Arrested Development

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Curious as to what enticed Cantwell to Miami? If you can believe that it’s not NIL related (who can blame a kid) it was apparently development from an O-Line wizard.

If you were to look at Mirabal’s success over the recent years, you’d note that there have been six linemen drafted from Miami and Oregon under his direct coaching impact.

  • 2025 – 5th Round, Jalen Rivers (OG)
  • 2024 – 4th Round, Matt Lee (C)
  • 2021 – 1st Round, Penei Sewell (T)
  • 2020 – 5th Round, Shane Lemeiux (G), 6th Round, Jake Hanson (C)
  • 2018 – 5th Round, Tyrell Crosby (G)

Not a bad list, but what’s the real sauce behind why Mirabal is so highly touted?

Mirabal was instrumental in Oregon’s success on the recruiting trail over his time there. During the 2021 cycle, Mirabal earned recognition as one of the top 25 recruiters in the country while helping Oregon to an all-time best No. 3 class ranking by Rivals. In the 247Sports rankings, Mirabal ranked second among all Pac-12 assistants and No. 16 overall while the Ducks’ signed the No. 6 class according to the recruiting site.

I could go on about the number of Georgia linemen that have been drafted along with Searels, but that’s not the point here. Mirabal was one of the top recruiters in the ACC in 2023 and 2025, though the results on the field haven’t necessarily panned out.

Point is, I can’t throw too much shade at Cantwell for jumping at the bag, nor can I towards the hype surrounding Mirabal when he can obviously find top talent, though the development part is kind of hollow promises given that the pro success is rather lacking.

Seems like Miami and Georgia aren’t that far off, as it’s noted that many of the talking heads on socials as well as even here attribute Searels success to blue-Chip talent acquisition and not actual growth and development. That debate can volley back and forth and bounce all over more than a racquetball at old Memorial Hall (from what little I can remember of it).

The question is, are there really any coaches out there that you can point to as a true “development” coach anymore…or is everyone just geared towards the arms race that is roster management, and that’s all that matters? I’m struggling to find a name out there of a college coach that is known for pure development and not their recruiting powers.

How about you? Know any developers?

23 thoughts on “Arrested Development”

  2. I for one would be grateful to Miami for developing some of these guys for a year or two before they get tired of losing and transfer to Athens for their most productive years of college.

  3. You’re going to give me PTSD with that Memorial Hall racquetball comment. My dumb ass took racquetball in the summer quarter. At Memorial (which, old-timers like myself will recall had no AC). Not to mention that there weren’t enough courts for us to play singles, so it was all doubles. Four sweaty dudes crammed into a closed box with no AC in the middle of the GA summer. I haven’t played racquetball since.

    • I might have been one of those sweaty dudes. I too took racquetball at Memorial in the summer (1989, IIRC). It was shit but not giggles.

      • I still have a broken big toenail that’s never grown back correctly in 32 years, thanks in part to the cramped confines of Memorial Hall. The SPACenter (Now Ramsey) was a godsend when it came about.

      • I was a bit after that. I think it would have been summer of 93 for me. I still have a welt on my temple from a meatball serve that my (non-athletic) partner put on a platter up for this dude who had clearly swung a racquet a few times.

    • You guys were slumming it. Early 90’s I had a roommate who was a trainer for a few sports. He had access to Butts-Mehre so we would go after hours and play. Remember playing Coach Hugh Durham a few times. Turns out Hugh was a nationally ranked raquetball player and would whip our asses.

      • This is such a great comment! Hugh was an underappreciated asset and quite the character…we used to prank call his basketball radio show back in the day!

        • Hugh was a character and a good coach. After one game, the press asked him about the officiating (he had recently been fined by the SEC for criticizing the officials). He said “I can’t comment on the officiating but the guy sitting behind me in the stands said it was the worst he’d ever seen.”

  4. Not sure it answers your question, but QB Ward went from nobody to #1 overall pick.

    That’s a spot a lot of prognosticators thought would be occupied by Carson Beck prior to last season.

    • And I really, really hate to say this, but Lincoln Riley has a pretty good record of getting QBs as high picks in the draft.

    • He was able to pad those stats early on, the “u” had to score almost 40 or more to squeeze out some of those mid to late season wins in 2024, it seemed as though the running game was better than average, their o-line play was middling when needed, so qb1 to the rescue, running and throwing and he’ll continue to take a beating at the next level, but could turn out to be a better than average qb….GO DAWGS!!

  5. Best developer in recent history (last 15-20 years) — Joe Pendrey, Bama.

    Least capable of developing/recruiting in recent history — Stacey Searles.

  6. I wish for once someone would be honest and say the money difference was too much to turn down. If he’s guaranteed 10 million over the next four years. Who can blame him. There is no NFL riches guarantee to anyone.
    Stacy Searles is the one coach working for Kirby that surprises me the most. It’s the position group I’m also most concerned about next season.

  8. That guy must know how to talk some serious shit because he looks like what would happen if George Jefferson and Captain Stubing had a baby.

    • Tell them what they want to hear and offer XL sized bags of cash. Seems to be working. Winning championships not so much.

  9. Drew is an alum of da U so know telling how thick the BS has been spread. But money talks and…
    let’s keep grinding the Kirby way and I think we will be fine but i suspect a lot of eyeballs from the peach state will be checking highlights on them ‘canes

  11. Just guessing the guy he’ll be blocking for…if he makes the lineup as a freshman…may have said something about UGA that influenced him to stay away. Just saying. Didn’t have to necessarily be negative but something he factored in to going with Miami.

    Or…the U training room filled with hookers and blow made the difference.

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