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Recruiting Radar: Class Breakdown 1/20

In this third installment of the Class Breakdown, we take an updated look at each position's recruiting for this class, talk crootin' strategy, and crunch some numbers for this class.

Malek Young is one of the newest additions to the Miami Hurricanes' recruiting class.
Malek Young is one of the newest additions to the Miami Hurricanes' recruiting class.
247Sports

2 weeks to National Signing Day. The sprint is real.

Richt dropping fringe commits

Before we get to the breakdown, I just want to make note that Mark Richt and staff are wasting no time in dropping the players from this class that they don't want. Drops. Trimming the fat. Telling to seek shelter elsewhere. No matter what you call it, they have come in and immediately gotten to work about the business of eliminating the players that, in their minds, are not Miami Quality.

AND I'M FINE WITH THAT.

This is what we brought the staff here to do. We didn't bring them in to do the same things that Al Golden did. We brought them in to change things up, shake things up and get Miami back to the level of competitiveness and WINNING to which we are accustomed.

So you have the list, here are the guys that CMR and staff have dropped:

  • RB Juwon Hamilton
  • ATH/WR Desmond Phillips
  • WR Reginald Henderson
  • DE Jaquwan Nelson
  • CB Deion Jackson
With each of these players, any conversation about their ability to play at Miami is rife with conditional statements. "Maybe he could..."; "Well, if he...."; "Possibly, in a couple of years...." And, to me, that's not what Miami is about. I'm not saying that every player is a 5-star, 1st day starter, 4 year All-American, but that's far too many reaches for Miami to take. And, more to the point, none of these players is better than the players Miami has committed at their position, or those that Miami is targeting at their positions.

The marginal guys had to go. And, with plenty of time until NSD, they can find a home elsewhere (Phillips enrolled early at Toledo, Hamilton committed to UCF, and Henderson committed to Middle Tennessee).

This is all for the best. Both for Miami and the players who can now find an appropriate collegiate home. And, for Mark Richt, it's another step in the direction of building a elite level roster.

Now, before I get into the breakdown, a reminder that I'm operating off of a class with 25 players in it.

I'm only putting the updates for the positions, so be sure you check back on the previous weeks' Breakdowns so you're fully caught up. Here we go.

Quarterback

Need: 1

Committed: 1 (Enrolled)

4-star Jack Allison is enrolled. Miami is done at this position in this class.

2017 4-star N'Kosi Perry is still committed. He'd expressed the desire to play in a spread system in college, but seemed to have those concerns allayed when Richt visited him within the last week. There may be movement here in the future, but for now, Perry is solid.

Running Back

Need: 1+

Committed: 1

4-star RB Travis Homer is the only commit at this position. UM coaches are reportedly coming to a place where they feel comfortable with Homer as the only RB in this class. Obviously, the returning depth on the roster at this position (Gus Edwards, Joseph Yearby, Mark Walton, and Trayone Gray) is cause for  comfort.

Miami is still trying to connect with players such as former commit, and current FSU commit Amir Rasul and Arkansas commit Devwah Whaley.

Wide Receiver

Need: 4+

Committed: 3

3 commits, yes, but not the same 3 as last week. Sam Bruce and Dionte Mullins remain, but Reginald Henderson was dropped, and speedster Latrell Williams was added.

Bruce is considering his options after the departure of Kevin Beard, so we'll see what happens there. In short, it's going to be a fight all the way to NSD to keep Bruce in this class. Might be easier if you put him in the same category as an uncommitted player Miami is chasing after. That's the kind of recruitment Miami will have to do to ensure Bruce is in this class a fortnight from now.

Miami heavily in the mix for UGA commit Javon Wims, who is originally from South Florida, and had a great visit last weekend. Similarly, former commit Ahmmon Richards had a great visit last week. Both have said that there is a good chance they end up in Miami. Regardless of what any other player does at this position, getting either Wims or Richards would be a big win. Getting both would be an absolute grand slam.

UGA commit Randrecous Davis is visiting this weekend, and could be primed for a flip to follow Richt to Miami. By all accounts, this is all but a foregone conclusion at this point.

Auburn commit Eli Stove is visiting on the 29th with his teammate, both of whom would be good gets for Miami.

The Canes sent 3 coaches to see WR/S Quintez Cephus, a Wisconsin commit, on Tuesday. He's a very athletic player who Richt and staff think could come in and be a very good player at Miami. Not only that, but Cephus is a standout basketball player as well, further proof of his dynamic athleticism.

Kelvin Harmon, a good possession receiver from NJ, was committed to South Carolina but opened up his recruitment a while back. He's visiting Coral Gables this weekend. Several have predicted he'll commit if given the opportunity.

Former commit and current Minnesota commit Dredrick Snelson (he was committed FOREVER AGO, so I don't blame you if you don't remember that) says his final 4 are Miami, Penn State, UCF, and Maryland. Notice how the school he's committed to is not one of his finalists. I haven't heard Miami connected with Snelson in THE LONGEST TIME, and his last visit is to Penn State. Plus, by the time he commits on NSD, we could be full at WR. He's a decent player, sure, but not one good enough that he has a spot in this class regardless of anything else.

This, along with DT, is the position where we've seen the most movement in terms of targets and prospects. With immediate playing time available, it wouldn't surprise me to see a strong close at Receiver in this class.

Tight End

Need: 1

Committed: 1

Michael Irvin II is committed at this position.

New on the radar is Jovani Haskins, an athletic player who played QB for his HS team. If there's going to be another player taken at this position in this class, it's Haskins. We should know the lay of the land by the end of the weekend, which will see Haskins on campus in Coral Gables for an Official Visit. This is Hasksins' last OV.

Additionally, there's reports that Nick Eubanks will visit Miami. His former HS coach Mike Rumph is now on staff with the Canes as CB coach. Eubanks is a much lower % candidate to be in this class than Haskins, but stranger things have happened.

Offensive Line

Need: 1+

Committed: 0

Miami continues to look for targets along the O-Line. Tackle Lucas Niang is down to Auburn, TCU, and Miami, and will be on campus this weekend. Niang will make his commitment shortly after his UM OV. Strong visit could put the Canes in a good place here.

Johncarlo Valentin is said to be visiting Coral Gables on January 29th. He recently committed to Oklahoma.

There's also one report (Scout.com) that Oklahoma commit Tramonda Moore will visit Coral Gables on January 29th. None of the other recruiting services have this visit listed. So, stay tuned.

As of now, I think this list is in order of the most likely candidates to be in this class.

Defensive Line

Need: 4+

Committed: 2 (1 enrolled)

4-star End Patrick Bethel has already enrolled at Miami. He's set in stone in this class. Fellow DE commit 4-star Joseph Jackson is, perhaps, the best player in this class that nobody is talking about.

Miami has dropped Jaquwan Nelson. There's been little to no communication and he has no visit scheduled. We've parted ways with him, and I've taken him off the commit list. He won't be in this class.

Glen Logan has emerged as the top target at DT. There is much chatter that the LSU commit may be primed for a flip away from the Tigers. With an official visit to Coral Gables booked for this week, Miami may be in position to steal this talented player.

DT Briston Guidry, an Arkansas commit, had a fantastic visit last week. While he's considering his options, he is visiting Arkansas this week. Miami would have had to have made a HUGE MOVE last week to get him to flip now. But, there's time before NSD to still work.

DT Marcel Southall may or may not be coming on his visit this weekend. He's being pursued by several SEC/Big12 teams, and may be considering visiting one of them instead.

Linebacker

Need: 3

Committed: 3 (all enrolled)

All 3 LB recruits, 4-stars Zach McCloudMichael Pinckney, and Shaq Quarterman, are early enrollees, and have already begun classes at Miami.

With all 3 on campus, and already on the roster, Miami is done recruiting at this spot, unless an uber elite national recruit wants in on this class at the last minute (which is highly unlikely, so don't get your hopes up).

In any event, I believe this is the best trio of LB recruits committed to any school in America for this cycle, so Miami is in a good place either way.

Defensive Back

Need: 4+

Committed: 4

Much like WR, same number of commits from last week but different names on this list. Commits are Tyler ByrdCedrick WrightJames Wiggins, with All-American Malek Young as the new name on the list.

I know recruiting sites have Deion Jackson still on the list, but as I wrote in the weekend recap, Miami is not recruiting Jackson, and he will not be in this class. As such, I've dropped him from the list, and won't discuss him any further.

Now, for the other targets at DB, there are plenty. A week ago, commit James Wiggins looked to be on his way out of this class. But, since then he has had medium contact with the Miami staff. CB coach Mike Rumph and Wiggins have communicated, but he hasn't yet heard from Mark Richt. Wiggins is visiting this weekend so we'll know where his recruitment stands real soon.

Safety Jeff James, nephew of Canes legend Edgerrin James, is a curious case. He tweeted out that he committed to Miami, but InsideTheU.com reported that the younger James is not a take for Miami at this time. James has only played 1 year of football, but was named 2nd team All-State for Florida's class 8A when he did. The complicating factor is his relationship to Edge and also former Canes RB Javarris James. We'll see what happens here. But, if Miami were to take James, they'd be taking a player with some athleticism, but lacking physical development and skill. He's 2 years away from playing here at a minimum.

Shyheim Carter visited last weekend, and reportedly had a very good experience. Miami is trying to make a move here with this All-American talent, but, even with this amazing visit to Coral Gables having happened, Alabama is considered the favorite to land Carter.

JJ Givens had a visit last weekend which he called "one of the greatest experiences of my life". Canes coaches are said to be hosting an in-home visit with Givens soon, and it would not surprise me if he committed during that in-home.

Romeo Finley is visiting on the 29th, and he's the kind of physical player DC Manny Diaz and Safety coach Ephraim Banda want at that position. Finley is highly sought after, so Miami will have to work very hard and smart over the next 2 weeks to get him into the fold.

I mentioned him in the WR section, but Quintez Cephus could end up at Safety were he to sign with Miami.

Aaron Robinson wasn't able to make his visit last weekend, but plans to be on campus this weekend. Miami is trying to flip the Gators commit. Another UF commit Miami is working on is CJ McWilliams. He received an in-home visit earlier this week. McWilliams had his OV earlier in the fall. There are different reports on which UF commit may be the more likely flip. Miami continues to work on both players.

On top of all those players listed, it wouldn't surprise me if other additional names pop up in the near future. Miami is clearly looking to add both depth and talent at the DB positions, and they'll move quickly in efforts to do so.

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That's it. Comment away.

Go Canes