Miami Hurricanes Recruiting: Paradise Camp 2019 Preview

For the first time as head coach of the Miami Hurricanes, Manny Diaz is set to host Paradise Camp.

Created by former head coach Mark Richt in 2016, Paradise Camp has turned into one of the premier recruiting camps in the country. While the event is usually hosted in July, the NCAA Dead Period has forced the event to be moved up to the end of June (right before the beginning of the period).

The Schedule:

While the schedule looks to remain similar to other years, one significant change coming from Manny Diaz is moving Friday’s event to Hard Rock Stadium instead of holding it on campus. While Friday is still going to be about building relationships, which is always critical when recruiting, it does mean we likely won’t see Diaz do a backflip off the high dive.

Saturday’s competition is invite only and features elite competition. In fact, it features some of the best competition in the nation and is one of the premier recruiting camps. The event will be held at the Carol Soffer Football Practice Facility for the first time.

The guests:

Like every year, Paradise Camp not only features some top competition on the field but some polarizing names to help coach and speak to them. This year’s list features some of the top former Hurricanes at their respective positions.

The names:

As you can see, the list of coaches is insane and filled with not only great college players but some amazing NFL talents as well.

Michael Irvin has a bust in Canton and players like Bryant McKinnie, Jeremy Shockey and Santana Moss carved out terrific NFL career for themselves.

The list also has some current ProCanes that have found a home for themselves. Lamar Miller and David Njoku are both starting on the Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns respectively and the Hurricanes all-time leading rusher Duke Johnson is currently in Cleveland as well.

Attendees:

The most important part of the event, the recruits that will travel to Coral Gables is filled with talent.

Of the 2020 recruits, two of them have been brought in for official visits: defensive back Keshawn Lawrence and wide receiver Dazalin Worsham.

Ranked as the third safety in the class, Washington is the cousin of former Hurricane cornerback Corn Elder, who played from 2013 to 2016. Miami is currently battling with Tennessee for his services.

As a prospect, Lawrence’s versatility makes him an intriguing prospect for the Hurricanes. While Lawrence will likely play safety at the college level, he has the size to play linebacker and has experience playing cornerback.

Worsham, who committed to Alabama in April of 2018, is ranked as the 11th best prospect in Alabama. The Dan Enos link makes Worsham a flip candidate this weekend and onwards for the Hurricanes.

Currently, 15 of the seniors attending Paradise Camp are current Canes commits. The list includes Don Chaney Jr., a five-star commit, who could play the role of vocal leader at Paradise Camp.

Here are some Seniors that the Canes will likely be tracking closely come Saturday:

• WR Bryan Robinson: A recent decommitment from the Hurricanes, Robinson is an Under Armour All-American that will have a strong season for Palm Beach Central. The Hurricanes will have to fend off interest from Florida State if they wish to get a recommitment from Robinson.
• TE Darnell Washington: Getting any five-star on campus is a plus, especially if you can get them there for your recruiting camp. Miami has recruited the Las Vegas tight end scene well in previous years (Brevin Jordan) and will try to use that magic and the tight ends alumni who will return to campus to their advantage.
• S Ladarius Tennison: One of the best safeties in the country, Tennison used to be committed to the Canes before, like Robinson, he decommitted.
• DT Westley Neal: Neal has attended the last three Paradise Camps and is a good fit as a 0-tech (or nose tackle) in a 3-4 defense with his size.
• DE Jaylen Harrell: Defensive coordinator Blake Baker visited Harrell in late April and Harrell was on campus in March for Junior Day. Harrell holds offers from some of the top schools in the nation.
• CBs Keshawn Lawrence: Mentioned earlier as one of two guys coming in on an official visit, the Hurricanes seem to have a lot of interest in the versatile defensive back.
• OG Khristopher Love: Love camped last weekend at Miami and reportedly impressed. The cycle will likely feature one more interior offensive line and with a strong Paradise Camp, Love could be the one.

The list of underclassmen is headlined by 2021 DE Donnell Harris. Harris decommitted from the Hurricanes earlier this month but the Hurricanes still appear to be in the race for one of the best defensive ends in the class. The Hurricanes are likely battling with Florida State for Harris.

As a sophomore, Harris had 21 sacks and was named a first-team All-Dade selection by the Miami Herald. Harris has a lot of bend as a pass rusher with great instincts and football IQ. Harris looks best as a stand-up linebacker in a 3-4 defense.

2021 S James Williams should also be a top target for the Hurricanes. A local 5-star recruit, Williams has all the size and speed you’d like out of a safety and looks comfortable playing zone. If Miami can keep him home, it’s a major benefit to the Hurricanes.

2021 DT Leonard Taylor has had interest from the Hurricanes in the past and visited the campus on an unofficial in April. Taylor transferred to Miami Palmetto for his junior season and will likely gather more interest from the Hurricanes.

Yulkeith Brown (2021 WR) has had some strong interest from the Canes in the past few months, including a visit from Ephraim Banda in May. He attended a Hurricanes camp earlier this month. Keep an eye on him.

Santino Marucci (2021 QB) is a legacy. His father, Jason Marucci was a running back for the Hurricanes from 1990 to 1992. Santino Marucci is an interesting prospect himself. The rising prospect threw for 18 touchdowns and ran for 7. His performance helped Benjamin make the play-offs, where they were quickly defeated by American Heritage-Delray.

Keep an eye on Gaethan Bernadel and Malik Rutherford. The three have had some interest from the Canes previously and a strong camp could see increased interest.

Overall, the talent attending this year’s Paradise Camp is stacked, no other way around it. Not often do you see two five-star recruits and one of the best underclassmen recruits at the same recruiting event, on your campus.