Top 3 breakout candidates for Miami football in 2024

Oct 23, 2021; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes tight end Elijah Arroyo (80) catches the football against the North Carolina State Wolfpack during the second half of the game at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

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2. Samson Okunlola, OL

When Samson Okunlola was being recruited, he drew the interest of essentially the entire nation, holding an astounding 45 offers. No, that's not a typo, pretty much every major program wanted the five-star offensive lineman from Brockton, Mass.

Okunlola was ranked the No. 23 prospect in the nation and took visits to Florida, Alabama, and Michigan State along with Miami before choosing the Hurricanes in the end.

The 6-foot-6, 300-pound behemoth from Massachusetts ended up playing in three games as a true freshman but preserved his redshirt because he was dealing with a knee injury. And now that he's fully healthy, many believe he's going to take over at left guard and become the next elite offensive lineman for the Hurricanes -- OK, I'm leading the Okunlola hype train.

Okunlola was one of my favorite prospects out of high school and now that he's healthy and ready to go, I think he's going to pair nicely with fellow second-year star Francis Mauigoa and give the Hurricanes one of the brightest young lines in the ACC.

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