybody makes their turn at a certain time, and this is Ryan\u2019s turn and he\u2019s got to keep competing,” Mirabal said. “But he\u2019s doing a heck of a job from a leadership standpoint, and so we just felt confident that was the path we wanted to take.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s a decision Coach Cristobal made as the head football coach and then he asked me and I said, \u2018Coach, I agree with you 100 percent.\u2019 I think Ryan is a guy that we can trust with the ball in his hand. We can trust him to lead that room, and we could roll from there.\u201d<\/p>\n

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