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Hey guys. I got this idea and had some time, so let’s do it. Earlier today I posted this piece about the OV’s Miami is hosting this week:
Recruiting Radar: Official Visit preview 1/13. Bandy and Johnson headline the weekend #Canes https://t.co/2Dp8y351Nv pic.twitter.com/6L0uXAvx5t
— StateOfTheU.com (@TheStateOfTheU) January 13, 2017
But that gave me a thought: which Canes commits and targets are visiting else where? Who should we be watching? Let’s discuss.
WR Devonta Smith
One of the top players in America, 5-star WR Devonta Smith (Amite, LA) will stay close to home this weekend by visiting LSU. While he’s visiting there, most do not expect Smith to end up at LSU. Many consider Alabama to be the leader for Smith, with Miami as a real — but admittedly less likely — option as well.
WR Jeff Thomas
One of the most dynamic players in this class, 4-star WR Jeff Thomas (East St. Louis, IL) exploded on the scene with an MVP performance in the Under Armour All-American game. The 5’10” 170lb Thomas is visiting Louisville this week, a team on his radar who looks to make a push at Miami’s perceived lead in Thomas’ recruitment.
CB Brian Edwards
Just like Thomas, Edwards will be visiting Louisville this weekend. Edwards and his Miramar (FL) teammate Kaheem Roach — a Louisville commit — will be among the 15 players taking OVs to Louisville. While Edwards’ recruitment is largely thought to be a Miami-Florida battle right now, the 6’3” DB was committed to Louisville as a Junior. So, there’s a chance the Cardinals use this visit to make some noise, but this recruitment is far from over, even if they do so.
OT Toryque Bateman
Here’s YET ANOTHER player who will be visiting Louisville this weekend. A Gadsden, AL native, the 6’8” 305lb Bateman has an OV to Miami coming up in a couple weeks, but Louisville will have him on campus this week, so that’s worth paying attention to.
CB Christopher Henderson
This Miami (FL) Columbus player is a former Miami commit and will be visiting Alabama this weekend. While Henderson has good height (6’1”) and length for a DB, he played RB at th HS level and has a ways to go with his technique before being a top-level player in college. To my eyes, Henderson has 1 skill that’s Alabama-level: his 4.35 speed. This is a cool visit for any player to earn, but Florida is still the overwhelming favorite to sign Henderson at current.
DT Elijah Conliffe
This Hampton (VA) native is a player Miami has been engaged with recently. While a future visit to Coral Gables is possible, the 6’4” 305lb Conliffe will be visiting Tennessee this weekend. The Vols are arguably the top team for Conliffe right now, and Miami will have quite the uphill battle on their hands if they want to get him in this class.
TE Josh Falo
I know, I know, you’re thinking that Inderkum (CA) TE Josh Falo already said he’s not going anywhere but the west cost. And while Falo will be visiting USC this weekend, 247sports reported the 6’5” 235lb TE has reached out to Miami to potentially schedule and OV to Coral Gables in the near future. So, we’ll watch this for now and see if anything further develops.
S Paris Ford
This is a player who got on the radar with a stellar showing at the Under Armour All-American game. A Homestead (PA) Steel Valley standout, Ford (6’1” 180lb) will be visiting Pittsburgh, the team to which he is committed. A solid visit there would likely shut down Ford’s recruitment — Pitt will likely push for that — but if it doesn’t, Miami may look to get him on campus in the next 2 weeks for an OV.
Those are the OV’s to other places that I’m watching. How about you?