By Mark Pszonak
Tuesday was a monumental day for the Miami program. They out maneuvered and out recruited Georgia and Oregon to gain a commitment from the consensus #1 Class of 2026 recruit in the country, offensive lineman Jackson Cantwell. Yet, instead of popping champagne bottles and celebrating, the fanbase is pouting.
They are pouting because they want everyone to believe that Miami was able to reel in Cantwell because of “player development” instead of cold hard cash. Let’s keep in mind that in 2025 there are no limits to how much money a school can offer a high school recruit. So, the Canes played by the rules and won, but that doesn’t seem to be enough for the fans.
Crediting “player development” for an offensive lineman could be a helpful factor for some schools, but it isn’t in Coral Gables. Why? It doesn’t take much effort to notice that there are currently only two former Miami offensive linemen in the NFL, Javion Cohen at Matt Lee. A third was drafted in April, Jalen Rivers, in the fifth round by Cincinnati.
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Cohen is an offensive guard, who went undrafted in 2024, but fought his way onto the Week 1 roster at Cleveland. He was then waived in early October, signed to the practice squad the next day and has since signed a reserve/future contract in January. He will once again be battling for a roster spot with the Browns during the summer.
Lee is a center, who was drafted in the 7th round of the 2024 Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. He had a productive rookie season, playing in all 17 games and started one. Also worth noting, Cohen was a transfer from Alabama while Lee was a transfer from UCF, with both only playing one season in Coral Gables. But I guess without the “player development” they experienced during their limited time with the Canes, they wouldn’t be in the NFL now.
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As for Rivers, he at least plays Cantwell’s position, offensive tackle. Plus, he wasn’t a transfer, so he was groomed by the Canes throughout the entirety of his collegiate career. It seems to be the fanbases belief that Cantwell was so enamored with Rivers’ development in Coral Gables that it was enough to pull in his commitment.
As for Georgia, it is a shame that they couldn’t develop the same quantity or quality offensive linemen. Oh wait, forget I said that….they have done a much better job. There are currently 12 former Bulldog offensive linemen in the NFL, including five offensive tackles, three of which start. They are named Andrew Thomas (NY Giants), Broderick Jones (Pittsburgh) and Amarius Mims (Cincinnati). All three were also drafted in the first round. That is the definition of “player development.”
Miami fairly beat Georgia today, but it is very hard to tell tonight.
