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It's been a about month since the last Recruiting Radar, and many new developments have happened since the last installment. Your SOTU recruiting crew (Joe Garcia Jr, Lt. Philip Nolan, and Cameron Underwood), take a look at any new commits, who may be coming next, and what to expect as the recruiting season heats up.
WHO'D WE GET?
This time around, we don't have any new commits to tell you about. There were a handful of guys that had teased that they may pull the trigger, but none did. At times, this could be a bad thing for Miami, because it could mean they are looking elsewhere. Or, it could be a good thing, because any time a kid suppresses that euphoria they get after receiving an offer in order to make a clear-headed decision, that's good for everyone. SO, cheer up, Hurricane faithful, the commitments aren't done, just be patient.
This morning changed that around in a big way. Miami actually landed not 1, but 2 commitments this morning. The first was from NJ defensive tackle Courtel Jenkins. Jenkins is a consensus 3 star that has some building to do, but looks to be a powerhouse in the making. You can check out our write-up HERE
The second came about 30 minutes later, and was much less ballyhooed (yes, ballyhooed). Dieter Kurtenbach of the Sun Sentinel slyly posted this on twitter after the Jenkins commotion:
American Heritage RB & hurdler Walter Tucker has committed to play football and run track at Miami. Up @ SunSentinel: bit.ly/ZS1Iq6
— Dieter Kurtenbach (@dkurtenbach) June 6, 2013
Walter Tucker is an un-ranked RB prospect who's main notoriety thus far has come from being the guy behind Sony Michel. Just like with Jenkins, you can read our write up on Tucker by clicking HERE.
OK, SO THEN WHO IS COMING?
We have a LONG list to get through here, so hold on to ya' butts.
- The Canes are still waiting on Miami Northwestern DE/LB Mike Smith to pull the trigger. For months now he has made comment after comment that he would be committing to Miami soon, but so far he hasn't. He did say that he likely would at the end of spring ball, which should be coming up here shortly. There are those that think the waiting game he is playing means that he is looking elsewhere, but there's no real reason to think that as of yet. His comments still trend towards UM.
- If you want to know who could possibly commit next, Mike Smith may have been surpassed by recent new offer, WR Tyre Brady. He got his offer, and also got asked to come to the next Al Golden football camp this Saturday. In an interview, Brady said that there was a 75% chance that he could commit this weekend to Miami. This would be big in a few ways. For one, he would be picking Miami over Ohio State and Alabama, which is always nice. However, the real benefit could come in his commitment attracting other top WR talent like Ermon Lane and CJ Worton. Coach Coley is after all three very hard, and has expressed to them multiple times that they could all come in together and dominate.
- Speaking of CJ Worton, the 3 star FSU commit camped at Miami this past weekend, and stated that it helped Miami out a lot. He is another guy that Coley has been after hard, and not just while he's been at Miami:
"He was a big part of it since he was the one recruiting me since my eighth grade year," Worton said. "Now he tells me he's going to make me big-time, that he was on me first before all the other coaches were, that he saw my talent before I ever showed it. He's real cool about everything, doesn't try to force me into anything."
Worton also said that his dad is a huge Canes fan, and wants him at Miami, as does his cousin. He put his chances of sticking with FSU at about 60%, although he was quick to point out that Miami, as well as USF and WVU, are in it.
- Alabama QB Malik Rosier attended the Golden camp this past weekend, and came away from it with Miami as his clear leader. He listed a ton of reasons, the highlights of which were that Miami was his first offer, they would allow him to also play baseball, and that he loves the coaches and the fact he would get to compete with Kaaya. He has not officially set a commitment date, because he still plans on camping with a few other schools like Alabama, Ole Miss, and Vandy. He has not gotten any other big time offers yet, but says that even if he does, Miami would still lead. There's a chance he could attend those camps, come away impressed, and then choose to pick Miami. Either way, he looks to be the next big target behind Kaaya.
- DE Kevin Bronson had mentioned prior to camping at Miami that he would probably commit once he and his father saw the campus. The camp came and went, however, without a Bronson pledge. He said that he wants to take a bit more time, visit more schools, and see what else is out there. He has not gotten any other big time offers just yet, but he is on the rise. He plans on camping with Miami again soon, so there's always the chance he could commit then.
- Last week, FSU lost what had been a shaky commitment for a while in 4 star ATH/WR J.C. Jackson. Nole fans knew it was coming, since he wore Gators shorts while doing interviews, and said that FSU was only his leader because he was still committed. The Gators are still considered the favorites for his services, but after attending Miami's first camp session, he came away impressed. He now lists Miami as one of his most interesting schools, so he's saying there's a chance.
- After the camps ended this past weekend, two top priority targets from Texas stuck around to tour the campus with QB commit Brad Kaaya. RB Daniel Gresham and OL Demetrius Knox spent the day with Kaaya, other players, and a few coaches. Afterwards, they both had great things to say, although they said very different things. Gresham came away impressed enough to name Miami his clear leader, going so far as to say that he had fallen in love with the school. It is looking more and more like Miami is the favorite here, although he is still a bit away from committing. Knox, on the other hand, said that he saw exactly what he expected to see. He said that while the trip was great, it didn't change his perception much, because he had done so much research on his top choices. This isn't necessarily bad for Miami, since they are in those choices.
- Highly recruited 4 star WR Jamil Kamara recently cut his list to seven (although he says UCLA and Florida could jump in to make it nine, so really, what was the point), and Miami made the cut. He says that Miami needs him, not just wants him, and that they stress how much they love big bodied wide outs. He will definitely visit Miami, and plans to announce at the Army All-American Bowl in January.
- Seemingly out of no where, the Canes are very much in for the services of 4 star ATH and current USF commit Jimmy Bayes. He is expecting an offer to come in soon, although he won't commit until he takes his 5 visits. He also has interest in USC and Florida. He said the Canes initially wanted him at H back, which is why he was not really looking their way. However, after they saw him play linebacker a bit more, they changed their minds and want him in the fold. He estimated his chances of being a Cane at around 35% for the moment.
- We mentioned WR Johnnie Dixon in last month's Radar as a top option at WR, and that is starting to come into clearer focus now. He, along with fellow top WR targets Travis Rudolph and Ermon Lane, all showed up to the camp and took in the atmosphere of the event to hang around with coaches. In some of these cases, (most notable Rudolph's WR MVP award) the players even took to the field which is a solid sign for Miami they these top kids are not only showing up, but participating. I'm a believer in actions being louder than words so these particular kids showing up just to spent time with coaches and staff certainly bodes well for Miami.