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Recruiting Radar: Visits, Offers, Lists, and more

A look back at the week that was for the Miami Hurricanes on the recruiting trail, and maybe a peek into what lies ahead.

By Cameron J. Underwood
Could Miami be making a move for 4-star RB Stephen Carr, a USC soft commit? Find out below.
Could Miami be making a move for 4-star RB Stephen Carr, a USC soft commit? Find out below.
247Sports

It's been a minute since the last Recruiting Radar, so get ready for a bunch of quick updates today. Here we go:

Wilder says proximity a factor

I already spoke about 4-star LB De'Andre Wilder in the Top 15 Defensive Targets piece a month ago. But, the new update, per 247Sports, is that Wilder says distance will be a factor in his decision.

"I don't want to get too far away from my little brother because he looks up to me" Wilder told 247Sports.

A local player from Miami Carol City HS, the school with the closest proximity for him is none other than The U. In light of that distance statement, the Canes have to feel very good about landing this dynamic defender.

Talented WR visits campus

A tall and fast player at the Wide Receiver position, 3-star Matt Landers (St. Petersburg, FL) took an unofficial visit to campus last week. Landers has great height at 6'5" and very good speed. Miami offered him back in February, and is listed among his leaders, along with Florida and Georgia.

I had a conversation about this on twitter, but my quick take on Landers:

  • very athletic
  • high ceiling but not sure he'll reach that ceiling
  • Limited routes on tape

  • Plays against subpar competition in Florida's 2A classificaion. Would like to see him vs. a 4A (Booker T. Washington) or higher classification, just to see him vs. athletes of a similar caliber.
  • is the kind of project Miami could/should take. Landers isn't good enough to be WR1 in this class. But, if he's WR4 or WR5 (which is likely because Miami already has 2 4-star players committed at WR in this class, then he's NO BRAINER take for me.

See the HUDL highlights and judge for yourself:

Canes move to top for RB

After visiting Ft. Lauderdale for the Miami Hurricanes 2016 Spring game, 3-star RB Darrian Felix (Ft. Myers, FL) told 247Sports "[The Canes] are my number one choice, no doubt" on his recruiting list.

Don't let that 3-star rating throw you. Felix has been a star on the camp circuit this year, and is coming off a very nice season in 2015. He's poised to have a big year in 2016, and is sure to see his ranking and recruiting profile rise before National Signing Day.

Felix has visited campus multiple times in the spring, and has had glowing reviews after each visit. In my mind, his recruitment is more a matter of when he'll commit to Miami than if.

Canes going back to Cali?

Well, more on point, is a 4-star from Cali coming to the U for the 3rd year in the last 4?

4-star RB Stephen Carr, a self proclaimed "soft commit to USC", visited Miami for the Spring game, and also had a chance to get to campus last weekend. And, stop me if you've heard this before, said he had a good time.

Carr, a highly coveted recruit, can pick nearly any school in America to continue his career. Miami is making a case that that school is The U.

Now, before we get too far ahead of ourselves, this was just an unofficial visit. It's a positive for his recruitment that Miami was able to get a player of this caliber to visit, and for a big event such as the spring game no less, but it's not a seismic event. Should Carr come back to Coral Gables for an official visit in the fall, then we can start to talk seriously about him potentially being in this class.

In any event, Carr is a supremely talented player, which you'll quickly see when you click on the HUDL highlights below:

Canes in top 3 for elite playmaking RB

DeMatha Catholic (Washington, DC) 4-star RB Anthony McFarland had a big weekend. He was one of the stars of The Opening's Washington D.C. Regional, earning a spot in the elite recruit showcase later this summer.

Not only that: McFarland earned his invite to The Opening by playing WR, not RB, as he does in HS and is well-known for. That kind of versatility is impressive and only makes him a more highly coveted recruit in my opinion.

At the event, McFarland said that he has a strong relationship with Canes coaches Mark Richt and Thomas Brown from their time at Georgia. McFarland reportedly went so far as to say the relationship with Brown is like "a big brother". That connection could potentially pay off big for Miami.

The 3rd ranked all-purpose back in this class according to 247Sports, McFarland has Alabama, Miami, and Maryland at the top of his recruiting list at current. Having already visited campus this spring, the connection between Miami and McFarland is more than just talk.

McFarland earned his high rating with his outstanding play, which you can see in the HUDL highlights below:

Canes make top 10 for RB

Yes, ANOTHER RB has Miami near the top of their recruiting list. 4-star RB De'Andre Swift (Philadelphia, PA)  put the Canes in his recently released top 10.

Swift has yet to visit Coral Gables, so temper your excitement a bit. However, with the Canes in his top 10. there's certainly a chance here. Couple that with Miami's need for 2+ RBs in this class, and that could be very appealing for the talented Philly playmaker. Highlights? Highlights. See below:

Canes move into top 5 for talented DB

Ft. Lauderdale (FL) Cardinal Gibbons 4-star S Daniel Wright, brother of former UF and NFL S Major Wright, was one of the many visitors for the Spring Game. He was on hand for the game, and got a good look at the defense that Miami will be running.

Wright obviously has the pedigree to be a great player, and he is highly recruited. With 33 offers claimed at this point, Wright is one of the most highly coveted players at his position in this class.

Following the Hurricanes' Spring Game, Wright named a top 5 of  Miami, Florida State (the 100% pick for his commitment on 247Sports' Crystal Ball), Clemson, Ohio State, and Notre Dame.

Wright said he has a good relationship with S coach Ephraim Banda, and hopefully that pays off later in this process. Like I said in the last paragraph, Miami, and everybody else, is running behind FSU in pursuit of this player. But, like we've seen in recruiting, things can change all the way until NSD. So, stay tuned.

New Offer: Utah's Finest

This happened late on Wednesday night (thanks, afternoon nap for keeping me up), but Miami has offered a new out of State DT

4-star DT Jay Tufele (South Jordan, UT) is a top 75 player in this class. He stand 6'3" 284lbs, and is a tough, physical player on the interior of the defensive line. Obviously, the fact that Tufele is a Utah native means that he would be a tough pull for Miami.

But, with new DL coach Craig Kuligowski on board, it's possible that Miami could make a move for Tufele, or another out of State DT. The in-state crop at this position isn't the strongest in this cycle, so it makes sense that Miami would offer Tufele, and others who are not FL products. Since Miami just offered last night, they're not listed among Tufele's favorites at the moment. But, give it time. Things COULD change.

Tufele, the top ranked player in the State of Utah in 2017 and the 3rd ranked DT in America for this class, is good. Very good. How good? See the HUDL highlights and judge for yourself.

Spring Game brings plenty of visitors to see the Canes

I wrote about this prior to the spring game, but here are a few more names who visited the Canes for the spring game, on top of the ones I've already mentioned above: (again, these are incomplete lists. there were a TON of people at the game, and I couldn't see them all from my location)

2017 visitors

  • QB commit N'Kosi Perry
  • QB commit Cade Weldon
  • WR Camron Buckley
  • WR Charleston Rambo (Oklahoma commit)
  • DL commit Jon Ford
  • CB commit Nick Roberts
  • S Derrick Smith
  • ATH Deejay Dallas

2018 visitors (all 4-star and 5-star players)

  • RB Lorenzo Lingard
  • DB commit Gilbert Frierson
  • CB Pat Surtain Jr.
  • S Tyreke Johnson
  • WR Jermaine Eskridge
  • CB Al Blades Jr.
There were also 20+ players from Hollywood (FL) Chaminade-Madonna, St. Thomas Aquinas, and many, many more.

That's it for today's update. Continue the conversation in the comments below.

Go Canes