How Bain and Mauigoa — Miami’s ‘agents of change’ — turned UM into a playoff team
The Miami Hurricanes had just finished their first season under coach Mario Cristobal, going a disappointing 5-7. Cristobal had preached it would take time for the Hurricanes to turn things around. Patience was needed. Commitment was needed.
That message sunk in with two recruits in offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa and defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. who would end up spearheading the change Cristobal foresaw.
“They’re the ones that bought into a vision, that were willing to just ignore the noise and all the craziness surrounding a tough season,” Cristobal said. “They were going to be the ones. They were going to be the agents of change.”
Mauigoa and Bain headlined a 2023 signing class that finished seventh nationally.
Three years later, look at where Bain and Mauigoa are now.
And three years later, look at where the Hurricanes are now.
Bain and Mauigoa are All-Americans, top players at their positions and almost assuredly going to be first-round draft picks in the 2026 NFL Draft this April.
The Hurricanes as a whole, meanwhile, are a playoff team. No. 10 seed Miami (10-2) travels to play the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies (11-1) on Saturday in a first-round matchup at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas (noon, ABC/ESPN).
The slow and steady climb — from five wins before their arrival to 7-6 in 2023 to 10 wins in 2024 but missing the playoffs to 10 wins and a berth into the 12-team field — has paid off.
“This is what I came in for,” Bain said. “This is the moment I came for. Knowing that the program was where it was and that we really grounded it out and made it to where it is now.”
Their hope was to leave Miami in a better place than when they arrived, regardless of if they got to see the end to fruition.
But now that they are in the playoffs, two of the players at the forefront of making this possible aren’t taking this opportunity for granted.
“It’s not always about the beginning. We want to leave with an impact,” Mauigoa said. “I know a couple years ago, we didn’t achieve our goals, but we kept trying, and we kept getting after it every day, which led to this point. Very thankful.”
To get a better understanding of just what Mauigoa and Bain mean to the Hurricanes, ask their teammates and coaches about their impact.
Their work ethic is second to none. Their desire to improve is easy to see. Their personalities and ability to connect with their teammates pushes them over the top.
And their conviction that they could get the Hurricanes over the hump and back among college football’s elite is respected.
It’s why offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson was initially stumped Monday when asked if he could put Mauigoa’s impact on the Hurricanes into words.
“What if I said no?” Dawson replied. “It’s a tough question because as a kid, he believed when nobody else believed. He came here. Everybody knows when he came here that it wasn’t necessarily where it’s at right now, so you got to give a lot of credit to guys that can believe before they see.”
Mauigoa has started all 38 games of his UM career at right tackle. He has given up just eight sacks in 1,468 pass-blocking snaps in that span, according to Pro Football Focus. He has prototypical size at 6-6 and 335 pounds and athleticism to match — Cristobal said Mauigoa was clocked running 20 mph during practice and has brute strength to manhandle defenders.
“He’s physically just an absolute freak,” center James Brockermeyer said, “and getting to play with him this year has just been a huge blessing. I know everyone knows how great of a football player he is, but he really is a better human being off the field. He’s so just down to earth, humble. You would never know what a stud he is on the field just by talking to him just because of the type of person he is.”
And then there’s Bain, equally quiet in public and equally disruptive on the field.
His pure stats this season — just seven-and-a-half tackles for loss four-and-a-half sacks, plus an interception and forced fumble — don’t tell the story of his impact. He will do the dirty work that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet and allows his teammates and defense as a whole to thrive. He’s a menace in defending both the run and the pass.
“He’s a guy that it could be April 15, the third practice of spring ball, or it’s this weekend. He works the same,” defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman said. “If you watch him practice, it looks like a game rep. ... He’s a complete player. You always know he’s going to be exactly where he’s supposed to be, doing his job, 100 mph, physical.”
His preparation gets him in position to succeed when everyone is watching.
And it’s that preparation that has his teammates reveling.
“His work ethic shows on the field,” said fellow edge rusher Akheem Mesidor. “Nothing that he does on the field surprised me because of what I’ve seen him do in the weight room and on the field and practice, conditioning or whatnot. Everything he does in the dark is a reflection of what he does in the light.”
The Hurricanes as a whole have done a lot of work in the dark the past few years. It’s shining brightly now on the biggest stage as they get ready for their College Football Playoff debut.
And that simply means the latest challenge to face.
“There’s no ‘arrived syndrome,’” Cristobal said.
And so Bain and Mauigoa, like their Hurricanes teammates overall, are going to keep pushing. They’ve accomplished so much, but know there’s still more to be done.
“We’re not finished,” Bain said. “There’s a whole bunch of stuff we still have to do, still have to prove and earn. We’re just playing football knowing that we’ve got this opportunity. We’re not gonna take it lightly.”
This story was originally published December 18, 2025 at 1:00 PM.
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