Welcome back to our Recruiting Radar! We’re here to talk about Canes crootin’, a topic which will be in full swing this weekend as the Miami Hurricanes take on the rival Florida State Seminoles. While Coach Mark Richt and company usually like to host official visits after the regular season, several premium players in the 2019 class are coming in for their OV’s this weekend. And, there’s a BUNCH of underclassmen who are going to be in attendance on Saturday evening, too.

Enough preamble. Let’s get into the visit preview.

Official Visitors

5-star WR Jadon Haselwood. The nation’s #1 WR prospect and #3 player overall in the 2019 recruiting class, Haselwood is as elite as elite gets. The Ellenwood (GA) Cedar Grove star had been committed to Georgia for nearly 17 months, and said in an interview last week that his commitment to the Dawgs was solid. That was proven to be false on Tuesday night when Haselwood decommitted from the Dawgs, just days before his OV to Miami.

Miami has been steadfast in their recruitment of Haselwood, even when he was committed to Georgia. WR coach Ron Dugans was able to convince the 6’3” 195lb Haselwood to visit campus twice previously: once in May, and once in July for Miami’s premier recruiting event: Paradise Camp. Now, Haselwood is an uncommitted player, taking his 3rd visit to Coral Gables this year, and Miami seems to have all the momentum in their pursuit of this elite player.

Auburn is another team to watch for Haselwood, as he’s taken an OV there previously. So too is Oklahoma, where his father played CFB back in the 90s. But, as of now, Miami is in a prime position to make a big move with one of the best players in the country. Game on.

4-star DE JJ Weaver. A South Florida native who moved to Louisville, KY a few years ago, Weaver is talented defender Miami is pursuing hard for this class. For his part, Weaver seems excited to return to SoFLA for his visit weekend.

The 6’6” 240lb Weaver stars for Louisville (KY) Moore School, and has all the tools to be an impact player at the college level. Miami is after Weaver, along with 4-stars Khris Bogle and Lloyd Summerall at DE, with the hopes being that they get 2 of those 3 to join DE commits 4-star Jahfari Harvey and 3-star Cam Williams in this class. With Weaver coming to Miami-FSU this weekend on an Official Visit, the Canes clearly are looking to make a big move here and put themselves in position to get Weaver’s commitment when he announces in early November.

3-star OL Kingsley Eguakun. The only Miami commit making an OV this week, Eguakun is a player that Miami has recently found themselves in a battle to keep in this class. Eguakun recently took an OV to Auburn, and the Tigers seem to have positioned themselves to flip the Jacksonville (FL) Sandalwood star away from the Canes.

Miami isn’t going down without a fight, however. Coaches visited Eguakun in the immediate aftermath of his Auburn OV, and they made the move to bring him in this week for his Canes OV, too. This is a situation worth watching, and if Eguakun does indeed flip, it won’t be for lack of trying on Miami’s part.

3-star OL Darius Washington. Speaking of flips, Miami is trying to pull one of their own off this weekend. The Pensacola, FL native Washington is committed to Mississippi State but Miami is in hot pursuit.

At 6’4” 285lbs with plenty of length, Washington profiles as a pure tackle prospect to Miami. For a team that desperately needs Offensive Tackles on their roster, Miami is smart to chase after Washington, who has been in communication with the Canes for several months. A strong OV this weekend will be needed to make headway here.

Unofficial Visitors

In addition to Haselwood, Weaver, Eguakun, and Washington, Miami is going to have a TON of elite talent on hand for unofficial visits this week. And that makes sense. Hosting Florida State is the biggest home game of the year for Miami (it’s the biggest regular season game every year), so leveraging that to connect with premium players in the current and future recruiting classes is a good thing.

2019 visitors

• The majority of Miami’s current 2019 commits will be in attendance this weekend. Here’s the list: 4-star WR Jeremiah Payton, 4-star LB Avery Huff, 4-star LB Anthony Solomon, 4-star DE Jahfari Harvey, 4-star CB Te’Cory Couch, 4-star OT Michael Tarquin, 4-star S Keontra Smith, 3-star DE Cam Williams, 3-star TE Larry Hodges, 3-star LB Sam Brooks, 3-star CB Jarvis Brownlee, 3-star DT Jalar Holley.
• 5-star CB Akeem Dent. A one-time Miami commit, Dent is committed to Florida State. But, Alabama and Miami are in hot pursuit.
• 4-star DE Khris Bogle. One of Miami’s top targets at DE. He’s hinted that he may have arrived at or be near a decision. And, after cancelling a visit to Tennessee recently, Miami is in a good spot with Bogle, who is making his 3rd visit for a game this season...but recruiting is weird so don’t count anything as done, yet.
• 4-star DE Braylen Ingraham. Another of Miami’s top DL targets, Ingraham will visit Hard Rock Stadium a week after taking an official visit to Alabama. With a commitment date of October 23rd, his mother’s birthday, coming up soon, Miami will look to make headway with this talented player who projects as a DT at the college level.
• 4-star ATH Mark-Antony Richards. The younger brother of Canes WR Ahmmon Richards, Mark-Antony is a multi-talented athlete the Canes obviously want in the fold. MAR desires to play offense, but I think he’s better at defense. Miami would be smart to get him on the roster and figure his position out later. Auburn is the biggest competition right now.
• 4-star RB Kenny McIntosh. The younger brother of former Canes DT RJ McIntosh, Kenny is a big back at 6’1” 210lbs. Some thing he may be better suited for a H-back or WR role, but that remains to be seen. Once thought to be a near-lock to sign with Miami, Oklahoma has made a big move with McIntosh over the past few months, as has Auburn to a lesser extent.
• 4-star DB Tyrique Stevenson. One of Miami’s biggest targets, Stevenson will be in attendance this weekend as well. Miami needs top end DBs in this class, and there are few players of Stevenson’s built (6’0” 190lbs) and caliber. This is a big visit, and Stevenson’s 4th trip to campus or HRS in the last 4 weeks.
• 4-star S Jordan Battle. The Ohio State commit will be in attendance as well. Miami has reached out to Battle, and previously brought him in for an OV this summer. Should he desire to flip from OSU, Miami would take Battle in a heartbeat.
• 4-star WR TJ Jones. A blazing fast player from Lake City (FL) Columbia HS, Jones is a potential target for the Canes, pending things with Haselwood. Jones has previously camped at Miami and holds an offer, so he’s a known commodity, even if his name isn’t as recognizable as others this year.
• 3-star OL Maurice Smith. This Miami (FL) Central standout is committed to Boston College, and could be a prime candidate for an offer and flip if Eguakun flips from Miami to Auburn. A name to know moving forward.
• 3-star DB Cornelius Nunn. This Syracuse recruit seemed days away from a flip previously, but has slowed down his process. Miami has visited him a few times this year, and with Nunn showing above average athleticism and skill this year, he could be a major candidate for a spot in this class.

This visitors list is LOADED, and this is just the top tier names. There are sure to be more players in attendance, and even future superstars who are currently playing optimist youth football (i.e. current elementary and middle school students).

Miami has the stage set for a huge recruiting weekend, one that has been noted by national recruiting analysts from 247sports and Rivals, among others. It will be interesting to see how Saturday’s game affects recruiting, but winning is good, and Miami’s been doing a lot of that, so things should be going in a good direction anyway.

Last thing: the standard over/under poll for a visit weekend. Vote away.

That’s it.

TIME TO GO BEAT FSU!!!!!

Go Canes