What Miami’s newest linebacker commit teaches us about UM’s changing recruiting approach

Look simply at the production Corey Flagg accounted for in his junior season for North Shore in Houston and it’s impossible not to view him as one of the best linebackers in the country. As the starting middle linebacker for an undefeated state champion, Flagg piled up 144 tackles, 33 tackles for loss, four sacks, five forced fumbles and four passes defended. He was the quarterback of the Mustangs’ defense, and his side-to-side quickness let him contribute to a Texas powerhouse as early as his sophomore year.

Look at his actual physical stature and questions start to arise. At The Opening Houston regional in March, Flagg measured in at 5-foot-10, 223 pounds and ran a 40-yard dash in an average 4.92 seconds. The 247Sports.com composite rankings have Flagg outside the top 100 prospects in Texas alone.

“With this day of recruiting and the way the recruiting sites are, everything’s about measurables. If the kid was 6-2-and-a-half as productive, he’d be a four-star linebacker, you know?” said Jon Kay, Flagg’s coach at North Shore in Houston. “As it is, he’s probably one of the most productive linebackers that we’ve had that’s played the middle for us.”

Still, he boasts an impressive list of scholarship offers, particularly among the Big 12 Conference. The Oklahoma State Cowboys were one of his biggest suitors, as were the Virginia Tech Hokies and Purdue Boilermakers, before Flagg spent last weekend in Coral Gables for an official visit with the Miami Hurricanes. By the time he left South Florida, Flagg was the newest member of Miami’s Class of 2020.

Flagg might be the best representation yet of a shifting recruiting style with coach Manny Diaz. With former coach Mark Richt in charge, the Hurricanes tried to do what they always do: dominate South Florida and only reach out of state to fill in the cracks or find a potential superstar such as tight end Brevin Jordan. While Flagg certainly helps fill a major need at linebacker, some physical limitations have kept him from bearing a “can’t-miss” label.

Flagg is only a three-star inside linebacker in the 247Sports.com composite rankings, but he’s the sort of prospect who gets underappreciated on a national scale despite a tremendous reputation locally. Miami has always found success pulling in the South Florida equivalents — defensive end Jonathan Garvin and cornerback DJ Ivey, for example, were both three-star prospects until late in the process. Now the Hurricanes have plucked the sort of prospect who draws rave reviews from local reporters and whose out-of-state commitment prompted at least one media outlet to write a column about Texas schools struggling to keep Houston’s best in state.

“We have to branch out, but we’re not going to branch out just to collect a name. We’re going to branch out and throw a net and try to catch the ones that really want to be at Miami,” co-defensive coordinator Ephraim Banda said Wednesday in Homestead. “We’re not going to just chase a star or a big-time recruit because that’s what you do to help your ratings.”

In this particular case, some of the coaches’ Texas ties certainly helped. Diaz was the Texas Longhorns’ for three seasons earlier this decade, and Banda and defensive coordinator were both graduate assistants on his staff. Linebackers coach Jonathan Patke is even a Houston native.

Realistically, Miami will probably never compete regularly with Texas and the rest of the powerhouses in the Big 12 Conference for the state’s top-ranked players, but the defensive staff is familiar enough with Texas to know where to look for the hidden gems.

“These weren’t guys that were coming in blind,” Kay said Wednesday. “I applaud them for just taking a great football player and not getting caught up in the rankings like we’ve seen so many schools do.”

Miami, clearly, is willing to overlook Flagg’s perceived flaws. Look no further than the current roster to understand why.

Linebackers Shaquille Quarterman and Michael Pinckney are coming up on their senior seasons, and both have started since Day 1 in Coral Gables. Both are listed at just 6-1 on the Hurricanes’ roster.

So far, Flagg has primarily been a middle linebacker, so the comparison to Quarterman became obvious throughout Miami’s courtship. The Hurricanes, however, also see Flagg as a potential option at weak-side linebacker as the lines blur between the positions as Miami has shifted to a two-linebacker alignment. Flagg, who is working to early enroll, feels like he can follow in their footsteps.

“They did talk to me about being similar to him, as well as Pinckney,” Flagg said Wednesday. “They did tell me that I’m similar to both of them and size really doesn’t matter, as you can tell.”

This story was originally published June 21, 2019 at 11:28 AM.