Can Hurricanes’ new-look offensive line mesh in time?
Center is only returning starter playing same position as last season.
MIAMI — The Hurricanes’ offensive line is still a work in progress.
After losing the left side of last year’s line — starting left tackle Kc McDermott and starting left guard Trevor Darling are participating in NFL training camps at the moment — Miami is looking for a new starting five.
With the Hurricanes opening the season against LSU on Sept. 2, they only have five weeks to figure it out. Miami will have to come up with the answer during fall camp.
But spring practices helped to give the Hurricanes an idea of what their offensive line could look like. Miami finished the spring with the starting combination of Tyree St. Louis at left tackle, Jahair Jones at left guard, Tyler Gauthier at center, Hayden Mahoney at right guard and Navaughn Donaldson at right tackle.
Gauthier, who started all 13 games at center last season, is the only one returning to the position he played last year. St. Louis is making the switch to left tackle after start- ing at right tackle last season, and Donaldson is trying to make the move to right tackle after starting at right guard as a true freshman last season.
Meanwhile, Jones has seen scant playing time since transferring from junior college in 2015, and Mahoney started two games last year, both at right guard, which is where he ended after spring practice.
“I do think we have the right ingredients,” Hurricanes coach Mark Richt said of the offensive line during spring. “We just have to get those guys repping a lot together.”
The spring was a difficult time for Miami’s new-look offensive line, though. The unit allowed nine sacks during the spring game in April, with the edge rushers combining for seven as tackles St. Louis and Donaldson continued to work through the challenges of a new position.
Still, St. Louis and Donaldson look like the Hurricanes’ top choices at tackle entering the season. Redshirt junior George Brown Jr. got the first shot at the starting right tackle spot in the spring, but he didn’t take advantage as Miami ended up sliding Donaldson over to that position. Sophomore KaiLeon Herbert, redshirt freshman Zalon’tae Hillery and true freshman John Campbell are other options at tackle, but none seem ready for a starting job yet.
Then there’s Tennessee graduate transfer Venzell Boulware, who arrived to Miami just a few weeks ago. Boulware has two years of eligibility remaining as a redshirt junior and will have a chance to earn playing time at one of the guard spots.
“Very good first impression,” Richt said of Boulware during ACC media day in July. “The guy played SEC ball for three years. He’s a graduate. He’s a mature guy. Even to graduate in three years, it shows a sign of maturity. He’s a sharp guy, he’s built well. He looks like he’s in really good condition.”
Freshman D.J. Scaife and sophomore Corey Gaynor are also candidates at guard if any of the others slip up.
With all of the uncertainty surrounding the Hurricanes’ offensive line entering camp, they hope to find a reliable five-man group sooner rather than later.