Bio

As Miami looked to build out their 2023 recruiting class, early attention was paid to Owings Mills (MD) McDonough OL Antonio Tripp. A stout 6’3” 300lb interior lineman, Tripp made a name for himself with his solid play in games and camps. That caught the eye of Mario Cristobal and company as the reconstruction and improvement of the OL is a tier-1 issue for the improvement of the program.

Prior to Cristobal leaving Oregon and returning to Miami, Tripp was mainly being pursued by teams from the Northeast and Midwest. Penn State was the leader in the clubhouse at the time, but things changed quick, fast, and in a hurry.

Tripp received a scholarship offer from Miami in January, and things only heated up from there. After a visit to Coral Gables for a junior day event in March, Tripp committed to the Canes the next day. Tripp would follow that commitment up with an Official Visit in June, further cementing his connection to the program and effectively ending his recruitment.

Things didn’t end for Tripp there…but not in the way you think. In August, Tripp announced his decision to leave McDonough HS and transfer to the HSFB Powerhouse at Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy. There, he would team up with a plethora of elite players, including eventual fellow Miami commits OT Francis Mauigoa, TE Riley Williams, and EDGE Jayden Wayne. Of course, there are even more elite players on the roster at IMG, but those are the ones to know for now.

After committing to Miami, Tripp took a very vocal lead role in recruiting other players to Miami on social media. That presence only increased after his transfer to IMG Academy, and is still going strong. There was never a chance Tripp was going anywhere but Miami after receiving his scholarship offer, and now he’s signed. Next stop, Coral Gables! Let’s go!

Recruiting Ranking

On the 247sports composite, Tripp is a 3-star prospect, the #36 IOL nationally, #88 in the State of Florida, and #480 player overall in this class.

As noted above, Tripp was the first of this year’s signees to commit to the 2023 class for Miami, and he committed to the canes over Penn State, Michigan State, and Kentucky from a strong list of 17 offers from around the country.

As A Player

While Tripp plays all over the line in HS — you can see him at literally every position on the line in his HL tape from McDonough — he settled at OG at IMG Academy and that will probably be his best position moving forward. Tripp could play Center as well, but either way, interior OL is where he’ll be.

At 6’3” 300lbs, Tripp is solidly built for a lineman. His stocky, powerful build gives him good strength, but that can still improve at the collegiate level. Tripp is a solid run blocker and developing pass blocker. Transferring to IMG was a big step forward for him, with improved coaching and playing against top DE talent every day in practice being the key toward a big step forward in his development.

Tripp is good on movement blocks; traps, pulls, things like that. Let him get some momentum going and he’s a force on the field. Tripp getting out front of a running back or wide receiver on a screen pass is something that we should see in the future. He’s very good in these situations.

Strengths

Run blocking
Strength
Physical build

Weaknesses

Pass blocking
A good but not great athlete

Miami Outlook

Tripp is a solid player, and profiles to be an upgrade along the OL down the line. But, it will probably take a couple years to get to that point. With 3 positions on the list for his potential home, there’s plenty of room for Tripp to carve out room for himself on the 2 deep here at Miami.

I’d be shocked if Tripp doesn’t redshirt in 2023, and he should figure to be a 4 or 5 year player for the Canes. But that’s fine. Every program needs developmental and rotation players, and Tripp can be at the front of that list along the OL in the future.

That’s it for this installment of The Recruiting Notebook.

Miami Hurricanes 2023 Recruiting Notebook: OL Antonio Tripp

Bio

Recruiting Ranking

As A Player

Miami Outlook

Go Canes