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Miami Hurricanes Recruiting Radar: Class Breakdown October 19th

Here’s the fourth monthly installment of our series looking at the Canes’ 2018 recruiting class.

5-star RB Lorenzo Lingard is leading the way for Miami’s 2018 recruiting class.
247sports

Welcome back, recruiting fans. It’s time for another installment of the Class Breakdown!

In case you’re new here, the Class Breakdown is our monthly look at the Canes’ recruiting class, and some of the salient recruiting moves and chatter on the radar.

Class Numbers

I wrote about this already earlier in the spring and you can read the whole piece here. I’ve already had to update this slightly (more OL slots), but these are the numbers of players at every position that I’m looking for Miami to take in 2018:

Miami Hurricanes 2018 Class Numbers

QB RB WR TE OL DE DT LB CB S K Best Available
QB RB WR TE OL DE DT LB CB S K Best Available
1 2 4 2 4 1 2+ 1 3 2 1 (Any extra spots not filled)

There is, obviously, the chance that these numbers change. Attrition from the roster has potentially opened up scholarships that Miami could potentially fill with the 2018 recruiting class. If it looks like Miami is trending to take more than 25, I’ll revisit that change later.

With no further ado, let’s hop into the outlook for each position.

Quarterback

Need: 1

Committed: 1

If you've been reading my recruiting posts over the past few years, you know I have a closely held recruiting rule: you have to have a QB in every recruiting class. No excuses; no exceptions.

For the 2018 recruiting cycle, Miami has their man already committed in 4-star Artur Sitkowski. Standing 6’5” 215lbs, Sitkowski has great size for the position. Additionally, he showed well at several recruiting camps and 7v7 tournaments this Spring.

Sitkowski, who transferred to Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy for his senior year, beat out Zach Annexstad to start for IMG’s national team (they have 2 teams at the school). Early on in his senior season, Sitkowski played very well, leading the Ascenders to a 2-0 record with wins over Chandler (AZ), and Corona (CA) Centennial. But, things changed.

After struggling mightily vs Miami (FL) Central — a passing line of 5/13 for 10 yards with 2 interceptions — Sitkowski was benched in favor of the aforementioned Annexstad. IMG’s coach cited a shoulder injury from a hit as the reason that he took Sitkowski out, but it would be foolish to think that performance wasn’t a factor as well. Since then, Sitkowski has remained on the bench while Annexstad has led IMG to several wins, including the game against Miami Central.

This is worth watching for Miami. Sitkowski, while physically talented, is a player who needs work, as his play proves. He’s a player you take on size, arm strength, athleticism, and potential. He’s not a day 1/year 1 contributor like others in this QB class (5-stars Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields immediately come to mind) are.

If Miami is confident in their evaluation of Sitkowski’s skills, potential for the future, and their QB development abilities, then keeping Sitkowski in this class as the sole QB (remember, Miami took 2 QBs last year so there isn’t a need for more than 1 in this class) will be the move.

Even though he’s struggled after a hot start in 2017, all reports to this point are that Miami and Sitkowski are fully committed to each other. On track to be on campus in Coral Gables in January, Sitkowski will still likely be the sole QB in Miami’s 2017 recruiting class at this point. As of now, I fully expect Sitkowski to be on campus in Coral Gables in January.

On top of the already-committed Sitkowski, Miami has offers out to several other QBs in 2018, just to be safe. Some of those names to know are: Texas commit Cameron Rising, OSU commit Emory Jones, Tennessee commit Adrian Martinez, UCLA commit Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Kentucky commit Jarren Williams, and Texas commit Casey Thompson.

Running Back

Need: 2

Committed: 2

For the 5th cycle in a row, Miami looks to bring in 2 RBs in the 2018 recruiting class. And, as of now, they have that many RBs committed in 5-star Lorenzo Lingard and 4-star Camron Davis (GREAT first name, btw).

Both Lingard and Davis are top 10 RBs in America for the 2018 recruiting class, and have a wealth of talent. While their styles are different — Lingard is bigger and Davis is more of a slasher — they have the skills to be very effective players for the Hurricanes. And, both seem to be locked in with Miami, and were in attendance at the season-opening win against Bethune Cookman.

So far this season, Lingard has a couple of 300+ yard, 5 TD games, and Davis is the centerpiece of the offense for defending State Champion Carol City as they look to repeat. Seems decent, if you ask me.

Even with having both Lingard and Davis committed, Miami has offers out to several other RBs this cycle.

Moving up to get a paragraph now is 3-star LB/FB Abraham Alce. Now at Immokalee (FL), Alce has good size for FB at 6’0” 224lbs. He could even play single back in certain sets, but with Miami bringing in talent Lingard and Davis’ caliber, I don’t think that will happen. Immokalee has produced several former Canes, including RB Edgerrin James, RB Mike James, and others.

Additionally, Alce formerly attended Plantation (FL) American Heritage, the same school as DT commit Nesta Silvera and 2017 OL signee Kai-Leon Herbert, and was once coached by Miami CB coach Mike Rumph before Rumph moved from Heritage to Miami. So, the connections to Miami are many. As of now, the consensus is that if he were to commit anywhere, Alce would pick Miami.

Want to see Alce making plays? Then these tweets from SBNation Recruiting’s Bud Elliot might interest you:

Miami has offers out to several other RBs this cycle, most notably James Cook (Dalvin’s brother), and Chris Curry (Najeh Davenport’s cousin, committed to LSU). That being the case, I think Miami will stick with Lingard and Davis at RB in this class, and maybe add Alce to play FB and bring the group to 3 total. It would take a seismic recruiting event to make Miami look at another RB seriously to add another RB (not FB, RB), to this class.

Wide Receiver

Need: 4

Committed: 3

Miami has 3 WRs committed in the 2018 recruiting class: 4-stars Brian Hightower, Mark Pope, and Daquris Wiggins. This 3 man group has good size (Pope is the shortest of these committed WRs at 6’1”) and dynamic skill. You’d be hard pressed to find a current group of WR commits anywhere in America that rival this trio. Hightower is a long-strider who does numbers at Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy. Pope and Wiggins are teammates at Miami (FL) Southridge and are both elite talents. Of the two, Pope is the better player, and could (should?) be a 5-star. He’s so good. SOOOO good.

But, even with those 3 very, VERY good WRs committed currently, Miami isn’t done recruiting at WR. The Canes are looking to take 4 WRs in the 2018 class, so there’s 1 more spot open — and maybe more depending on how the rest of the class comes together.

4-star Devonta Jason (New Orleans, LA) recently released his top 6 which included Miami. Currently committed to Kansas — no, that’s not a typo — Jason is a big bodied WR with plenty of skills. While I don’t think that he’ll end up in Coral Gables, I’ve long maintained that Jason won’t end up at Kansas, either. This commitment to Kansas feels a lot like RB Jordan Scarlett’s commitment to FAU a while back: good PR for the school, but absolutely not a realistic landing location for a player of his talent.

Previously listed players 4-star Kevin Austin , 4-star Elijah Moore, and 3-star WR Tyquan Thornton committed to Notre Dame, Georgia, and Florida, respectively. Additionally, 5-star Terrace Marshall dropped Miami from his top schools list, so he’s off the board as well. Of these, Miami is most connected to Thornton, but it would still take a big effort to flip him.

Miami has offered plenty of other WRs, but at this point there’s no immediate connection worth listing or discussing.

Miami isn’t in a rush to get a WR4 in this class, and may be able to wait around to see how the season plays out, whether coaches from other schools are fired, and if any top talents at the position show interest late in the cycle, a la Jeff Thomas in 2017.

Tight End

Need: 2

Committed: 2

After landing only 1 TE (Brian Polendey) in a 2017 class when 2 was the preferred number, Miami has already secured commitments from 2 of the top TEs in America for the 2018 recruiting cycle.

Las Vegas (NV) Bishop Gorman 4-star Brevin Jordan — who some think is the best TE prospect in this class — and Jacksonville (FL) Providence 4-star Will Mallory are the players Miami has committed at TE in this class, and they’re going to end up being the #1 group of TEs that sign with any school in America this cycle.

Jordan has been BALLING in his senior season, already with 33 catches for 624 yards and 6 TDs. Jordan has also added a 25 yard rushing TD to his statistics in recent weeks. To recap: Jordan is an athletic Tight End averaging nearly 19 yards per catch, who’s scored a TD in 6 straight games, and even ran for a TD this season. That’ll work for me.

On the other side of things, not only has Will Mallory’s season been impacted by Hurricane Irma, but the 6’5” 207lb TE has also missed time due to a concussion once the season resumed. Though he may be battling injury, Mallory is still a top prospect at the TE position, and Miami will stick with him in this class.

While others at this position have offers, Miami seems to be fully locked in on keeping Jordan and Mallory committed in this class and appear to be done recruiting the TE position in 2018.

Offensive Line

Need: 4

Committed: 3

Miami continues to rebuild along the offensive line, and the 2018 is another step along that path. In the quest to increase the talent on the OL and build quality depth, the Canes are looking to bring in 4 OL in this class. While I had already been using this number for this position group in my previous piece, a summer article by Andrew Ivins of 247sports’ Miami site InsideTheU.com states the same thing.

Already committed in this class are Lakeland (FL) 4-star Cleveland Reed, Miami (FL) Southridge 4-star Delone Scaife, and Orlando (FL) Dr. Phillips 3-star John Campbell. Both Reed and Scaife attended The Opening, Nike’s elite recruiting camp, which was held in Oregon earlier in July. They are both talented players who have played tackle in HS, but figure to be interior linemen at the collegiate level. Campbell has good size and length and will likely stick at tackle in college, although he will probably need time to develop into a rotation player at the next level. Campbell is now on track to be an early enrollee, per Peter Ariz of CanesInsight.com

Miami is reaching out to some players committed elsewhere, according to recent reports. First up, Miami has contacted Knoxville (TN) Catholic 5-star Cade Mays. A consensus top 15 player nationally in this class, Mays is a Tennessee Legacy — his father played for the Vols — who has been committed to UT since July 2015. Obviously, being from Knoxville and a Tennessee legacy (and commit) make the Canes’ recruitment of Mays challenging to say the least. Adding to that: Miami hasn’t offered yet. But, per 247sports’ report, Mays and Miami have discussed a visit. Like always, if he comes to campus, then things become real. Until then, this is an interesting anecdote, and nothing more.

Another player committed to an SEC school who has recently received a Canes scholarship offer is Cypress (TX) Cy Ranch 4-star Colten Blanton. Blanton is committed to Texas A&M, and has been since last November. Like Mays, Blanton has very good size and the skills to be able to play early at Miami. And, like Mays, until/unless he visits, that’s nothing more than a cool story, bro.

Montgomery (AL) Park Crossing 3-star Tank Jenkins is another player that Miami is recruiting. He a guard and not a tackle, but he’s got good skills and you can never have too many talented and physical offensive linemen.

Tampa (FL) Cambridge Christian school 4-star Richard Gouraige, Tampa (FL) Berkley Prep 4-star Nicholas Petit-Frere, and Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy 3-star Daniel Faalele are players with offers who figure to head elsewhere. They all have good size — Faalele is a huge player at 6’9” 400lbs — and undeniable talent, but their sights seem set in places other than Coral Gables.

Miami’s in a good, but not great, spot at OL in this class. To really knock it out of the park, the Canes would need to add another Tackle to this group, and preferably one who is a bit more polished than Campbell. Unfortunately, the OL crop from SoFLA isn’t the strongest this cycle, so Miami will have to look elsewhere to find the player(s) to round out this group in 2018.

Defensive Line

Need: 4

Committed: 2

Miami not only has arguably the top DL in America, but they’re off to a good start in recruiting to keep the talent and depth at an elite level.

Miami has commitments from Plantation (FL) American Heritage 4-star DT Nesta Silvera, and Hialeah (FL) Champagnat Catholic 3-star DE/OLB/ATH Gregory Rousseau. Silvera has had a good camp season, and is another Miami commit headed to Nike’s The Opening. Rousseau has great length and positional versatility. He should be a weapon at the VIPER and OLB positions for Manny Diaz’s defense.

Even with Silvera and Rousseau committed, Miami has plenty of work to do recruiting on the Defensive Line in 2018. Miami could potentially lose 4 DTs from the roster if RJ McIntosh, Kendrick Norton, and Gerald Willis all elect to go to the NFL Draft. So, additional bodies will be needed there, as well as at DE, where you can never have enough pass rushers.

Defensive Tackle

One of the top targets at DT is Kissimmee (FL) Gateway 3-star Dennis Briggs. He’s long been at the top of the list, and the connection between Briggs and Miami is very strong. Briggs is active on Twitter, and lots of posts are Miami-centric.

Briggs has good size and length at 6’4” 260lbs. No, he’s not the biggest DT prospect right now, but he has the frame to put on good weight in college. Some have compared Briggs’ build to starting DT RJ McIntosh coming out of HS, and if Briggs follows McIntosh’s physical and performance development, that would be a win for all parties. Miami is the far and away favorite to land Briggs’ commitment at current, with Florida State also involved.

Miami is also recruiting Ramsey (NJ) Don Bosco Prep 4-star Tyler Friday, St. Louis (MO) Parkway North 4-star Michael Thompson, St. Louis (MO) Chaminade 4-star Trevor Trout, Concord (NC) 4-star Rick Sandidge, and Charlotte (NC) Mallard Creek 4-star Jordan Davis,and Hollywood (FL) Chminade-Madonna 3-star Davoan Hawkins (Kentucky commit) at DT. All have good size for the position, and are top tier recruits at this position of need for the Canes. There is work to be done here, but with Coach Kool at the helm — his reputation and coaching ability is what has gotten Friday and Thompson (and likely others) interested in Miami at all — I’m not worried.

Miami may also look to go the JUCO route at DT for 1 player in this class. Louisville has 2 JUCO DT commits in Michael Boykin and Jared Goldwire. Both are huge — Boykin is 6’6” 285lbs and Goldwire is 6’7” 280lbs — and could be the immediate rotation-type player that Miami needs at DT for the 2018 season. Obviously, they’re both committed elsewhere, so this isn’t an easy recruitment, but Miami has contacted both players, and could make moves due to Louisville’s poor start on defense...but ONLY if visits happen.

According to a report by Andrew Ivins of InsideTheU, both Boykin and Goldwire will have 3 years to play 3 at their next school after sitting out the 2017 season to save their eligibility. That’s huge. Getting either player would add extra depth to the DT position for multiple years, not just 1 or 2.

With Briggs, Friday, Thompson, Trout, Sandidge, Davis, and Hawkins on the board at DT, there’s plenty of talent out there for Miami to close with a solid group at this position of need. On top of this group of HS talent, it wouldn’t surprise me if Miami looked to add a JUCO DT in this class, to have an older/game ready player join the team to help offset the potential roster losses I previously noted in this section.

Defensive End

This is the spot where Miami has picked up the activity in recent days. The Hurricanes have offered several new players, and been in contact with plenty more, in an effort to find and secure a commitment from another DE or two in this class.

A top 5 player Nationally in the 2018 recruiting class, Harrisburg (PA) 5-star DE Micah Parsons can pick anywhere in America to play his college football. A summer decommit from Penn State, the 6’3” 235lb Parsons holds scholarship offers from 20 schools, and that number is sure to grow.

Let me be clear: Parsons is an elite talent. Miami DL coach Craig Kuligowski visited Harrisburg earlier this spring, and Miami will continue to build a relationship with Parsons. At this time, Penn State is skyrocketing back as the trending pick for Parsons’ collegiate destination, but nearly every top program in the country is trying to get involved in this recruitment.

After more than a decade at Mizzou, it stands to reason that Coach Kuligowski has a relationship with players/schools in that area of the country. Another such player at DE is St. Louis (MO) Lutheran North 4-star Ronnie Perkins. Perkins, like Parsons, has good size at 6’3” 255lbs.

A U.S. Army All-American, Perkins holds 32 offers at current, with Oklahoma, Texas, LSU, Michigan, and Missouri being at the top of that list. Miami has the cache of any of those teams, but it will largely be up to Coach Kool, and the prospect of immediate playing time, to get Perkins away from the Midwest to Coral Gables.

I mentioned earlier that Miami has offered or is in contact with several new names at DE. Here they are:

  • 4-star Elijah Wade (Las Vegas, NV). A player seeing his profile rise, Wade is one of the many new offers at DE for Miami. He’s from the same city, but different school, as TE commit Brevin Jordan, so it will be interesting to see if Jordan starts doing some peer-level recruiting to help the staff in their new pursuit of Wade.
  • 4-star Christian Barmore (Philadelphia, PA). This is a prospect who has seen his stock SKYROCKET recently. Nearly every major team is offering the 6’6” 297lb defender. He profiles more as a DT than DE, but he’s definitely on the list of new contacts for Miami. Cool note: Barmore attends the same HS (Neumann-Goretti) that Canes senior PG Ja’Quan Newton did in HS.
  • 4-star Jayson Oweh (Blairstown, NJ). Only in his 2nd year of football, the 6’5” 236lb Oweh oozes athleticism and potential. I’ve mentioned this comparison using another player before, but Oweh is like David Njoku with his size, athleticism, and limited football experience, but on the defensive side of the ball. Here’s a good profile on Oweh by Tyler Donohue of Landof10.com, with a Penn State slant (bc, I mean, that’s who Donohue covers now).
  • 4-star Chris Collins (Richmond, VA). This UNC commit is tall and thin at 6’5” 212lbs, but he has good skills and a high motor. UNC is imploding this season, so it’s worth the shot to lob and offer and see if anything happens.
  • 4-star Nik Bonitto (Ft. Lauderdale, FL). Miami has not yet offered Bonitto, but the sides have met (at the GT game when Bonitto took an unofficial visit to HRS) and spoken. If Bonitto is fully invested in Football (he had dreams of playing basketball in college but he’s not a high major prospect in that sport), Miami would be wise to make moves to get the St. Thomas Aquinas star in this recruiting class. Some think Bonitto is a DE, others think he’s an OLB. With things trending toward Bonitto dropping hoops to focus on football, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Miami give him and offer and go toe to toe with Louisville, the leaders in Bonitto’s recruitment at current.
  • 4-star Andrew Chatfield (Plantation, FL). This is one that Miami fans have been following for a while. The American Heritage HS star doesn’t have an offer yet, but Miami DL Coach Kuligowski was at his recent game against Cardinal Gibbons to watch teammate and Canes commit Nesta Silvera. In that game, Chatfield had a strong outing, and it remains to be seen if Miami changes course and finally offers him. Either way, he’s a name worth knowing, which I’m sure many of you reading this already do, since you’ve been campaigning for Miami to offer Chatfield for more than a year.

Others with offers (previously listed): 3-star Kayode Oladele, 3-star Joseph Boletepeli, 3-star Patrick Joyner (a flip candidate) and more, but those would be very, very low odds longshots for Miami.

With all those new/increased contacts and offers, it’s easy to see that Miami is not settled with just Rousseau at DE in this class, and is looking to add both depth and talent to that group in this class. This is the position where the most movement is likely to be seen, because there’s room to add players, and no real leaders for any of the available scholarship slots.

And, while there are nearly 10 names in this section for DE aside from the already-committed Rousseau, there is a good chance that a player who has not yet been included in one of these pieces ends up in this class for Miami.

Previously, I said that 1. there would be new names popping up at DE (and DT) for Miami as the cycle progressed and 2. I wasn’t concerned bc Coach Kool is one of the best recruiters and the best development coach at DL in America. Both of those continue to be true, so we’re right on track. Miami is in a good spot, Coach Kool is gonna pull in a couple more good players between DT and DE, and all will be well.

Linebacker

Need: 1

Committed: 0

The only position at which Miami does not currently hold a commitment, Miami has work to do at Linebacker. But, with low numbers needed and plenty of interested prospects, recruiting at this position shouldn’t be too tough for Miami as this cycle progresses.

Previously listed players 3-star Rosendo Louis and 3-star David Reese have committed to Florida State and Florida, respectively. Miami is still recruiting Louis, but it doesn’t seem that there’s much traction there.

I mentioned him in the DE section bc he could play OLB or DE in college, but Miami is pushing for a flip from Homestead (FL) South Dade 3-star Patrick Joyner. This FSU commit has a good combination of size and skill, and would be a nice addition to Miami’s recruiting class. When you add in the bonus of taking a talented player away from a bitter rival, getting Joyner would be that much better for Miami.

Other players like Tallahassee (FL) Lawton Chiles 4-star Amari Gainer and Cincinnati (OH) Winton Woods 4-star Christopher Oats are on the board with offers, but aren’t likely to end up in this class.

With only 1 (maybe 2?) LB spots in this class, Miami can be very selective looking for prospects. As the cycle continues, I fully expect additional names to pop up as Defensive Coordinator Manny Diaz and the Canes’ staff continue to eval players from around Florida and the country.

That being said, it’s almost November, early signing period is in mid-December, and the only player with even a moderate connection to Miami at LB is a player currently committed to Florida State. Suffice it to say that, even on the heels of 2 classes with 3 LBs in each year, Miami has work to do at LB in this class.

Defensive Back

Need: 6

Committed: 5

This, like Wide Receiver and Running Back, is a position where Miami needs big numbers and top talent in this recruiting class. And, like WR and RB, Miami is off to a stellar start recruiting this position group in this class, too.

Miami has 5 DBs committed in the 2018 recruiting class: Miami (FL) Columbus Cheshire (CT) Academy 4-star CB Josh Jobe, Palm Beach Gardens (FL) 4-star S Gurvan Hall, Coral Gables (FL) 4-star CB Gilbert Frierson, Ft. Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas 4-star CB Al Blades Jr., and Homestead (FL) South Dade 3-star CB D.J. Ivey. Every one of those commits has the ability to be an All-American, and all 5 of them are from Palm Beach County (Hall), Broward (Blades Jr.), or Dade County (Jobe — yes he’s at prep school in Connecticut now bc he aged out of eligibility in Florida, but I’m still counting him — Frierson, and Ivey). For all the years of talking about “getting back to the South Florida Roots of Miami Hurricanes Recruiting”, this is what it looks like in application.

Cornerback

Before going to the targets, let’s start with a commit. EVERYBODY is watching the recruitment of Josh Jobe. Miami continues to be in a good place with him as he’s moved to Connecticut to finish his HS career, but many schools, most notably Alabama and Michigan, continue to try and push for a flip. I’m not panicking or anything like that, but I wanted to put it on record that Miami still has to fight to keep Jobe in this class. And, to assuage any anxiety you may have after reading this paragraph, all reports recently have Miami firmly in a good position to fend off these opposing attacks and keep Jobe in this class.

Leading the way on the target list is Plantation (FL) American Heritage 4-star CB Tyson Campbell. A tall (6’3”) corner with very good speed (State Champion in the 100 meter dash with a 10.41 in 2017), Campbell has the build, athleticism, and skill that has colleges all over the country fighting for his commitment.

Currently holding 22 offers, Campbell is a top 30 player in the 2018 recruiting class. Miami, Clemson, LSU, and OSU are just some of the teams from which Campbell has been offered. While most intel has this as a Miami-OSU recruiting battle, Campbell could choose to go any number of ways. He’s a premium player at a premium position, and Miami would be thrilled to add him to the commit list, and continue to rebuild the connection with American Heritage that was so badly damaged back when that other guy was Miami’s head coach.

Oh, and, for what it’s worth, 247sports recruiting analyst Steve Wiltfong predicted Campbell would commit to Miami back in September. Further reports by Peter Ariz of CanesInSight and Andrew Ivins of InsideTheU both state that Miami is in a good place with Campbell, if not leading outright. Obviously, that could change, so take all of that with a grain of salt. But, things still appear positive for Miami relative to Campbell at current and definitely worth watching.

Miami (FL) Northwestern 3-star CB Nigel Bethel is an interesting talent who has risen up the recruiting board recently. Bethel has good speed and good talent, but I’m not fully sold on him as a take just yet. A strong HSFB season would go a long way in my view of Bethel. But, I think he’s the clear #2 (at best) behind Campbell on the CB board for Miami right now.

Plantation (FL) American Heritage 5-star Patrick Surtain Jr. released a top 6 without Miami on it. Unless one of the biggest surprises in recent recruiting history happens, Surtain Jr. is most assuredly headed somewhere other than Miami.

Miami is reportedly also recruiting West Palm Beach (FL) Oxbridge Academy 3-star Keidron Smith at CB. He doesn’t have an offer at current, but was in attendance for the Miami-GT game recently. Smith has said that while Miami likes him, they’re trying to find a spot for him in this class. Without an offer at this point, that tells me that Smith is one of if not the top backup plan options at CB should Miami miss on Tyson Campbell.

Safety

Miami looks to be settling in on a S group of Gurvan Hall and Josh Jobe, and setting their sights on landing another premium CB as the 6th DB in this class.

Though he’s committed to Auburn, Miami has reportedly circled back to contact previous target Jensen Beach (FL) 3-star S Jamien Sherwood. Miami is trying to get Sherwood down for a visit, but that may or may not happen. We’ll see if movement happens here, but at current Sherwood is solid in his pledge to Auburn.

Now, the focus is going to be on keeping Hall and Jobe in this class. Miami is going to have to battle a host of schools who are trying to flip each of these talented players away from the Canes. But, with many schools chasing after each player, Miami will have work to do to keep them in this class. No, I’m not preaching doom and gloom, I’m simply stating the fact of the situation. I believe Miami will be able to keep both players committed, but it won’t be without plenty of work.

Special Teams

Need: 1

Committed: 1

Miami has arguably the best kicker in America in this class in Pasadena (TX) Memorial K Bubba Baxa. Baxa committed to the Canes back at the end of May, had elite performances at every camp and competition he attended this summer, and is having a great senior season.

Miami needs a kicker. Miami has arguably the best kicker in America committed in this class.

Seems like a job well done in recruiting kickers, if you ask me.


And that, my friends, is that. Hope you enjoyed the fourth installment of the Class Breakdown for the 2018 recruiting cycle. Not really a ton of movement, as the focus is more on keeping this commit group together than adding players to the class immediately.

As always, hop in the comments and keep the conversation going.

Go Canes