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Last week, I wrote about how Miami coaches were using targeted statements to help recruiting. One of those was from OL coach Stacy Searels, who said:
UM has a lot of guard types on its roster. Searels recognizes this: "You tell every tackle in America, if he wants to play, come to Miami."
— Matt Porter (@mattyports) March 31, 2016
Well, apparently there is an OT who listened to that statement, took it to heart, then decided to take action.
I'm very excited to announce that I have committed to play football at the University of Miami! #the pic.twitter.com/7VUvEO1o9w
— Zach Dykstra (@ZachDykstra1) April 11, 2016
That's what we need! QB's best friend! #sqUad17 #CanesFamily
— Jon Richt (@CoachJRicht05) April 11, 2016
My reaction to #sqUad17 right now... pic.twitter.com/xaiqxRRSTm
— Todd Hartley (@coach_thartley) April 11, 2016
The commitment tweet is from 3-star OT Zach Dykstra, a Spirit Lake, IA native. The State of Iowa, and the Mid-West in general, is known for their OL talent. Now, with Miami needing to add quality depth and talent along the OL, Mark Richt and Stacy Searels have gone there to tap into that talent base.
The 6'5" 285lb Dykstra was named first team all-state in Iowa's 2A classification. His Spirit Lake team went 15-0 on the year, dominating the opposition. They outscored their opponents 691-276 en route to the 2A State Championship.
A kid from Iowa getting an offer from Iowa is big. The fact that he's an OL and Miami was able to sweep in for the steal is even bigger.
— Peter Ariz (@PeterAriz) April 11, 2016
For those wondering, Dykstra visited campus back in March. On that unofficial visit, he received his scholarship offer. So, Dykstra may be a name that is new for most fans (myself included), but there is a recent history of connection between he and Miami, so this isn't completely out of the blue.
Dykstra is the 2nd OL commit in the 2017 recruiting class. He joins Miami Central OL Navaughn Donaldson in this class. Dykstra committed to Miami over offers from Iowa and Iowa State, among others.
You can see his HUDL highlights below: