Hello friends. We’re just days away from National Signing Day, and the final Official Visit weekend of the cycle is about to begin. Without further ado, let’s meet the players visiting Miami this weekend.

Canes Commits

4-star QB N’Kosi Perry. Plain and simple, Perry is the future for Miami at QB. The reported #1 OVERALL player on Miami’s board this cycle, the 6’4” 178lb Perry has all the tools to be a top tier signal caller for the Canes. A record-setting QB from Ocala (FL) Vanguard — he broke 20 year old records set by former Vanguard QB Daunte Culpepper — Perry was the 2015 Florida 6A player of the year, and a finalist for the award in 2016. In short: Perry is damn good, and you better learn the name. (yes my bias is showing and I DON’T CAAAAAAAAAAAARE)

3-star DT Jon Ford. A powerful and athletic player on the DL, Ford recently shut down his recruitment to stick with Miami. Ford has great size at 6’5” 275lbs, and could work his way into a contributing role as early as this season. His recruitment is all sown up, but he’ll enjoy the fun of an OV weekend in the Gables with his family and some other top recruits.

3-star S Derrick Smith. A rangy Safety with good ball skills and nice size (6’3” 190lbs), Smith, who hails from Jacksonville (FL) Trinity Christian, was once going to commit to USC — the real one: Southern Cal — so he has talent. Smith flashes elite talent on his highlights, but also shows areas where he can improve. In either case, his visit to Coral Gables should be a mere formality at this point.

Targets

5-star WR Devonta Smith. Even with Perry visiting this weekend, Smith is the headliner. This über-talented WR runs precise routes, has great hands, is a smooth and explosive athlete, and has an uncanny knack to make big plays and turn simple plays into highlights. This U.S. Army All-American hails from Amite, LA and is one of the most highly sought after players in this class. Smith has been thought of as a long time Alabama lean, but the connection to Miami is palpable. He was once committed to Mark Richt when he was the coach at Georgia, and the connection to coach Richt is one that is longstanding. Smith has maintained that, despite reports to the contrary, his recruitment is open and all teams — Miami, LSU, and Alabama — have a chance to land his commitment. Miami will look to pull out all the stops this weekend, and pairing Smith and Perry’s visits on the same weekend could be a strategic stroke of genius. Much like Jeff Thomas was the focus of my attention last week, Devonta Smith is the focus of my attention this week. Hands down.

3-star OL Toryque Bateman. Miami needs OTs with talent in this class, and Bateman fits that bill. A native of Gadsden, AL, the 6’8” 305lb (man, his pictures look like he weighs more than this) Bateman has the size and skill to be an impact player for Miami on the OL. Bateman has recently named Louisville his leader after his OV there on January 13th weekend. Miami will have to make this a perfect visit to sway Bateman from what seems like a forthcoming commitment to the Cardinals.

Those are the official visitors this week. A reminder that recruiting is silly season, and secret/unannounced visits happen all the time (still waiting on you, 4-star OL/DL Tedarrell Slaton). And, scheduled visits can fall through, as has happened many times before. But, as of now, those are the 5 players who are on the list to visit Coral Gables this weekend.

As per usual, I’m setting the Over/Under on commits at 0. Both Bateman and Smith have announcements scheduled for NSD, so don’t bother picking an O/U this week, guys.

Anyways, what do you guys think? Let me know in the comments below.

Go Canes