Image 1: OT Francis Mauigoa (61) in pass protector against EDGE David Reese (7)
Height: 6’6
Weight: 335
Position: OT
Year: Junior
Background
Image 2: OT Francis Mauigoa (61) during his final season at IMG Academy
Born on June 4, 2005, Francis “Sisi’ Mauigoa was a five-star OT recruit in the class of 2023. Born and raised in American Samoa, Mauigoa moved to California with his two brothers to play football at Aquinas High School in San Bernardino. With the pandemic in 2020 and his brothers playing in college, Mauigoa returned home to play at Tafuna High in Pago Pago, American Samoa. Entering his junior year, Mauigoa moved back to the mainland and played at IMG Academy. At IMG, Mauigoa’s recruiting stock skyrocketed, becoming a consensus 10 recruit and an All-American game invitee. With offers from Alabama, Florida, USC Miami, and Tennessee, Mauigoa committed to Miami to play with his brother, LB Francisco Mauigoa.
As a Hurricane, Mauigoa made an immediate impact by winning the starting RT job as a true freshman and would receive freshman All-American honors. In his sophomore season, Mauigoa emerged as a key contributor who helped Miami be the number one-ranked offense in terms of points and yards per game. Mauigoa’s high level of play not only put him on draft boards, but it also made him a member of the All-ACC Second Team. Entering his junior season, Mauigoa is one of the top linemen in the 2026 class, with expectations of him being a first-round selection.
Athletic Tools
With a thick frame and excellent movement skills, Francis Mauigoa has one of the best combinations of size and athleticism in the class. In pass protection, Mauigoa is effective at remaining square with defenders as he gets depth in his pass set. Though not an elite movement athlete, Mauigoa’s athleticism is impressive for a lineman of his size and should allow him to have the athleticism to play OT in the NFL. In the run game, Mauigoa’s mobility makes him very effective reach blocking on wide zone concept, climbing to the second level, and pulling to seal the backside.
Video 1: OT Francis Mauigoa (61) using his initial quickness and food quickness to beat EDGE Junior Tuihalamaka (44) to the spot and remain square throughout the play
Video 2: OT Francis Mauigoa (61) displays his athleticism on the wide zone concept when climbing to the second level to block LB Mac Harris (24)
Video 3: OT Francis Mauigoa (61) pulls and blocks EDGE Bryce Young (95) on the backside of the play
Despite his massive frame and crazy strength numbers in Feldman’s Freak List, Mauigoa is a peculiar strength athlete. In terms of anchoring in pass protection and moving defenders in the run game, Mauigoa is very good at both. However, Mauigoa is very underwhelming in terms of his upper body strength. With mediocre hand heaviness and grip strength, Mauigoa has low lights in pass protection that stem from throwing punches that simply don’t affect the pass rush angles of EDGEs. Combined with his already short arms, Mauigoa is a very awkward player when asked to pass protect in space. Because of this, Mauigoa is a player I believe should play OG, as operating in tighter spaces in pass protection would hide his arm length deficiency and let him rely more on his anchor instead of his hand heaviness.
Video 4: OT Francis Mauigoa (61) catches in pass protection against LB Jaylen Sneed (3), but uses his anchor and footwork to not give up a pressure
Video 5: OT Francis Mauigoa (61) climbs to the second level and uses his strength to remove LB Mac Harris (24) from the play
Video 6: OT Francis Mauigoa (61) has an ugly rep technical rep on LB Jaylen Sneed (3), who is able to bend through Mauigoa’s strikes and record a QB hurry
Video 7: OT Francis Mauigoa (61) lands an outside hand strike square on EDGE Levi Smiley (18) who is unaffected by the contact
Technicals
Besides helping him in pass protection, another reason why I believe Mauigoa should play OG is his run blocking. Combining his athleticism and size with a violent play style, Mauigoa has dominate reps in the run game. Beyond just having the mentality to excel as a great run blocker, Mauigoa works to get underneath defenders’ pads to win the leverage battle. While he does need to play lower in his pads and rein in some of his aggressiveness to avoid penalties, I believe Mauigoa has the potential to be one of the premier run-blocking guards in the NFL.
Video 8: OT Francis Mauigoa (61) gets underneath the pads of DL Gabriel Rubio (97) on a down block and clears up the gap for the RB
Video 9: OT Francis Mauigoa (61) works a combo block with OG Anez Cooper (73) to clear a highway-sized hole for the RB
Video 10: OT Francis Mauigoa (61) flashes his aggression in the run when he finishes the block after tossing EDGE Junior Tuihalamaka (44)
Though he has enough athleticism to pass protect, Mauigoa is very raw in terms of his technique. For a player who plays with so much violence in the run game, Mauigoa is an incredibly timid pass protector. Despite pass protection at OT being built around throwing powerful, well-timed, and accurate strikes, Mauigoa has a bad habit of catching and rarely initiates contact in pass protection. Beyond timing, Mauigoa has a difficult time consistently landing his hands within the landmarks. Mauigoa he reset his hands well, but he has a bad habit of missing high with his initial strike.
Video 11: OT Francis Mauigoa (61) continues to mirror EDGE Boubacar Traore (5) instead of throwing a well-timed punch
Video 12: OT Francis Mauigoa (61) catching against the stutter-bull from EDGE Boubacar Traore (5), who records pressure
Video 13: OT Francis Mauigoa (61) intially misses high and resets his hands when striking EDGE Rich Watson III (34)
Draft Projection
Francis Mauigoa currently has a first/second round grade. While there are debates over Mauigoa’s position in the NFL, I do believe it is best for him to play OG. While similarly stumpy OTs have been great starters in the NFL, these players (Ex, Alaric Jackson, Luke Goedeke, Rashawn Slater, etc) had phenomenal punch timing, placement, and power to overcome their length deficiencies — Mauigoa does not. There will be an adjustment period as Mauigoa gets used to a new position, but I believe Mauigoa has the potential to develop into one of the best OGs in the NFL.
Athletic Testing
Will be updated after the NFL Combine/Miami Pro Day
Pro Comparison
Image 3: OG Teven Jenkins (65) playing against the Minnesota Vikings during his time with the Chicago Bears
With their blend of athleticism and violence, Teven Jenkins and Francis Mauigoa are very similar players. A former OT at Oklahoma State who played OG in the NFL, Jenkins has been one of the most underrated linemen in the NFL. Though his career has been derailed with a series of unfortunate injuries, Jenkins has put up All-Pro caliber tape when he has been healthy enough to play. As a prospect, Jenkins did have a leg up in terms of upper body strength and punch technique, but I believe a healthy Jenkins is the type of player Mauigoa can develop into at OG.
Date Published: 10/13/2025
Date Last Updated: 10/13/2025