CORAL GABLES, Fla. – It was a play that made his quarterback smile; a play that had friends, family members and former coaches blowing up his phone with excited messages; a play that went viral on social media and a play that put Ryan Rodriguez in the spotlight in the best way possible.

But the offensive lineman wasn’t looking for attention when he delivered a bone-crushing block on a Clemson defender during Miami’s first play from scrimmage in a win over the Tigers earlier this month.

Rodriguez was just hoping to try and set the tone early in a crucial conference road game.

The fact that block led to a touchdown and eventually became a highlight-reel worthy moment was just a really, really big added bonus.

“That’s one of our cornerstone plays,” Rodriguez said. “Every center has pretty much made a play like that in this program, so I felt like I just wanted to make a big play, a big splash and I feel like that’s what I was able to do.”

Rodriguez’s block, delivered just after wide receiver Cooper Barkate caught a pass from quarterback Darian Mensah, helped pave the way for Barkate to score on a 61-yard play that staked the Hurricanes to a quick lead at Clemson Memorial Stadium.

The Hurricanes went on to post a 41-13 win, with Miami gaining 419 yards of total offense against Clemson and averaging 6.8 yards per play that night. The Hurricanes also outrushed the Tigers 192-55 and all game long, Rodriguez and his fellow offensive linemen used their size, strength and skill to keep Miami moving.

For Rodriguez, wins – and blocks – like those against Clemson are especially meaningful.

The senior, a Miami native who starred at Christopher Columbus High School before signing with the third-ranked Hurricanes, has endured his share of challenges during his collegiate career, from coaching changes to multiple serious injuries.

He played in just one game as a true freshman in 2021 and then missed the entire 2022 season while recovering from offseason surgery.

In 2024, he took the field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium as Miami’s starting left guard in the season opener against Florida, but he injured his ankle that afternoon and wouldn’t play again the rest of the year.

All of it was difficult. All of it tested him. But Rodriguez persisted.

In an era where movement is common and transfers happen much more often than they did in the past, the offensive lineman chose to stay at his hometown program.

For him, it was simple: he believed in himself, he believed in the Hurricanes, and he believed in the vision head coach Mario Cristobal and offensive line coach Alex Mirabal had for the Hurricanes and for him.

“I felt like I could play here and if I worked hard enough, we could complete our goal,” Rodriguez said.

So, despite the injuries and despite the fact he didn’t see as much of the field as he might have wanted, Rodriguez tried to soak up all the knowledge he could from Cristobal and Mirabal, who came to Miami from Oregon in 2021.

He learned as much as he could, too, from the veteran offensive linemen ahead of him on the depth chart, including former centers Matt Lee and James Brockermeyer and former Hurricanes lineman Jalen Rivers, now a guard for the Cincinnati Bengals.

His approach and his persistence did not go unnoticed.

“Ryan’s a great human being, man. Those injuries weren’t little ones either. They were real, real tough ones,” Cristobal said. “When you’re a center, the whole room has to feel you and what I mean by that is, if the guy walks in the room … the whole room has to know he’s the most confident person. He has to have a presence that no matter [what] is going on, all the craziness and the noise, he’s a calming presence. … he has to really take over things in the huddle and have that presence on the line of scrimmage, and you have to be able to do that on a day-to-day basis … He has done a tremendous job, probably doesn’t get enough credit. We’re super proud of him, fired up for him and we’re really blessed to have him here.”

Added Mirabal, “What happens in the dark comes into the light, shines in the light. What Ryan did against Clemson, I’ve been seeing for two-and-a-half years. The rest of the public hasn’t seen it, but it doesn’t surprise me. His growth is something that is visible and has been visible at practice. I’ve said this repeatedly, that even though he didn’t start last year, he was probably better than 75, 80 percent of the starting centers in the ACC, in our conference. He just didn’t have that opportunity last year, and he’s got the opportunity now and he’s taken advantage of it and now other people are seeing what we saw in the dark.”

As the Hurricanes prepare for their annual rivalry showdown against Florida State on Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami has the nation’s top offense, averaging 554.8 yards and 49.6 points per game.

Rodriguez and his fellow offensive linemen have been big parts of that success, but the redshirt senior isn’t satisfied.

He believes the Hurricanes can be better. He believes he can be better. And his teammates know he is determined to do his part to continue pushing Miami’s offense forward.

“He prepares his butt off, so I feel super protected and he’s one of my best friends on the team,” said Mensah, who can often be seen spending extra time working on snaps with Rodriguez after Miami’s daily practices. “And all that shows. He puts in a lot of work with Coach Mirabal. Coach Mirabal, he’s one of the toughest coaches on our team, especially from a position standpoint. He’s on the o-line 24/7, so to be the center of that group, you have to be even more on point, and [Rodriguez] has risen to the occasion. I’m super proud of the dude because it’s not an easy thing to do to play center in this offense.”

Said Rodriguez, “I’m not satisfied with what has been done. We still have a lot left to prove, and personally, what I’ve learned about myself is just don’t give up on yourself and keep pushing. You believe in yourself, and you believe you can do it, so keep doing it.”