Analyzing the Miami commitment of mammoth 5-Star Offensive Tackle Samson Okunlola
With 5-star commitment of Samson Okunlola, Miami Hurricanes shoot up to No. 3 in the recruit rankings … Samson Okunlola commits to Miami in massive win for Cristobal and Mirabal: “I really like the culture, the people they have there” … Coach’s take: Inside what the Miami Hurricanes landed with Samson Okunlola commitment: “Like talking to another coach” … Miami is getting a ‘first round draft pick’ in 5-star OT Samson Okunlola
On tape, it’s easy to see why five-star Miami commit Samson Okunlola is the No. 3 offensive tackle in the 2023 recruiting class.
But next season at Miami, he’ll be truly challenged for the first time.
At 6-foot-5 and 305 pounds, Miami’s latest commit possesses all of the frame and every skill to be a dominant offensive tackle at the college level. But after pouring through his game tape, it’s apparent that no opponent he faced at Thayer Academy (Briantree, MA) ever posed a significant challenge to him in skill, size or ability.
So next year, will Okunlola be immediately able to adjust to the speed and physicality of Division I football to make an instant impact for Miami?
To clarify, there is no doubt that he possesses the requisite speed and strength to play at Miami or be one of the most talented blue-chip recruits in the country. His time at Thayer was nothing short of dominant, and it quickly becomes clear why he has marketed himself as the “Pancake Honcho.”
Be it a safety, linebacker or defensive tackle, there were few opponents Okunlola faced who he wasn’t capable of de-cleating in the run game or finding a way past him in the passing game. Heck, he looks like one of the most athletic linemen in the country with stunning speed and strength matched by few in the state of Massachusetts.
Okunlola’s strength is clearly as a run blocker, and he’s at his best, most dangerous “Pancake Honcho” self with a full head of steam as a puller on a GT counter or a toss sweep or when he gets a free shot at immediately blocking a linebacker. His pad level is exceptional for a player of his size who has, to this point, largely faced smaller opponents on opponents’ front sevens. His talent has occasionally even allowed him to block two opponents at once.
But that almost certainly won’t be the case next year at Miami.
Okunlola looks like a player capable of starting and providing an immediate impact for a Miami offensive line that could potentially see three or more new starters next season, which may include Okunlola and Five-Star Plus+ offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa – the No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2023 class. But he’ll face a level of physicality he hasn’t seen before, which certainly isn’t his fault.
Should Okunlola be blamed for completely dominating a level of competition that couldn’t match up with someone of his talent? No. Not at all. But will he be a developmental step behind a player like Mauigoa, who comes from IMG Academy and has faced a much more aggressive level of physicality daily in practice?
It certainly isn’t a criticism given how few offensive linemen are immediately ready to make the jump from the high school level to the college level in their first year, even though it’s apparent that many expect Okunlola to be ready to play right away.
He and Mauigoa have been touted as two freshmen linemen with the very rare potential to come in at Miami and make an immediate impact on the offensive line, but like all freshmen, there should be a learning curve for both.
The sooner Okunlola arrives on the Miami campus, the better so he can start taking practice reps against edge rushers and linebackers who will pose an athletic challenge to him for the first time in his football career.
