An update on the Mauigoa brothers, who keep helping UM. And Canes football notes

A six-pack of Miami Hurricanes notes on a Friday:

▪ It will be fascinating to see the next step for the Mauigoa brothers this season.

Will Francisco go from a very good linebacker to an elite one worthy of consideration for first team All ACC (and All American consideration) after being named second team All ACC last season?

Will Francis go from a pretty good right tackle to an elite one (assuming he doesn’t move to left guard)?

Francisco Mauigoa, who transferred from Washington State 18 months ago, looks like UM’s best linebacker this decade after an impactful season in which he produced 82 tackles (18 for loss) and 7.5 sacks and an interception. He was easily one of Miami’s top six players last season.

Among 2025 draft-eligible linebackers, he ranked 22nd in run defense and 37th in creating pressures last season, per Pro Football Focus.

But instead of celebrating the accomplishments, he met with coaches to determine “what my flaws were” and corrected them.

He spent a month considering whether to turn pro but ultimately decided to return.

“I kept praying on it,” he said. “Seeing this team elevating to a higher level – I just want to be a part of it, to come back for one more year, one last time. I had personal goals I didn’t meet last year. I want to break 100 tackles.”

His brother, Francis, was named to PFF’s freshman All American team after starting every game and finishing third among ACC tackles in run blocking. PFF rated him Miami’s third best offensive lineman behind Matt Lee and Jalen Rivers.

But Mauigoa - rated one of the nation’s top two Class of 2023 tackle prospects - allowed five sacks (three more than any other Canes lineman) and 15 pressures, so there’s more work to do there.

He’s healthy after surgery on both shoulders. (His brother, Francisco, also needed shoulder surgery - on a torn labrum.)

“I’m back like I never left,” Francis said. While recovering from the surgeries, “I was there at 5 in the morning trying to do some workout before we do rehab, because after rehab we have meetings, lifting. … My mentality was `I need to be on the field as quick as possible.’ Because they were grinding every day, and me sitting on my butt made me feel like I’m lazy.

“So I was working on lower body strength. Last year, I was doing all right. I feel I did just enough to be able to survive. This year, I want to set my goals high.”

Offensive line coach Alex Mirabal has cross-trained Mauigoa at left guard but is also happy with him at right tackle. So a position switch would be surprising, though not out of the question.

“I was playing right tackle, they put me at left guard, sometimes right guard, center,” he said. “It’s really amazing to be able to work all positions because the NFL looks at that as valuable. Me being able to transition to everything makes me learn a lot.”

Mirabal said Francis Mauigoa “has been awesome. His leadership is tremendous. We’re looking for him to continue to progress, do a better job using his hands in pass protection.”

▪ Though Cam Ward’s NIL deal with UM is believed to be well over $1 million, he said recently that that “no NIL money went into my decision. I was going to get paid, regardless.”

Several things appealed to him about UM, including this: “The biggest thing was to not go somewhere where it was a whole rebuild. I wanted to be somewhere where I was the only new piece as a whole. I didn’t want to go somewhere getting changes left and right.

“I wanted to go somewhere which was set. Miami returned three starters on the o-line and Jacolby George and Xavier Restrepo – their leading receivers. They added myself, Damien Martinez, Sam Brown – only three new pieces. The core already was here. The spring confirmed everything. First day of spring, I knew who my guys were.”

Ward said “something I haven’t done great at a Power 5 level was win a lot of games. I’m tired of being a .500 team.”

Washington State was 7-6 and 5-7 the past two seasons. Miami was 5-7 in 2022 and 7-6 last year but with the expectation of being better than that this season.

▪ Cristobal, incidentally, mentioned on WQAM that Ward is consistently at the football facility at “5:30, 5:45 [in the morning] with the coordinator, chopping it up. He’s very inquisitive, always asking what he can do to get better and then takes that down to the locker room and practice field.”

And Mirabal noted that Ward spends time in the offensive line room watching film with Rivers and new center Zach Carpenter.

“They’ll be in there and they’re not watching film to say `Look how cool that is,’” Mirabal said. “They’re watching film” to accomplish something constructive.

Such as: “`Hey, why did you guys make that line of scrimmage call?’” Mirabal said. “And they’ll say, `Well, Cam, they were in this front so this is the line of scrimmage call that fits with that.’”

▪ Don’t be surprised if impressive freshman Jordan Lyle, the Ft. Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas alum, pushes Ajay Allen for playing time behind Damien Martinez and Mark Fletcher at running back.

Second-year player Chris Johnson and freshman Chris Wheatley Humphrey are among others in the mix.

“I’ve always had great running backs around me growing up, so competition I welcome,” Lyle said. “It makes me a better player.” 247 Sports rated Lyle the No. 15 running back in the 2024 class.

▪ Defensive coordinator Lance Guidry said on media day that Daryl Porter Jr. and Jadais Richard are the projected starting boundary cornerbacks, with Damari Brown (and others) in the slot. But Marshall transfer Dyoni Hill is pushing for a starting job. And freshman cornerback OJ Frederique has impressed everyone.

Mishael Powell and Jaden Harris are the starting safeties.

With regard to the defensive backfield, UM “in terms of depth, is maybe one piece away in a perfect world,” Mario Cristobal told WQAM’s Joe Rose on Wednesday. “I thought the defense got the better of the offense two out of the last three days. Those guys learned a lot from Kam Kinchens and James Williams. The secondary is physical.”

▪ Freshmen receiver JoJo Trader and safety Zaquan Patterson -- two Hollywood Chaminade Madonna alums -- continue to impress.

“Those two have been really good, have got a chance to help us out this year,” Cristobal told Rose. “Sometimes they make really good plays, sometimes they get bounced around. [Chaminade Madonna coach] Dameon Jones does a great job there. That program... has a really high hit rate. Guys coming out of there do really well when they go to college.”

Among other freshmen, “[cornerback] OJ Frederique has stood out, competing for playing time... [Linebacker] Bobby Pruitt has been outstanding.. [Linebacker] Adarius Hayes the same. [Defensive tackle] Armando Blount is a little nicked up, nothing major; he’ll be back in a day or two.”

Cristobal also mentioned edge players Marquise Lightfoot and Cole McConathy, who impressed during spring football.