Portal Alert: Miami Hurricanes land their center for 2024 with Indiana's Zach Carpenter committing off weekend visit
A year ago the Miami Hurricanes turned to the transfer portal to find a high quality center, with Matt Lee fitting the bill as a one-year stopgap. Now, with Lee heading to the NFL, Miami coach Mario Cristobal has again turned to the portal and has landed his center for the 2024 season – rising redshirt senior Zach Carpenter out of Indiana.
Carpenter visited Miami this past weekend and announced his commitment tonight, choosing the Canes over North Carolina and Maryland. His addition is big, as the team otherwise only returns inexperienced centers Ryan Rodriguez and Antonio Tripp, who redshirted as a freshman this year.
Carpenter originally signed with Michigan in the Class of 2019, redshirting that year and serving as a backup in 2020, then transferred to Indiana where he started five games at right guard in 2021 before becoming a full-time starter in 2022. He didn’t allow any sacks that year playing center and guard – he began the season playing center, missed two games due to surgery for a torn hand ligament and then played guard with a club protecting his hand before moving back to center (he taught himself to snap lefty while the injury was affecting him, and he can still snap effectively with either hand).
This past season Carpenter allowed 10 quarterback pressures in 445 pass blocking reps, and his 2.3 percent pressure rate was third-best in the Big Ten. Per PFF in 804 overall reps this past year he graded out at 64.4 percent overall (was 53.3 percent in 2022) with a 71.8 percent pass block grade (54.6 in 2022) and 61.0 run block grade (49.7 in 2022).
He has started 27 games in his college career, and now will be starting next season in Hard Rock Stadium.
Miami will return three starting linemen from this year’s team – RG Anez Cooper, LT Jalen Rivers and RT Francis Mauigoa. There is also the expectation that Matthew McCoy can emerge as a solid left guard (he is expected to get his first start there in the bowl game). Plus 5-star Samson Okunlola, who missed much of this year due to injury, is expected to factor in next year along with the other returning linemen.
