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Monday night was quiet for Miami. That is, until the Canes got a commitment seemingly out of nowhere.
BREAKING THE BLOCK IS REAL HOT
— Jorge Baez (@Coach_Baez) March 22, 2016
☀️ ☀️
WE JUST GOT BETTER,
☀️☀️#TEU#WELCOME2THE[]_[]#SQ[]_[]AD17 pic.twitter.com/3sCy2Kn8GJ
.@coach_thartley with the Monday night walk-off #goodnighteverybody pic.twitter.com/VILBad3nDZ
— Matt Doherty (@MDohertyCANES) March 22, 2016
2017 TE Brian Polendey out of Texas has committed to Miami #Canes
— Peter Ariz (@PeterAriz) March 22, 2016
Denton (TX) Guyer 2017 TE Brian Polendey is the latest player to commit to the Hurricanes. A 3-star prospect, Polendey has good size at 6'5" 223lbs. As of today, Polendey only has 6 offers, but with size like his and good movement skills, I'm sure that number will increase in the near future.
It's all about that U pic.twitter.com/aoySnKAADw
— Brian (@polendey87) March 19, 2016
I'm going to the U pic.twitter.com/r1ewyE4Lcf
— Brian (@polendey87) March 22, 2016
Polendey is the first commitment for Miami that isn't a Florida Native. This just further underscores the fact that Mark Richt and staff will be doing the large majority of recruiting in state, and looking to add top talent nationally, as they've done here with Polendey.
A scouting report on Polendey from our SBN sister site Burnt Orange Nation:
Polendey moved to Denton from Washington state after his freshman year, spent his sophomore year on Guyer's JV team, and was offered by Michigan in the spring of 2015, over three months before he would play his first varsity game for Guyer. I've got him ranked fourth here, but I could probably be talked into putting him as high as second. Again, I believe Kedrick James has the highest ceiling of the group, but I also think only Brock Wright has a higher floor than Polendey.
If his reported 6'5 240-pound listing is even close to accurate, he's definitely got good size for the tight end position, and he's a strong blocker when holding the edge against a DE or getting to the second level and blocking linebackers out of the play. And as a receiver he shows ability to attack the middle of the field whether running up the seam or sitting in soft spots against zone coverage.
The services report him holding offers from Arkansas, Colorado, Duke, Houston, and Michigan, among others. In a report from early January, he named Houston as his early leader. Polendey caught 9 passes for 117 yards and 2 TDs for a Guyer team that advanced four rounds into the playoffs in 2015, despite its junior QB Shawn Robinson (a TCU commit) struggling as a passer and completing less than 45% of his passes and throwing only three more touchdowns (11) than interceptions (8).
Polendey was only sixth on the team in receptions and eighth in receiving yards last season, and Guyer returns most of its skill position contributors in 2016, but if Robinson is all the way back from the illness that reportedly hampered his junior season and has a senior year that more closely resembles his breakout sophomore campaign of 2014 (60% completion percentage, 2,499 passing yards, 33 TDs and just 5 INTs), Polendey should be one of the receivers who reaps the benefits statistically.
Of all the uncommitted TEs in the state, Polendey is the one I'd most like to see Texas recruit with an eye toward further solidifying their TE depth long term, and possibly pairing with Major Tennison on some 12 personnel (one RB, two TE, 2 WR) packages.
Polendey picked Miami over offers from Houston, Arkansas, Duke, and Michigan. Polendey's commitment keeps the momentum going for Miami, who secured 2 commitments from top targets QB N'Kosi Perry and WR Kevaughn Dingle on Saturday.
Polendey is the 13th commit in the Hurricanes' 2017 recruiting class. You can see his HUDL highlights below: