Zoarville (OH) Tuscawaras Valley 4-star OT Ben Congdon has the size and skill to be a foundational player for Miami’s offensive line of the future. | 247sports In this installment of The Recruiting Notebook, we meet a big, physical offensive tackle with tons of potential: Zoarville (OH) Tuscawaras Valley 4-star OT Ben Congdon. BioUnder the leadership of Mario Cristobal, the foundation of the roster are the offensive and defensive lines. To help reload the OL, Miami turned their attention to Zoarville (OH) Tuscawaras Valley OT Ben Congdon. A massive 6’8” 295lb tackle, Congdon stands out in a crowd, and on the field. He’s easy to spot from the left tackle position he’s played at Tuscawaras Valley for the past few years, and that will continue as he moves to college. Congdon got some early offers in and during his junior year in 2024, but things really picked up after Congdon had a strong showing that season. For his efforts, Congdon was an honorable mention All-State player, and teams all over the country took notice. Congdon, who also wrestles at a high level, took several unofficial visits in the early months of 2025. But, it only took one visit to Miami for the talented lineman to see that Coral Gables was the place for him. He committed to the Canes on an unofficial visit in March, and that was that. Alabama came in late with an offer after his commitment to Miami. He did is due diligence there, and by taking official visits to Penn State and Miami in June, but Congdon’s mind was already made up. All Canes, all day. Done deal.Recruiting RankingOn the 247sports composite, Congdon is a 4-star prospect, the #18 OT nationally, #9 in the State of Ohio, and #177 player overall in this class.Congdon committed to Miami over a robust list of 27 scholarship offers from around the country, including Alabama and Penn State among many others.As A PlayerThe first thing you notice about Congdon is his size. A well-built 6’8” 295lbs with room to grow into his frame, Congdon cuts an impressive figure in his uniform. He has the frame to add 20ish pounds while not sacrificing his athleticism. Congdon is a devastating run blocker. He uses his size well and overwhelms opponents with ease, routinely ending plays with pancake blocks and huge holes for skill players to run through. Congdon has a variety of club moves he uses to get defender’s hands off him, and them on the ground against their will. Congdon has experience playing both left and right tackle in HS. Congdon could end up on either side, but he’ll have to continue to refine his technique in either case. This is particularly true in terms of pass protection, which is the biggest area for growth in his game. Here’s another eval of Congdon from 247sports Scouting Director Andrew Ivins:The type of people mover that’s right up Mario Cristobal and Alex Mirabal’s alley. An aggressive two-way lineman with a decorated wrestling background that projects best as a right tackle or interior option. Can be a bit plodding of a mover at times, but can build momentum when asked to trap and pull. A naturally wide base allows him to manhandle opponents. Quick to establish leverage if he can get his hands where they need to be. Likely going to need a few years to get the body right, but has the frame and field demeanor to morph into a multi-year starter zone-blocking, power-based scheme. A nice start to the o-line haul for the Hurricanes.StrengthsPrototypical sizeMultiple sport experienceDevastating run blockerPotential WeaknessesNeeds to refine techniqueCan improve pad levelUnclear which position he’ll playTo see the kind of player Miami is getting in Congdon, check out his junior highlights below:View LinkMiami OutlookNote: changed this up from just a freshman-season outlook to a career outlook for each player a few years ago and we’re continuing that style this year as well.This is yet-another blue chip offensive lineman for the Hurricanes to develop and deploy. Because of his size, Congdon will have to stay at tackle, but that’s fine. You don’t find blue chip 6’8” 300lb tackle prospects often, so having one is a boon for Miami…and they have 3 in this class. With Cristobal and Mirabal’s history of success developing offensive linemen at multiple schools should be beneficial for Congdon as he joins the program to continue his career. Miami prides itself on having 8 (or more) game-ready linemen a year, and there’s no reason why Congdon won’t be one of them. He could be a backup or all-conference starter, or anything in between. We’ll just have to see how things play out with him and others in this recruiting class over the next few years.That’s it for this installment of The Recruiting Notebook.Go Canes