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Miami Hurricanes Recruiting Radar: Where we stand

Now that the summer camp season has ended, let's take a look at where the class of 2015 currently stands

By Cameron J. Underwood
Booker T. Washington Star RB Mark Walton has reclassified to 2015.
Booker T. Washington Star RB Mark Walton has reclassified to 2015.
247Sports

With the summer recruiting season halfway finished, let's take a look at the latest developments for the Canes, and try to predict where we go and who we get to close out this class.

Quarterback

Commits

Name Position Height/Weight High School Composite 247 Star Composite 247 Score
Dwayne Lawson QB 6-5/210lbs Hillsborough (Tampa, FL) **** 0.8908

Outlook

Miami is probably done at QB in this class. After having taken 2 QBs in 2014 (Kaaya and Rosier), there is really only a need for one in 2015.

Lawson, like most East Coast QB prospects this year, is a player with good fundamentals and potential, but far from a finished product.

The only way I could see Miami bringing in another QB in this cycle would be if Lawson dropped. And, to those still holding out hope for Torrance Gibson: don't. He's not coming. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

Early Class Projection: Lawson

RUNNING BACK

Commits

Name Position Height/Weight High School Composite 247 Stars Composite 247 Rating
Dexter Williams RB 6-0/192lbs West Orange (Winter Garden, FL) **** 0.9504
Mark Walton RB 5-10/185lbs Booker T. Washington (Miami, FL) **** 0.9406
Jordan Cronkrite RB 5-11/196lbs Westminster Christian (Miami, FL) **** 0.9043


Outlook

This trio represents the top 3 players committed in Miami's 2015 class at the moment. But, this group has seen lots of developments in recent weeks. Lots. Let's take a look:

First up, the biggest news is that Booker T. Washington (Miami) RB Mark Walton has reclassified to 2015. Not only has Walton reclassified, but he has also been invited to Nike's The Opening ($), the premier recruit showcase in the country. Walton's addition to this class is big, but could be a double edged sword. For more on that, let me turn to the twitterverse.

We'll touch on that last point (re: Cronkrite) in a second. Safid Deen of the Miami Herald wrote that Walton's commitment is "as solid as they come", which is surely good news to Canes fans.

Now, as far as Cronkrite is concerned, there's talk that he is none too pleased that Walton has reclassified to 2015. I find that to be weird, seeing as there was another player (Williams) committed since before Cronkrite gave the Canes his pledge. Could it be the difference of having 1 other player committed at his position versus 2? Maybe. But, it doesn't sound like it's that simple. Which, again, I find to be weird.

On the other side, Dexter Williams recently said his entire family is pushing for him to flip to UF ($). That makes sense due to his proximity to UF, and would mirror the recruitment of Brandon Powell from the 2014 cycle. No, that isn't a good thing for Miami.

If either or both of Cronkrite and Williams drop/flip, Miami will press even harder to flip Jordan Scarlett (5'11, 210lbs) from FAU. I, and many others, expect Scarlett to come to his senses and flip from FAU, a fledgling program who has never had a player of Scarlett's caliber. Scarlett has said he is leaning towards staying in-state for college, and that could potentially bode well for Miami.

There are other players who could slot in, like Jacques Patrick, Mike Weber, and Devine Ozigbo. They're all lower on the list, though. I personally would like to see us go after dynamic ATH Jaason Lewis here. While the statements that Lewis named Miami his leader were wrong (sorry, I jumped the gun on that one), he is highly considering Miami still. To me, he's a Anthony Barr 2.0: a freakish athlete who, while good at RB, could be GREAT on the defensive side of the ball.

Early Class Projection: Walton and Scarlett. (Yes, I'm out on about 5 limbs with this one. I know.)

WIDE RECEIVER AND TIGHT END

Name Position Height/Weight High School Composite 247 Stars Composite 247 Rating
Bowman Archibald TE 6-5/244lbs Pasco (Dade City, FL) *** 0.8712
Emonee Spence WR 6-3/181lbs Flanagan (Pembroke Pines, FL) *** 0.8647

Here, at the other skill positions, Miami figures to have a bit of work left to do in this class. Both Archibald and Spence are good players, with Archibald being the better prospect of the two.

At Tight End, the remaining targets are pretty much Devonaire Clarington then everybody else. Yes, there are other  prospects out there like Bry'Keithon Mouton and Jalen Harris, but Clarington has right of first acceptance for the remaining spot at TE.

Wide Receiver is a much less clear picture. Miami has put out nearly 40 offers at this position, many of them to nationally elite players.

Right now, 3 players stand out at the top of the list: Irvin Charles, Ryan Davis, and Devante Peete. Charles, from New Jersey, is a big player who can move and is very athletic. Davis, from St. Petersburg, is more dynamic in space. Peete, who attends national powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas in Ft. Lauderdale, is a huge possession receiver, whose 6'5" frame is his best asset.

Miami has stayed in contact with teammates Shawn Burgess-Becker and Calvin Ridley, both of whom committed to Alabama months ago. There are rumblings that the pair may not be as enamored with the Crimson Tide as they once were. Nothing concrete yet, but this bears watching.

Final Class Projection: WR - Spence, Charles, Peete; TE - Archibald, Clarington

OFFENSIVE LINE

Commits

Name Position Height/Weight High School Composite 247 Stars Composite 247 Rating
Leeward Brown OG 6-3/338lbs Miramar (Miramar, FL) *** 0.8665
Hayden Mahoney OT 6-5/270 Malvern Prep (Malvern, PA) *** 0.8494
Tyler Gauthier OT 6-5/305 Venice (Venice, FL) *** 0.8417

Outlook

This is a position that has had recent change. Just this week, former commit Kevin Feder flipped to Ohio State. He was, until then, the highest rated player we had committed on the Offensive Line. So, that stings a little bit.

Miami has continued to recruit this position very urgently throughout this cycle, even when we had 4 players committed. Feder's flip, which had been rumored for about a week prior to it's occurrence, would seem to be one of the reasons for that action.

In the recent past, Miami has found 3-star players along the OL and turned them into very good players. Shane McDermott and Jonathan Feliciano are 2 examples of such a player. Brown, who attends the same school that produced Tracy Howard, Malcolm Lewis, Ryan Williams, and Jermaine Grace, is now the cornerstone of this class. Mahoney and Gauthier are developmental players whose impact won't be seen for a few years at least.

High level targets are still available along the line. Most notably Mike Arnold, Jalen Merrick, Christian Pellage, and Bar Milo (Brad Kaaya's HS teammate) at Tackle, and  Tyler Higby at Guard. If ever there was a position where other players could play their way onto the radar, Offensive Line is it.

Early Class Projection: Brown, Mahoney, Gauthier, Arnold.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Commits

Name Position Height/Weight High School Composite 247 Stars Composite 247 Rating
Scott Patchan DE 6-5/240lbs Freedom (Tampa, FL) *** 0.8752
Jamie Gordinier DE/OLB 6-4/235lbs Red Bank Catholic (Red Bank, NJ) *** 0.8544
Ryan Fines DT 6-4/305lbs Manatee (Bradenton, FL) *** 0.8464

Outlook

Here is a position where the story will depend on which players are added to this group between now and National Signing Day.

In case you haven't been paying attention, Miami is looking to add DTs to the roster, especially those who can play from day 1. One such player, 5-star prospect Shy Tuttle recently tweeted that Miami is in his top 5.

Apart from Tuttle, one-time commit Quentez Johnson, Rasheem Green (who listed Miami in his top group), and Joseph Wicker are all prospects that Miami is after at the DT position.

Miami is also one of many schools pursuing Canadian superstar Neville Gallimore. After being unrated and unknown a mere 3 weeks ago, Gallimore has seen a meteoric rise in his recruiting profile, and is now the #33 player in this class. For family and financial reasons, Gallimore isn't taking many unofficial visits. That means, he would only make it to campus at Miami if he decides to take one of his 5 officials to Coral Gables. Agreeing to do that, sight unseen, is unlikely, but possible.

On the outside at DE, several players players are viable options, including Marques Ford, Jason Strowbridge, Richard McIntosh, Russel Ude, and Shareef Miller.

A player who could be the sleeper recruit at DE in this cycle is new Booker T. Washington (Miami, FL) DE Ronique Robinson (6'7" 230lbs). He transferred to BTW from another school where he primarily played basketball, but came out to play wide receiver for part of the season. He will play on defense at Booker T., following in the footsteps of 2014 signee Demetrius Jackson. In a case of history repeating itself, I fully expect Robinson to be in this class.

Early Class Projection: DE - Patchan, Robinson, McIntosh; DT - Fines, Wicker, JUCO player to be named later


LINEBACKER

Commits

Name Position Height/Weight High School Composite 247 Stars Composite 247 Rating
Charles Perry LB 6-1/205lbs Royal Palm Beach (West Palm Beach, FL) *** 0.8778

Outlook

Perry is the longest tenured commit for this class, having given his pledge over a year ago at an Al Golden Football Camp. He is a physical player with very good skills. He will be a nice player for us in the future.

With only a few spots at this position this year after taking 3 LBs in 2014, the Canes might look to local product Dominic Sheppard (6'1", 223lbs) to fill out this class. He's a good player with very nice size and instincts at inside backer.

Other options at this position include Daniel Fennell, Quarte Sapp, and probably a couple others who have yet to be identified. Local superstar Tevon Coney is a highly sought after commodity, but Miami is running behind in the race to get his commitment and signature.

Early Class Projection: Perry, Sheppard.

DEFENSIVE BACK

Commits

None

Outlook

The only position group that has no commits as of the writing of this article is the one where Miami is in obvious need for help. And, with one of the best crops of local players at this position in years, the Canes need to capitalize by pulling multiple players for the 2015 class.

The names of the high priority targets are well known. At Safety there's Jaquan Johnson and Tim Irvin, along with lesser known (at least to Miami fans) Carlton Davis, Hunter Dale and Kyahva Tezino. Johnson recently said that, contrary to popular belief, he remains wide open in his recruitment ($).

At Cornerback, Josh Butler and Rashad Fenton are the top uncommitted prospects. Committed players Antonio Howard (Cincinnati), who won Fastest Man at the June 7th Al Golden Football Camp, and Tyrek Cole (Florida State) are the main targets. It is well known that Cole attends the same HS that produced Tracy Howard (among others), and Cane fans hope that he decides to follow Howard's footsteps to the U.

Early Class Projection: CB - Cole, Fenton; S - Johnson, Irvin, Davis.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Commits

Name Position Height/Weight High School Composite 247 Stars Composite 247 Rating
Drew Galtiz K/P 5-11/180lbs Rowlett (Rowlett, TX) ** 0.7767

Outlook

While this commit may not make your eyes pop on the star ranking, it is one that could be the biggest get of the entire class. Galitz is the #2 ranked kicker in the country. There isn't really much else to say here.

Early Class Projection: Galitz

So, that's where we stand, and a bunch of way-too-early guesses for how the class closes at each position. What say you, Canes Fam? Leave a comment, and vote in the poll, below.