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An All-American OL who just entered the portal should be pursued by several SEC contenders
You had me at “Madden.”
That’s how I expect several SEC head coaches to respond to their respective talent evaluators when the name “Cain Madden” comes across their desk. By now, hopefully they’re all well aware of the Marshall offensive lineman who just hit the transfer portal, and not just because he shares perhaps one of the best football names one can have (no relation to John Madden).
Let’s back up a second. Without context, “Marshall offensive linemen hits transfer portal” normally isn’t a headline that ever reaches an SEC contender’s desk, much less one that gets a second look.
How about a new headline. “First-team All-American offensive guard hits transfer portal.”
Now do I have your attention? Good.
A few other things are worth noting here. Madden was Pro Football Focus’ top-rated guard in 2020, and his run-blocking grade (93.0) was easily the best among FBS interior offensive linemen. That included Landon Dickerson. Madden also didn’t allow any sacks or hits.
Also of note? Madden had 64 knockdown blocks in 2020, which helped him earn first-team All-America honors from The Athletic, and the Associated Press made him a second-team selection. Not bad for a former Group of 5 walk-on.
One last detail? He’s 24. His birthday is Dec. 23, which means that if Madden were to transfer to a contender, there’s a good chance he’ll play in a bowl game as a 25-year-old.
One last, last detail? His nickname is “Dump Truck.”
Now I know I have your attention.
To say that Madden is an atypical transfer portal target would be an understatement. From a skill set and experience standpoint, there’s no reason why Madden shouldn’t be heavily pursued by a bevy of SEC contenders.
Here’s how he would fit in with each one of those teams and why he could find an SEC home:
Texas A&M
In case you haven’t heard, Kenyon Green is the lone returning starter from the Maroon Goons, who were the backbone of A&M’s best AP Top 25 finish in 81 years. Speaking of Green, he’s switching from left guard to left tackle.
Hey, what’s that? Green is already recruiting Madden to come to A&M?
Why yes, yes he is.
As you can see, Madden retweeted that. If a preseason All-American from a preseason top-10 team told me he wanted me to join him, I’d also probably take it seriously.
A&M is the most obvious fit for Madden for that exact reason. We know Jimbo Fisher’s offense is predicated on being able to run the football, and that’s where Madden thrives. There are worse things an offensive lineman can do than blocking for Isaiah Spiller and Devon Achane (Ainias Smith is expected to spend most of his time in the slot).
Madden could go to a situation where he wouldn’t be lacking NFL eyes — Green is showing up in all the way-too-early 2022 mock drafts — and he’d play for a legitimate contender. With all due respect to Marshall, which is now being led by former Alabama assistant and No. 1 recruiter in the 2021 cycle Charles Huff, that sounds just a bit more attractive than an annual trip to the Gasparilla Bowl.
What seems clear is that A&M has 2 obvious starters in Green at left tackle and Luke Matthews at center. Tennessee transfer Jahmir Johnson is expected to solidify the right tackle spot, though he wasn’t able to enroll until summer. Madden would help answer what’s perhaps the biggest question mark the Aggies are facing in 2021.
Alabama
This is an extremely similar dynamic to A&M, but instead of Green switching to left tackle and getting early Round 1 buzz, that’s Evan Neal. Also similar to A&M, Alabama has some significant turnover on the offensive line with the aforementioned Dickerson gone to the NFL, as well as first-round pick Alex Leatherwood and guard Deonte Brown. Emil Ekiyor returns at right guard after starting every game there in 2020, and Chris Owens is expected to start at center.
And while Alabama added a pair of 5-star linemen in Tommy Brockermeyer and JC Latham, Tommy Brown is the only returning guard who played at least 50 snaps there in 2020 (PFF had him for 56 snaps). That left guard spot is there for the taking, assuming Madden would be OK playing on that side as opposed to his usual right guard spot. Madden would add immediate experience, which is needed in that group after losing Dickerson’s veteran presence.
There’s also another wrinkle that should be mentioned. The aforementioned Huff is now at Marshall. Something tells me that Nick Saban, who gave Huff a major endorsement to get his first FBS head coaching gig, would get a pretty thorough rundown from his former assistant. No, Huff didn’t coach Madden in a game, but he spent the last 5 months coaching him.
Saban has already shown an aggressive approach to the transfer portal this cycle by getting Ohio State receiver Jameson Williams and Tennessee linebacker Henry To’o To’o. The Alabama coach would have to shortage of competition to fend off if he prioritized adding Madden.
Ole Miss
Wait a minute. Doesn’t Ole Miss return 4 starters on the offensive line? Yep. That even includes last year’s 2 starting guards, Jeremy James and Caleb Warren.
But with James switching to right tackle, there’s an opening at right guard. That’s where Madden became an All-American. He could step in and end the lone position battle on the Ole Miss offensive line, and in the process, he’d give it one of the best units not just in the SEC, but all of college football.
The potential hurdle is that Ole Miss fired offensive line coach Randy Clements 3 days after the spring game. Besides the timing, it was a head-scratching move for a team who led the SEC in rushing a season ago. That might be a tricky thing to sell Madden on when he figures to have plenty of suitors who do have established position coach.
But that’s no reason why Kiffin shouldn’t still try to put the full-court press on to land Madden.
Florida
We know 2 things. One is that Dan Mullen loves to dip into the transfer portal. The other is that Florida’s offensive line has simply not been good enough at paving running lanes.
Add those 2 things together and what do you get? An obvious potential landing spot for Madden.
Right guard isn’t necessarily locked in with expected starter Josh Braun, who was graded 52.7 in 72 run-blocking snaps last year (PFF) as a true freshman. That’s obviously a different story than Madden, albeit against different competition. The Gators ranked outside of the top 90 in rushing in each of the last 2 seasons. Part of that was due to leading the nation’s top passing attack a season ago, but in terms of yards per carry, Florida ranked No. 75 in 2019 and No. 67 in 2020.
This is the type of nasty streak that Florida needs up front:
Cain Madden from Marshall is a big, powerful guard. He’s a people mover, and will even throw his own guy into the endzone if needed. pic.twitter.com/zWZz1vOJFo
— Matt (@ZazzyJets) September 8, 2020
Mullen’s biggest competition outside of the SEC could very well be at Florida State, but if history is any indication, Mullen usually handles himself just fine in battles with the Seminoles.
Georgia
Ben Cleveland is gone, which means there’s a man-size hole to fill at right guard. Tate Ratledge emerged as the most likely option to do that, and Smart praised his development in the spring.
“(Ratledge) is growing up. He needed a lot of reps,” Smart said last month (via DawgNation). “He’s getting a lot of reps, continuing to work in there. We think he’s powerful, intelligent, still inexperienced. Experience is the greatest attribute you can get when it comes to the SEC.”
Even though Ratledge’s lone experience as a true freshman was 7 snaps against Auburn, he could very well find a home there in 2021.
Another potential scenario? Smart uses Ratledge’s versatility to plug any potential holes this year (like a 2019 version Cade Mays) and instead replaces Cleveland with an All-American who is exactly 2 years older than him. The latter, of course, is referring to Madden. As Smart said, experience is the greatest attribute you can get when it comes to the SEC. Madden might not have SEC experience, but 48 games at the FBS level and 31 starts is nothing to scoff at.
Matt Luke is an excellent recruiter and his ability to coach up an offensive line is widely respected. Luke and Smart could absolutely sell Madden on playing against elite competition, blocking for one of the deepest backfields in America and potentially being a key piece for a program trying to win its first national title in 4 decades.
Whatever line there is to land Madden, Georgia would be wise to try and slip to the front of it.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Down South. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.