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While Al Golden's recruiting work has mostly been known for getting back to the roots of the "State Of Miami" that Schnellenberger established, he has also shown a penchant for convincing recruits that belong to other schools to switch to Miami. In last years class alone, he swayed Jawand Blue and Robert Lockhart from VT, Antonio Crawford from GT, and Daquan Ivery from Louisville. Having the ability to sell your school enough to have a guy change his mind is a very useful tool in the recruiting world. These kids are susceptible to change their minds at the drop of a hat, and often don't need a coach's prodding to do so. Yet to have Golden not only be able to get them to change their minds, but also stick with the Miami choice, is a welcome change to the recruiting we as fans have been used to recently. That all being said, it looks like Ole Al is starting that trend yet again, trying to woo two guys that are highly interested in rival FSU to come down south a bit to Coral Gables. Hit the jump to read on.
The first kid that Miami is targeting hard is technically going to be listed as "de-committed", because he re-opened his recruitment after choosing FSU. 4 star DT Deadrin Senat recently said he was considering other options, although he still has interest in FSU. He didn't give a reason for his removing his commitment from FSU, just that he wanted to see what else was out there. He said the Miami is very much in the race to land him, mainly because he loves the way the coaches and players grind and the hard work they preach. Landing this guy could prove to be huge for more reasons than getting his talents. Two more reasons to be exact. He has expressed interest in playing at the same school that good friends (and brothers) Mackensie Alexander and Mackenro Alexander attend. Miami has offered Mackensie, who is a 4 star cornerback, and has expressed interest in Mackenro, who is a 3 star safety. If these three guys choose to go to the same school, and it ends up being Miami, 2013's class will be off to an amazing start.
The second player, Maquedius Bain, who is still an official FSU commit, is a 3 star DT out of Ft. Lauderdale. This one might be a bit of a stretch, at least more so than Senat. Bain says that Miami has "more than a tiny chance" at landing him, but that hes nowhere near a decision and is trying to figure out if he wants to commit on signing day or at the Under Armour game. There's no doubt that Miami will be pursuing him the whole time, so we can only hope that the coaches work their magic and steal another one from a rival.
With the news that current Cane commit Alex Collins is visiting other schools and still garnering huge interest, Miami isn't taking any chances with their RB corps. As such, they will host 4 star RB David Williams from Pennsylvania in June. He says that distance is not a factor, that he is mainly looking for a place he feels most comfortable. He certainly likes the offense that Miami runs, and the long line of NFL running backs doesn't hurt either. Williams would be a huge pickup for the Canes, as you can never have too many running backs on one team.
Wide receivers are always good targets in any recruiting class, and the Canes are after a 3 star kid from Tampa, Travis Johnson. He has been a Canes fan since he was little, and says that he was hoping for an offer from them. He has no timetable for a decision, but he says Miami has a great chance to be in his final 5 or 6 whenever he does whittle it down. He wants to feel wanted (as so many of these kids do), and there's no doubt that Golden and the rest of the staff make that a priority when they host kids or go on visits.
Remember David Thompson? No? Well he is a class of 2012 signee would would be the 5th QB on the roster...if he chooses to attend UM and spurn the MLB. He is currently still weighing his options, but word from his dad is that he is heavily leaning towards going to college. They are waiting to see if they receive an offer from a major league team before nailing down the decision, but if one were to put money on it, he'll be a Cane. If he chooses to do so, he would most likely try to be a two sport athlete, and the added QB depthis never a bad thing. If he chooses college, he would report in late June with most of the other kids. Let's hope he makes the right decision for himself, of course, but let's also hope that happened to be the choice to wear the orange and green.
GO CANES!