The Miami Hurricanes got some bad recruiting news on Thursday afternoon when Miami (FL) Booker T. Washington 2021 5-star DE Donell Harris decommitted from the hometown Canes.

One of the foundational pieces of Miami’s top-ranked 2021 recruiting class, Harris is as elite as elite gets. So, yeah, the move for him to open things up and decommit from Miami isn’t great from a Canes perspective.

Obviously, with a player of Harris’s ability, and the school he attends — a school from which Miami has had very strong recruiting success historically —it stands to reason that Miami will continue to push for Harris’s next (and hopefully final) commitment.

The other piece of info from the above-embedded note that’s worth discussing is the fact that Harris has reclassified from the 2021 recruiting class, to now be in the 2020 or current year recruiting class. Reclassification is far more prevalent in the world of basketball recruiting but there are instances of this in football, as well. Recent Miami RB Mark Walton reclassified from the 2016 to 2015 recruiting class prior to enrolling at Miami. Walton also attended Booker T. Washington for HS, so there’s a connection on that level, as well.

Regardless of the year he would be coming to college, Harris is a player at the top of Miami’s board, and one that the Canes, as well as nearly every powerhouse P5 program in the country, will recruit tirelessly until he makes his final decision and signs an NLI.

Miami’s 2021 recruiting class is still the top-ranked group in the country, even without Harris. And the 2020 class, where Harris would now fit since he’s reclassified, is currently ranked 4th. Either way, there’s work to be done, both in recruiting Harris back to Miami, and to add Miami-caliber talent to the class of either year.

We respect decisions around here, and this one is no different. We wish Donell Harris the best in his future endeavors, and hope he, like many others before him, chooses to recommit to Miami when things are said and done.

Go Canes