Hurricanes lose an offensive lineman to injury but get multiple defenders back

The No. 3 Miami Hurricanes will be without a starting offensive lineman when they host the Florida State Seminoles on Saturday (7 p.m., ESPN) but will have a few key defenders back against their in-state rival.

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First, the bad news: Hurricanes sophomore offensive lineman Max Buchanan will be out for the immediate future, coach Mario Cristobal said Monday morning during his weekly radio hit on WQAM’s The Joe Rose Show.

“Hopefully,” Cristobal said, “he’ll join us later in the year.”

Buchanan started each of Miami’s first five games at right guard, playing 244 of the Hurricanes’ 350 offensive snaps through those handful of games.

Buchanan sustained what appeared to be a left knee injury with 11:22 left in the second quarter against Clemson on Oct. 3. Buchanan briefly returned in the second half but ended up playing just 39 of Miami’s 66 offensive snaps in the eventual 41-13 Hurricanes win over the Tigers.

He on Wednesday morning posted a since-deleted photo on social media of himself in a hospital bed with the caption “Y’all hold out …. [I’ll] be back.” The specific nature of the operation Buchanan underwent has not been publicly announced, nor has a timeline on how much time Buchanan is slated to miss other than Cristobal’s vague “later in the year” comment on Monday.

With Buchanan out for the time being, freshman Ben Congdon and sophomore SJ Alofaituli would be the most logical options to start at guard for Miami moving forward. Alofaituli started the first four games of the season at left guard opposite Buchanan. Congdon started in that spot against Clemson, with Alofaituli being Miami’s primary right guard after Buchanan’s injury.

“There are a lot of players who are continuing to compete, and I’m not going to label anyone this or that,” Cristobal said. “We’re improving. We’re getting better. There are levels of communication and execution. There’s no one in the country like [offensive line] coach [Alex] Mirabal getting after it. Now you’re heading into October. You better be able to run the football, right? … You have to be able to take control of the line of scrimmage against really good teams. So there’s a lot of work to do.”

Now, for the good: Cristobal said multiple defensive players who have been sidelined — namely edge rusher Marquise Lightfoot, cornerbacks Xavier Lucas and Damari Brown, and linebacker Ezekiel Marcelin — are “all the way back.”

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Lightfoot, who leads Miami in sacks (five) and tackles for loss (5.5), left midway through the Clemson game with an undisclosed injury. Lucas has been sidelined since sustaining an injury in Miami’s season opener against Stanford. Brown has only played 93 snaps this season, including just six in the win against Clemson after not playing the week prior against Central Michigan.

Cristobal on Monday afternoon said cornerback OJ Frederique Jr., who like Lucas was injured in the season-opener, won’t return until “late” in the season.

“He’s progressing really well,” Cristobal said, “but it’s going to be late in the season. I can’t say exactly when.”

Miami had primarily relied on spot starter Ethan O’Connor and primary safety Bryce Fitzgerald to play outside cornerback the past four games because of the injuries to Lucas, Frederique, Brown and reserve cornerback Ja’Boree Antoine (who hasn’t played yet this season). O’Connor and Fitzgerald have graded out as Miami’s best defenders through the first five games of the season, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Hurricanes already have three players who have been ruled out for the year in running back CharMar “Marty” Brown, wide receiver Josh Moore and tight end Luka Gilbert.

Kickoff time announced for Miami-Pittsburgh

The Hurricanes’ home game against the Pittsburgh Panthers on Oct. 24 will kick off at noon and be televised on either ABC or ESPN, the ACC announced Monday.

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It’s the first afternoon game of the season for the Hurricanes.

This story was originally published October 12, 2026 at 6:29 AM.