What’s next for Miami recruiting? A look at potential targets for National Signing Day.
The early signing period is in the books for the Miami Hurricanes and Miami will take a top-20 class into the new year, according to the 247Sports.com composite rankings.
With two national signing days now, the Hurricanes still have time to finish strong after a disappointing finish heading into the early signing dates. Here’s how it can happen:
What are the needs?
Based on their signing-day misses and conversations with coaches, the Hurricanes have made it clear there are a few position groups they would like to add to by National Signing Day. Miami has room to take 25 players in its Class of 2020 and, assuming orally committed defensive tackle Willie Moise signs on Signing Day, it means there are six open spots, although transfers would potentially eat into those numbers.
Coach Manny Diaz said the Hurricanes will be active on the transfer market to find an offensive lineman, and Miami would also like to add an incoming freshman to its line. The secondary is another position group which should get some additions, as cornerbacks coach Mike Rumph and safeties coach Ephraim Banda both said they would still like to add another player at their positions.
The best educated guess for those final six spots: two offensive linemen, one cornerback, one safety, one receiver and one linebacker. Obviously, plans can change, and defensive coordinator Blake Baker said Miami doesn’t feel the need to reach for a linebacker, but the Hurricanes did target a pair of blue-chip outside linebackers in the final month and both wound up elsewhere. Those last two spots could wind up as a sort of best-available move.
Who are the targets?
The next Miami-related decision to come will be early next month at the Under Armour All-America Game. Five-star athlete Darnell Washington is slated to make his commitment public in Orlando, and the Hurricanes are in the top five for the senior from Desert Pines in Las Vegas. Washington, who projects as a tight end, also took official visits with the Florida Gators, Georgia Bulldogs, Alabama Crimson Tide and Tennessee Volunteers.
Miami’s two other top targets heading into the new year are a pair of defensive backs, both of whom were previously committed to the Hurricanes. Four-star safety Avantae Williams newly reopened his recruiting Dec. 11 by decommitting from the Oregon Ducks, and Miami should be in the hunt for the elite prospect from DeLand, who is a cousin of running back Lorenzo Lingard and spent more than a year committed to the Hurricanes from 2017 to 2018. Florida, Georgia and the Mississippi Rebels will all be in the hunt for the senior, too, and Williams already has an official visit lined up for Gainesville next month.
Miami’s other major target is a Mississippi commit. Three-star cornerback Daran Branch orally committed to the Hurricanes in March, then flipped to Ole Miss in November to stay closer to home. The senior from Amite in Louisiana, however, didn’t sign a national letter of intent Wednesday following the Rebels’ coaching change, and he plans to take an official visit to Coral Gables next year.
Who are the unsigned in-state players?
Fifty-four of the 61 four- and five-star players from Florida signed NLIs on Wednesday, which means there are still seven blue-chip prospects unsigned. One is committed to Miami, one is committed to the Florida State Seminoles and two are committed to the Gators. Five of the seven are from South Florida, which means there could be some opportunities to add on without leaving the state. A quick look at the seven, all of whom are four-star prospects:
▪ Xzavier Henderson, wide receiver, Miami Columbus: After he helped lead the Explorers to the Class 8A championship, Henderson will make a decision at the All-American Bowl next month. Georgia, Alabama, the Gators and the Clemson Tigers are all in the hunt The Hurricanes will miss out on this local receiver after recruiting him early on.
▪ Avantae Williams, safety, DeLand: As laid out earlier, Williams is Miami’s best chance to add a new in-state blue-chip prospect by National Signing Day.
▪ Malachi Wideman, wide receiver, Venice: Wideman has been committed to Florida State since May, but opted not to sign after the Seminoles’ recent coaching change. The Hurricanes were in contact with the receiver in the fall, and he could potentially become a more serious target.
▪ Leonard Manuel, wide receiver, Fort Lauderdale Stranahan: Like Williams, Manuel was also committed to Miami from 2017 to 2018, but he has been committed to Florida since January. The Hurricanes probably won’t get involved again.
▪ Marc Britt, athlete, Miami Christian: Britt was also committed to Miami from 2017 to 2018 and visited a few times in the spring, but contact fizzled out in the fall and Britt, who projects as a wide receiver, committed to the Gators in November.
▪ Henry Parrish, running back, Columbus: The Hurricanes simply don’t need Parrish after signing four-star running backs Donald Chaney Jr. and Jaylan Knighton in the early signing period. Florida, Ole Miss and the South Carolina Gamecocks are all involved.
▪ Willie Moise, defensive tackle, Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna: Moise has been committed to Miami since 2018 and hasn’t visited anywhere else since the spring. The Auburn Tigers are the biggest threat to flip the defensive lineman.
What are the other options?
Defensive line isn’t a major need for the Hurricanes, but there are a few other in-state players Miami has been involved with up front. Westley Neal, a three-star defensive tackle from Miami Gulliver Prep, visited the Hurricanes a few times in the spring and is a four-star prospect in the Rivals.com rankings. Miami should be able to add him to the class if it wants. The same could be true for Jamari Stewart, a three-star defensive end from Port St. Lucie Centennial, after he was a target in the winter. Both are most dealing with lower-profile suitors like the Indiana Hoosiers.
At offensive line, the Hurricanes recently offered Phillip Wilder, an off-the-radar prospect, albeit one who is picking up interest from Power 5 Conference programs. Miami joined the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Maryland Terrapins in offering the unranked tackle from Mount Zion in Jonesboro, Georgia, earlier this month. The Hurricanes also began recruiting Alex Atcavage, a three-star guard from Bradenton IMG Academy, once Florida State fired former coach Willie Taggart, and the offensive lineman decommitted from the Seminoles on Sunday.
There are no obvious backup plans yet at linebacker and defensive back, but a handful of players who hold Miami offers didn’t sign Wednesday, including three-star Hollywood McArthur safety Jerrold Pough, three-star Tampa Chamberlain outside linebacker Johnny Walker and Edgerrin Cooper, a four-star outside linebacker from Covington in Louisiana.
This story was originally published December 19, 2019 at 1:25 PM.
