Countdown to Canes Football: No. 1 Matt Lee
Orchestrating an offense from the center position? That’s one way to look at it. More importantly, the top player on the Countdown to Canes Football list will be an all-around leader and playmaker in silence, despite millions of people seeing him perform.
Who’s been discussed before today? Full Countdown to Canes Football List
Matt Lee
Size: 6-foot-4, 295 pounds
Class: Redshirt-Senior
Position: Center
Recruitment and Background
From the class of 2019 and Oviedo (Fla.) Hagerty, Lee was not a heralded recruit. His two primary offers were USF and UCF. Additionally, Air Force and traditional academic institutions like Yale and Harvard were after his services. Living roughly 15 minutes from the UCF campus, he chose to be a Knight.
A three-year starter for the UCF program, Lee quickly became a mainstay as a leader and player that teammates looked towards during the good and bad times. He’s one of the most respected players in recent UCF history. Now that he’s at the University of Miami after arriving via the Transfer Portal, he’s expected to be a tremendous leader in even more ways than he was in Orlando.
Why Lee Is #1 On The Countdown
After a porous 2022, Alex Mirabal, Mario Cristobal and Miami need many things from the offensive line this season. That starts with accountability. Lee will complete his assignments – proper footwork, hand placement, and making checks – while also being tasked with something even more important and completing it as well. Quite frankly the following point is the primary reason Lee is tops on the list.
Helping to keep Tyler Van Dyke healthy. If anyone wants to see how a college football team can lose its momentum from a single play, it’s the starting quarterback being injured. Not just momentum for the game, but for the season. The Canes experienced that last year with Van Dyke out of the lineup, and so did many other programs.
An elite student, Lee’s intelligence, awareness, leadership and overall football knowledge will help Miami prepare and execute game plans that keep Van Dyke upright and completing passes. There’s a plethora of planning that goes into being an offensive lineman that truly uses mental capacity as much as braun.
Now, how does he help the rest of the guys up front?
Communication Will Improve
Name a facet of human life where communication is not a staple amongst a business group or family. No matter what, communication is a must for success to be found.
Lee can adapt to any of the players around him. It’s proven via his time at UCF, and now he’s helping to see the 2023 Miami offensive line gels. There’s ample talent, for sure. Make no mistake, Lee will be a pivotal part of that unit looking completely different from the 2022 offensive line as he helps it come together.
When the Canes need checks, expect Lee to be that guy. Spotting tendencies prior to the snap and making adjustments. Those will be qualities that silently happen and keep the chains moving for the Hurricanes. That will also happen with Van Dyke’s jersey staying a little bit more clean, too.
Helping The Young Players
Miami’s youth movement along the offensive line will be something to watch. No doubt, Lee is already on this task. Coming from someone that covered Lee while he was at UCF, Canes fans can be assured that he’s someone that enjoys helping his teammates learn – no matter how young – as he helped former UCF freshman quarterback Mikey Keene during his 10 starts in 2021.
Lee is someone that likes those challenges. He will discuss it in an “ah shucks” kind of way like it’s no big deal; talking about just doing his job. It’s really hard to help a freshman along, especially at quarterback, and Lee did that already, along with helping to improve how several of his other teammates performed. That’s why the following area is so interesting.
Despite each of them being a freshman, Francis Mauigoa and Samson Okunlola could see plenty of action this fall, perhaps one or both of them starting. Lee’s guidance will help them and all the other Miami offensive linemen as they learn schemes and tendencies at the Power 5 level. They would be wise to soak up as much of Lee’s knowledge as possible. One more attribute to discuss.
Playing On A National Stage
While a quiet guy and someone that’s laid back during a press conference or off the field in general, Lee will be a player that shows up and plays his best versus top competition. The louder the crowd, the more he will dig in and make key blocks. Those third down and one plays where it's power football, Lee will be up to the task, and then some, just as one example.
Mentally and physically, as a reminder, Lee will be making plays. Do not discount that point. He’s going to be helping to orchestrate the offense at the pivot.
From start to finish, he will be a player that helps his teammates be ready as well. That’s leadership, that’s talent, and that’s sheer determination. Matt Lee, the #1 player on the Countdown to Canes Football list.
2023 Projection
Lee will challenge for ACC and national honors. Not enough people in the media are providing Lee with the respect he deserves, at least in the preseason (some are, just not enough). At the end of the 2023 season, let’s see what people think of Lee after he’s helped the Miami offense take big steps forward and the team's win-loss record looks a lot better, too.
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