In this installment of The Recruit Notebook, we meet a player who will work to add depth and leadership to Miami’s secondary: S Brian Balom.

Bio

When I used to teach at Miramar High School, we transitioned to having a study hall every other day starting with the 2017-18 school year. It was then that I met Brian Balom (BAY-lum). I had previously taught his brother in a Music Appreciation class a few years prior, so I had a preconceived notion for what I was in for with Brian in my study hall group.

From day one, he exceeded my expectations.

An International Baccalaureate (IB) student, Balom carries a near (or above) 5.0 GPA in one of the most rigorous courses of study a student can take. He is a studious individual whose focus and attention to detail are second to none. These are but some of the traits that I believe have made and will make him a successful football player.

Brian made no secret of the fact that he wanted to play football at the University of Miami. When I introduced myself to my class, he perked up when I said I graduated from The U. Even as a sophomore, his focus was clear: he was going to do whatever it took to earn a scholarship to play football at the University of Miami. And he went about the business of work necessary to get there.

On the field, Balom began to make a name for himself as a sophomore. The talented Safety was seen all over the field making plays, and also pushing his fellow teammates to reach for greatness on every snap.

After his junior season, like many players, Balom started to garner new scholarship offers. Teams like Utah and Georgia State, and West Virginia (IDK if you know this, but Miramar HS has sent PLENTY of their alumni to Morgantown to play for the Mountaineers) extended bids to the talented Safety. But he was still pushing for the offer he most greatly desired: Miami.

As is standard for many HS programs, Miramar attended several team camps at Miami. And Balom was there every time, doing his best to play well and catch the eye of Miami’s coaching staff. At the 2nd team camp he did just that, and Miami extended a scholarship offer on June 22nd.

After that, things were in a bit of a holding pattern for Balom and Miami. The Canes were focusing on other players at Safety, and debating whether Balom would be “a take” in this class. During that time of consideration, Balom got even more scholarhip offers — Louisville and Indiana — and took his first official visit, to Louisville.

Upon his return from his Louisville OV, Miami S coach Ephraim Banda met with Balom, and then Balom came down to Miami for yet another unofficial visit just one week removed from his trip to Louisville. After some quick consideration, Balom committed to Miami on September 25th, putting him one step closer to fulfilling his childhood dream of playing for the hometown Hurricanes.

Recruiting Ranking

On the 247sports composite, Balom is a 3-star prospect, the #57 S nationally in this class, #113in the State of Florida, and #820 recruit overall.

Balom committed to Miami over offers from Louisville, Air Force, Indiana, and West Virginia from his list of 18 scholarship offers.

As a player

At 6’0” 180lbs, Balom has decent size for a Safety. He could probably stand to gain a few pounds, but he’s a college sized player already. He’ll spend time developing his body at Miami, but it’s not like he’s 20-30lbs too light for his position.

The first thing that you notice when you watch Balom’s HLs is that he loves contact. Whether it is an RB getting to the 2nd/3rd level or a receiver running down the middle of the field, Balom delights in throwing his body around to make them feel his presence. This will only become more impactful as Balom further develops his body in the future.

Balom is a good, but not great, athlete. He’s been timed at 4.63 in the 40 yard dash and 4.34 in the short shuttle, with a 32.5 inch vertical. With average athleticism, he’ll need to rely on his football IQ and film study to help him play to the top end of his athletic potential.

As I noted in the Bio above, Balom is a very intelligent person. That intellect results in great instincts on the field, and the ability to understand the game and film breakdowns very well. Those are traits that will lend themselves for future success.

Strengths

• Intelligent player/person
• Loves contact
• Understands game/assignments intricately

Weaknessees

• Average athlete
• Could use physical/muscular development

2020 Outlook

Miami needs depth in the secondary, but the Safety position is one with relatively strong depth. With that being the case, there’s no need to rush Balom onto the field, unless he wow’s everybody when he enrolls at UM.

Chances for a Redshirt: 10/10

Balom will be a good program player. He should work his way into a rotation role 2 or 3 years down the line. To start with, I think his average athleticism will be something that keeps him from earning his way on the field, so a RS to develop physically makes the most sense for his future development.

That’s it for this installment of the Recruiting Notebook.

Go Canes