Hurricane Tracker - Keeping Tabs On The Recruits

We are about halfway through the college football season, fans, and that means one of many things. Recruiting is finna kick back up in a big way. In light of this, and in light of Golden's renewed effort to bring back the "State of Miami", we at SOTU will be giving you the skinny each week on the next class of recruits. Let's get right to it!

KEITH BRYANT (DT) : Plays for Atlantic (4-2)

Looks like Bryant didn't play in Atlantic's last game, but on the season he has recorded 21 tackles, 18 for loss, and 5 sacks. He continues to show why he is highly recruited, as he is a force on the defensive line. Recently he shot down rumors that he was looking at South Carolina, saying that he is still 100% to Miami, but that he still wanted to experience being recruited. He also stated that he could easily see himself coming to Coral Gables and providing an early spark, which is a great thing to hear from a potential recruit.

ARTIE BURNS (DB) : Plays for Northwestern (4-1)

Northwestern was off last week, so no additions to Burns' stats. On the season he is boasting 34 tackles, 4 for loss, one interception, and six pass breakups. On top of all of that mess, he has a 98 yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Burns is one of the top recruits of the 2013 class at the moment, and so far is as close to a lock as can be for the Canes. He can play either safety or corner back, although he would most likely benefit more from playing the CB position.

ALEX COLLINS (RB) : Plays for South Plantation (5-0)

Like Northwestern, Plantation was off last week, so Collins was idle. However, he is an absolute beast so far this year. He currently has 95 carries for 974 (!!!!) yards and 11 touchdowns. For those doing the math, that's an average of 10.2 yards per carry, which is just stupid. He is still committed to the Canes, but has been taking visits recently to Wisconsin, and upcoming to FSU. Many think that FSU is the biggest threat here, but there are others who don't think they are in it as much as commonly thought. If he ends up sticking with Miami, the combination of Danny Dillard, Duke Johnson, and Alex Collins would be extremely fun to watch. He plays tonight, so the above stats are only going to get better.

JAMAL CARTER (DB) : Plays for Southridge (2-4)

Carter is a strong Miami commit, and while his team is struggling a bit, he is playing quite well. His last game saw him record 9 tackles, 8 of which were solo, and on the season he has tallied 57 tackles. He is a physical freak, but needs to hone his football smarts and skill set a bit before he becomes great. If anyone will be able to harness his seek and destroy attitude and turn him into a ridiculous defensive player, its Golden and his staff.

TRAVIS JOHNSON (TE/WR) : Plays for Tampa Jesuit (4-2)

Johnson is a self proclaimed hybrid tight end/wide receiver, although he will likely project as a tight end in college. In his last game he was mainly used as a returner, and averaged 25 yards a return across 5 chances, including a 55 yard return for a touchdown. Outside of this last game, his stats are pretty good, with 14 receptions for 233 yards and a touchdown. He also has 3 rushes for 14 yards, the aforementioned punt return, and on defense he has 16 tackles and 2 punt returns. He is an all-over player right now, but as I said, will most likely play tight end at Miami.

STANDISH DOBARD (TE) : Plays for Edna Karr (5-0)

Dobard missed his last game due to oral surgery, and should be back soon. Meanwhile, he has tallied 10 catches for 165 yards and 2 touchdowns. He's a big, tough kid at the tight end position, and has been a solid commitment since surprising everyone with his Miami pick. He's going to be a great addition to the team at the TE position.

ANGELO JEAN-LOUIS (WR) : Plays for Fork Union Military Academy (6-1)

Angelo has missed the whole season so far, and will be active for the first time tomorrow night. Even so, the Cane coaches are in love with this kid, and he remains a solid commitment to Miami after being forced to go to prep school for a year due to grades. He will provide an immediate boost to the wide receiving corps next year.

RAY LEWIS III (RB/DB) : Plays for Lake Mary Prep (6-0)

The younger Ray Lewis has been stellar this year, and in his last game he chalked up 60 carries for 805 yards, and 14 touchdowns. He's eclipsing a 13 yard per carry average, and also has a passing touchdown to his credit. Anything else? Well, he also has 10 catches for 300 yards and 3 touchdowns. Is he done? Nope! He also plays defense, totaling 41 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 interceptions, a fumble recovery for a touchdown, oh yeah...and also an 82 yard kick return for a touchdown. As you can clearly see, Lewis III plays damn near every position on the field, which is not surprising given his athletic pedigree. He says that he can see himself playing safety for Miami, but he also says that Golden sees him as a corner back. Not to mention his clear skill at the running back spot, although that will be a bit harder to crack into over the other two. Regardless, it's going to be awesome to see the name Lewis on the back of an orange and green jersey again.

JEREMY KERR (TE) : Plays for St. Petersburg (2-4)

Kerr is a very large tight end prospect that some see as converting to an offensive linemen in college, and others see sticking at tight end. He is currently playing the former for his school, and as such has only recorded 2 catches for 3 yards. While I don't see him landing anywhere else but Miami, I still haven't really decided where I see him playing. He is big enough to be a threat at TE, but also may end up being too big to be a pass catching threat, and may end up more of a blocking end, or, an offensive lineman.

KEVIN OLSEN (QB) : Plays for Wayne Hills, NJ (3-2)

Olsen is probably the prize of the class so far, and being that he is a legacy, will not be going anywhere else. He has played all of a little more than 2 quarters of football this year, and has missed the rest with a broken foot/surgery. Before he got hurt, he was 11 of 17 for 120 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception. He also had 76 yards rushing with a touchdown. He is going to be a great addition to the quarterback group next year, which admittedly will be pretty crowded. Stephen Morris will be a senior, Ryan Williams will be a red-shirt junior, Preston Dewey and Gray Crow will both be sophomores, and signs point to David Thompson playing football as well as baseball. Assuming no one transfers and Morris doesn't leave early, that gives the Canes 5 quarterbacks before Olsen steps foot on campus. While this isn't necessarily a bad problem to have, it does complicate things a bit.

A point of order, as obviously Alex Gall was left off this list. Given that he is strictly an offensive lineman, he won't have traditional stats to report, and will likely not be reported in this feature. I doubt seriously that he will end up anywhere but Miami, and will be a great addition to the offensive line.

So there you have it, kids. The first Hurricane Tracker. What do you think?