In this installment of The Recruiting Notebook, we meet a dynamic WR with size, speed, and skill and the ability to elevate the performance of an offense the moment he steps on the field: Miami (FL) Northwestern WR Romello Brinson.

Bio

Miami has had some well-chronicled struggles in the passing game over the last few years, and getting top local WRs to sign with the program over the same period of time. To address both issues, the Canes targeted Brinson, a standout at powerhouse Miami (FL) Northwestern.

At 6’2” 180lbs, Brinson has prototypical size for a receiver. And, in his first 3 years of HS at The West, Brinson helped the legendary Bulls program win 3 State Championships. It was during this run of titles that Brinson began to make a name for himself as a high level recruit.

Like many Northwestern stars before him, Brinson began to have major playing time as a HS sophomore. That, along with several years of great 7v7 play in the spring and summer, put Brinson on the map as a name to know. And like previous standouts at Northwestern, a plethora of elite college programs began to take notice, and extend scholarship offers.

Miami had some tough competition, with Alabama, Georgia, Penn State, Louisville, and several other teams putting Brinson near or at the top of their recruiting boards. And, with the history of SoFLA WR’s going to, and excelling at, Alabama, the Crimson Tide were an formidable recruiting foe for the Canes here.

But, in the end, Brinson decided that staying home in Miami and helping get the Canes back toward the top of the CFB world was what he wanted to do, and he committed to Miami on June 13th (and used audio from a youtube stream show I regularly appear on as part of his commitment video! THAT WAS COOL!!!!!)

Recruiting Ranking

On the 247sports composite, Brinson is a 4-star prospect, the #25 WR nationally in this class, #21 in the State of Florida, and #138 recruit overall.

Brinson committed to Miami over offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, and Georgia from a stacked list of 32 scholarship offers from around the country.

As a Player

At 6’2” 180lbs, Brinson has the kind of size that is seldom found in Miami’s current WR room. He has the frame to add weight and keep his athleticism. Brinson is the prototypical “X” receiver, one who lines up on the line of scrimmage, deals with press coverage, and is the #1 target for his team.

On his highlight tape, Brinson shows a good range of routes run. So, he’s not some one trick pony who only relies on a single athletic trait for on-field success. As the X receiver, Brinson runs most routes in the route tree. He shows equal explosiveness on tunnel screens as he does on deep posts or go routes. Northwestern doesn’t usually send Brinson on intermediate routes, but he demonstrated success when they did. A 8 yard square-in on 3rd and 7 is still a first down, and that’s a play you expect Brinson to make as his team’s number 1 target. And he did time and time again.

Like many South Florida products, Brinson is fast. He’s not road runner on amphetamines fast, but he has enough speed to get deep and make plays for his team. I haven’t seen Brinson make many drops over the course of his career, but with that being a problem recently for Miami’s WRs, let’s just add that as an area for focus and development in the future for him as well.

Here’s another evaluation on Brinson by 247sports Southeast Recruiting Analyst Andrew Ivins:

A big target with long arms and a long stride. On the lighter side, but all of his 6-foot-2 listing. Squared off with multiple FBS corners as a junior and made plays. Shows good body control which allows him to adjust in the air and make difficult catches. A true deep threat on the outside that naturally tracks the ball down the field and uses reliable hands to secure big gains. Has a knack for breaking tackles and picking up yards after the catch. Comfortable taking a hit for someone with such a lean build. Fast, but not exactly quick as he has to build up speed. Must add weight in college and get stronger. Also needs to improve releases and overall route running. The type of wide receiver that could work his way into the rotation early on in his career given his desire to learn. Should develop into a Power 5 starter and then eventually into an NFL Draft pick given frame and movement patterns.

Miami Outlook

Note: changing this up from just a freshman-season outlook to a career outlook for each player.

As noted above — and I’m sure everyone reading this piece knows — Miami has been looking for improved performance from the WR group. There has been development through the 2020 season, but that will need to continue moving forward. Brinson will be a key to that future development, as he possesses a skillset and physical build that is unique to the collected group.

As Ivins noted above, Brinson is a player who could work his way into the rotation early on in his collegiate career. With only 2 other scholarship receivers of similar size (over 6ft tall), Brinson has the ability to offer a new dimension of height and length to the group. Brinson’s ability to get deep and use his height and length at the point of catch and hopefully will be a weapon for the Miami offense for years to come.

With so many 4-star/All-State/All-American type receivers on the roster — Miami has signed 6 such players in the previous 2 recruiting classes and has 3 more coming in this year — Brinson will have to work hard to earn his way on the field. But, he has a great chance to continue to be the focal point of the passing game at Miami such as he was at Northwestern if things continue along the same path for Brinson in college.

There’s plenty of competition in his own position room, but Brinson could develop into an All-Conference player as Miami’s #1 target. But, at a minimum, I expect him to grow into a starter on Miami’s roster, and everything else will go from there.

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

Go Canes