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No preamble. Let's get right to it.
Dexter Williams says he's working to EE, decommits hours later
Yeah, you read that headline correctly. Williams told insidetheu.com ($) that he was working towards completing requirements to enroll early at Miami. Then, hours after that interview article hit the internet, Williams tweeted the following:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p>I am officially decommitting from The U thanks for everything</p>— Jan6FlexUp (@DexterW_22) <a href="https://twitter.com/DexterW_22/status/551134988683718656">January 2, 2015</a></blockquote>
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An abrupt change, yes. But, that can be the crazy world of recruiting.
Williams has been linked with Louisville (where close friend Jalen Julius is committed), UF, and back to Miami. You usually don't see a player decommit then recommit, but it has happened. We'll see what happens.
All-American WR Lawrence Cager commits to the U
Brad Kaaya got another offensive weapon to throw to next year when 6'5" 202lb WR Lawrence Cager committed to the Hurricanes during the U.S. Army All-American game.
Cager picked the Canes over Alabama, Virginia Tech, and a host of others. He will be taking official visits before National Signing Day, including trips to Coral Gables and Tuscaloosa.
Local DB Robert Knowles commits to the U
Miami Edison DB Robert Knowles recently earned an offer from Miami, his dream school, and after a day of contemplation he flipped his commitment from FIU to the Hurricanes.
The 6'1" 185lb Knowles was under recruited for his level of talent for one reason: his grades. However, he's raised his GPA from a 2.1 to a 2.9, and has satisfied most of the qualifying concerns that once surrounded him. He fits in this class as the 2nd S taken along with Jaquan Johnson and could be the steal of the class in a few years.
A couple of misses happened too
Former QB commit Dwayne Lawson picked VT. WR target Da'Vante Phillips chose FSU. Neither of those was shocking, particularly Phillips' choice, seeing as he lives with Dalvin Cooks' mother. Phillips had been a silent commit to FSU for some time.
WR/RB Anthony Jones decided to stick with his commitment to FIU and not flip to Miami. But, there's talk that the Hurricanes only offered him to try and sway his teammate and close friend Da'Vante Phillips to commit to Miami. Once Phillips went FSU, Jones' offer went away. And that was that.
The one that Canes fans will rue is DB Tim Irvin picking Texas over Miami. He's a legacy kid (nephew of Hurricane great Michael Irvin), and plays a position of need. He's close friends with Jaquan Johnson, and was thought to be leaning towards Miami. That obviously wasn't the case. Irvin is said to want to get away from home and family, and in picking Texas will do just that.
TE Devonaire Clarington had a Miami hat on the table for his announcement at the U.S. Army All-American game, but the Canes hadn't been recruiting him for quite some time due to serious academic concerns. Many think he'll end up in Prep school or a JUCO due to these same concerns. So, this wasn't really a loss, no matter what others may say.
Jordan Scarlett wavering?
In an interview with the Orlando Sentinel, Scarlett, a longtime Canes commit, said he is "85%" committed to Miami.
Having already seen the decommitments of Jordan Cronkrite (who was the 4th of 4 RB commits at the time) and more recently Dexter Williams, losing Scarlett would be a huge blow to this recruiting class. There is growing chatter that links Scarlett to UF. This situation is more definitely worth watching until National Signing Day.
Early Enrollees coming to campus this week
It's January, so the players who will be early enrollees will be on campus starting tomorrow when housing opens. Among them: S Jaquan Johnson, TE Jerome Washington, OL Jahair Jones, and DE Scott Patchan. OLB Charles Perry is working to complete his academic requirements for his HS to enroll early as well
Ray Lewis III transfers
After a couple years on campus without much impact on the field, Ray Lewis III transferred to Coastal Carolina. We wish Ray the best in all his future endeavors.
Other blips on the radar
- The recruiting Quiet Period, where coaches are restricted from face to face meetings with prospects, ends next week. Look for Al Golden and staff to make in-home visits to many recruits.
- January 16th, 23rd, and 30th will be big OV weekends. Nearly all of the remaining top targets will visit during one of those weeks. Stay tuned for visit previews and recaps for each week.
- OL Fredrick Johnson (West Palm Beach) is trending towards Miami. The most recent predictions for him on 247's Crystal Ball are for the Canes. Johnson is a HS teammate of current commit and probable EE Charles Perry.
- DB Marcus Lewis is also trending towards Miami.
- DE Shelton Johnson (Delray Beach, FL) is down to FSU, Miami, and VT. He'll visit FSU and Miami before National Signing Day.
- LB John Houston is a longshot at this point. His HS is a heavy USC pipeline. There's a better chance to pull DT Rasheem Green of the 2, but don't mistake that for saying Green to Miami is probable. Will be a battle for him until NSD, and would be the biggest recruiting win of Al Golden's tenure at Miami were he to commit and sign a LOI.
- There will be new names to pop up between now and National Signing Day. This is expected as we move on to other options as this cycle comes to a close. Don't be alarmed just because you haven't heard someone's name before. This is just the way recruiting works.
- We'll look at recruiting numbers for this class early next week.