Another Miami Offensive Weapon Could Miss Significant Time

All seemed calm during Miami's bye week, until Wednesday, when the Hurricane social media landscape learned of another player undergoing surgery.

The player is offensive lineman Max Buchanan, who announced it on his Twitter page before the post was deleted on Wednesday.

A screenshot of Buchanan's deleted tweet. | Miami Hurricanes on SI

Buchanan is the latest in a long line of players to suffer significant injuries in the Hurricanes' locker room this season. Even star wide receiver Malachi Toney and bell-cow back Mark Fletcher Jr. haven't been safe from the injury virus spreading through the Miami locker room. Now, quarterback Darian Mensah, who has been playing like he's on another plane of existence as of late, could be without one of the offensive linemen who have quite literally paved the way for this offense thus far.

Against Clemson last weekend, Buchanan exited with a left knee injury but later returned to the field.

Buchanan has started at right guard for most of this year as a sophomore and has been a steady presence in a group that has been open about trying to find its identity throughout the early stages of the 2026 season. At 5-0, the Miami offensive line finally began to resemble last year's impressive unit. Now, it might be searching for a new face at a pivotal spot.

What Does Buchanan's Injury Mean for Miami?

Mostly, if Buchanan is expected to miss a good chunk of time, it means that someone is going to have to step into a new role, and that could come from a number of sources. At the season's outset, Seuseu "SJ" Alofaituli manned one of the guard spots, but at just 6-foot-2 and just shy of 300 lbs, he might not have the size to compete deep into ACC play, and especially with defensive tackles who can rush the passer.

That leaves a few intriguing options, then, such as junior Jamal Meriweather, who logged snaps all across the Georgia offensive line during his time with the Bulldogs. Meriweather lists at 6-foot-7 and 305 pounds, though, so he doesn't add much mass to the spot, either, despite his longer reach. However, he played right guard against Clemson, so the staff evidently trusts him in that spot.

That leaves Jackson Cantwell, the former 5-star recruit and highly touted tackle prospect.

At this point, it's safe to say Cantwell probably won't see many reps at left tackle this season, as Samson Okunlola has that spot locked down. But if he's as talented and next-level-ready as his supporters claim, then he could realistically step into that spot and make the necessary pulls to not skip a beat.

No matter which of the three Miami lands on, it obviously has a hole to replace. Head coach Mario Cristobal likely won't have another media availability during the bye week, so fans and media alike will have to wait on next Monday's press conference for concrete answers.

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