Francisco Mauigoa's Return Is Huge For Miami
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Many believed that Miami middle linebacker Francisco Mauigoa would forego his remaining eligibility and enter the 2024 NFL Draft. Yours truly would be one of those people.
Well, it turns out that Mauigoa is going to return to the University of Miami for another season under the direction of linebackers coach Derek Nicholson and defensive coordinator Lance Guidry. Miami fans should be pumped up and here's why.
For Miami to be a consistently dominating defense, a linebacker like Mauigoa makes it much easier. He's good in many areas. Let's think about a few things he does well.
For one, he's a tremendous blitzer. Mauigoa has 7.5 sacks, which is tied with freshman defensive end and All-American Rueben Bain, Jr. for the most on the Miami team. It's one thing for a defensive lineman to sack the quarterback that many times, but a linebacker does not gain as many chances to rush the passer. Props to Mauigoa. Here are his season statistics:
70 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, 7 quarterback hurries, 2 fumbles caused, and 2 pass breakups.
Another prime reason would be his experience in big games. He's played in the Pac 12 for Washington State and now with Miami in the ACC. He's seen numerous Power 5 quarterbacks and players overall that will one day play in the NFL if they are not already.
Those big-game opportunities help Mauigoa grow, as well as allow him to share his experiences with the likes of linebacker Wesley Bissainthe and other Miami underclassmen. Here's what AllHurricanes writer Alex Donno had to say about Mauigoa's return on his podcast with more information about Mauigoa also below:
With Mauigoa in the lineup, opposing teams must scheme against a middle linebacker. That's not the easiest thing to do, especially when it's an obvious passing down. Just having Mauigoa on the field allows other players a better chance to win one-on-one battles. That's huge.
Think about it. The more times a player like Bain goes one-on-one, or someone like defensive end Nyjalik Kelly, with Mauigoa also getting his chance to rush the passer, that combination will be difficult for opposing teams to slow down. One final point.
Leadership. Mauigoa was a good player before reaching Miami. He's taken a huge step forward because Mauigoa has worked for what he's achieved. That's going to rub off on all the players on the Miami roster whether it is an offensive, defensive, or special teams performer.
In the end, Miami is going to be a better football team with Mauigoa back in 2024. Hurricanes fans should be excited about it!
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