For high school offensive linemen, Miami has long been viewed as the destination. After all, head coach Mario Cristobal and position coach Alex Mirabal have churned out NFL-worthy O-linemen. However, a star OL prospect might be slipping away from their hands, thanks to a new player crashing the party.

Georgia hired former offensive analyst Phil Rauscher to be its new O-line coach. It’s only been a week since he was promoted, but he sure is building a strong rapport with the talented prospects in the country. Reis Russell, a three-star interior offensive lineman from Colorado, met with Rauscher and was wowed by his pitch.

“He’s a great guy,” Russell told On3. “I love his perspective on football and finish and all that stuff. He runs a very good room and I’m really excited he’s taking over as the O-line coach at Georgia now.

“Georgia has been a powerhouse, arguably the best team in the country, for who knows how long. They’ve been dominant in the SEC. They see me playing center. Everybody sees me playing center or guard and we talked through some football stuff and it was great.”

Rauscher pulled out all the stops to make such a solid impression on Russell. He offered the IOL only two days before traveling all the way to Colorado to visit him. Former Colorado DL and now football coach Matt McChesney, whose Six Zero Academy reps Russell, also had nothing but great things to say about him.

“1 hell of a great meet w/@GeorgiaFootball #OL Coach Phil Rauscher!” he shared on X. “@Reis_Russell54 was just offered by UGA & they have an incredible tradition of DEVELOPING TRENCH MONSTERS FOR THE #NFL IN ATHENS! WHY WE GRIND!”

Now, Reis Russell has a slew of programs battling for him, considering he is ranked as the 3 best prospect from Colorado. At 6’3” and 260 pounds, he makes a great fit for the Bulldogs’ O-line. The Bulldogs’ preferred positions for him are the same as those that Drew Bobo lines up at, who will graduate after the 2026 season. The room is crowded at the center, but Russell can still be used on a rotational basis.

The talented remains a Miami fanboy, calling Mirabal a “football wizard” and the “GOAT of O-line in college football.” But Phil Rauscher, amping up his efforts to emerge as a solid contender for Russell, cannot be ignored. He’s new to the fight, but is also someone Mirabal should look out for in his mirrors. However, Georgia also has to help Rauscher land these targets like Russell by giving him the right resources.

This stint is not new for Rauscher. His push for Russell is similar to his attempt to impress Maxwell Hiller, the No. 1 IOL in the 2027 class. The departure of Stacy Searels sparked some confusion among Georgia’s O-line commits and targets, but things seem to be in good hands under Rauscher’s leadership.

Phil Rauscher needs Georgia to spend big to fight Miami in recruitment

Looking at the way he is attacking recruitment, one has to give props to his genius in this arena. Rauscher was the recruiting coordinator for Hawaii football. He helped the Rainbow Warriors jump to the 78 position in the 2013 cycle from 92 in 2012. But at Georgia, a program notorious for not putting up a strong NIL fight, Rauscher will be tested.

“You look at the job that Alex Mirabal has done there at the University of Miami with Mario Cristobal,” Georgia insider Connor Riley said on the January 21 episode of DawgNation Daily. “Maybe that is the model going forward, where you get in more of a true coach, like a Rauscher, a technician who comes with good ideas.

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“Again, Rauscher was an offensive running game coordinator at the NFL level. So he’s clearly got something that impresses teams in terms of what he’s able to do there, even if it didn’t necessarily go well in his time at Jacksonville. I think a lot of this is going to come down to what is Georgia willing to spend.”

Kirby Smart will be known for missing out on Jackson Cantwell, who was the OL target for Georgia during his recruitment. But Miami, with some help from its reported $2.5 million offer, sealed the deal for the star player. Reis Russell might not be on Cantwell’s level, but he still presents a potential to demand a respectable amount. If Phil Rauscher has to lock him down at Athens, he has to make sure that this doesn’t turn out to be a repeat of the Cantwell saga. Miami doesn’t shy away from spending big on prospects, which is the exact opposite ideology that Georgia adopts.