Miami lands elite South Florida defensive lineman. Cristobal pumped. Canes news here
Good day to all! (AND KEEP READING BELOW JACURRI FOR UPDATES ALL DAY!)
Miami has its quarterback of the future, and he’s a gifted one for the UM signing class of 2022.
7:55 a.m. The Hurricanes have welcomed four-star, dual-threat standout Jacurri Brown of Valdosta Georgia’s Lowndes High School to the Canes family. Brown becomes the first official UM signee of this early signing period.
QB (dual threat) Jacurri Brown, 6-4, 205, Valdosta, Georgia
Other suitors: Arizona State, Auburn, Florida, Virginia Tech, Cincinnati
247Sports composite: 4 stars, 286 national, 21 position, 26 state
Rivals: 3 stars, unranked national, 5 position, 37 state
ESPN: 4 stars, 152 national, 6 position, 15 state
Miami got its quarterback early in the cycle and hung on to him all the way, even after former offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee left for SMU last month and former coach Manny Diaz got fired Dec. 6.
Coach Mario Cristobal called him shortly after he officially became the coach later in the day, which assuaged Brown’s concerns the new regime wouldn’t want him. Of course Cristobal would, though: The Elite 11 finalist had a monster senior season, going 136 of 242 for 2,165 yards, 23 touchdowns and three interceptions, and running for 882 yards and 10 touchdowns on 174 carries, plus one catch for 21 yards.
The four-star quarterback even had an interception to seal a playoff win for Lowndes last month. At Miami, he’ll get to sit behind fellow quarterbacks Tyler Van Dyke and Jake Garcia, and develop as the Hurricanes hope he’ll become one of the most dynamic dual-threat weapons in the country.
Here’s the story I wrote on Brown for today’s Miami Herald. Nice (and talented) young man, and he’s ready to come in as an early enrollee in January.
Cristobal has certainly generated enough hope to fuel fans toward 2022. And the energetic coach must be feeling it, as he posted a GIF of a swirling hurricane, something Canes fans have seen in the past when good news was on the horizon.
Cristobal, who was named the UM coach Dec. 6, has basically had a week to try to secure the commits he knows are vital —and there were only seven of them when the clock struck 7 a.m. today for the start of signing day. At about 1 p.m. the Canes added a new signee who hadn’t been committed, cornerback Jaden Harris.
Here they come, Canes fans
1 p.m. Three-star CB Jaden Harris, 6-0, 180, Atlanta Riverwood, just chose Miami over finalists Georgia Tech, Missouri and Kansas State. He is the first new addition to UM’s class on the opening day of the early signing period. He was not previously committed to the Canes.
Other suitors: Georgia Tech, Missouri, Kansas State, Michigan State
Harris came down to Miami for the weekend of Dec. 3 — the last official visit weekend hosted by former coach Manny Diaz — and new coach Mario Cristobal and Diaz’s remaining staff did enough to keep in touch with the corner to get him into the class. Harris had 10 tackles and one interception as a senior, and also played some running back at Riverwood, running for 209 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries, plus eight catches for another 126 yards.
Harris is the No. 84 corner in the 247Sports composite rankings for the class of 2022.
12:16 p.m. Cornerback Khamauri Rogers of Lexington (Mississippi) Holmes County Central is now a Hurricane. He’s rehabbing from an ACL tear, but he’s a consensus four-star talent who quarterbacks tend to steer clear of while they’re scanning the field.
DB (CB) Khamauri Rogers, 6-0, 165, Lexington (Mississippi) Holmes County Central
Other suitors: Arizona State, Georgia Tech, LSU, Mississippi, Miss State, Tennessee
247Sports composite: 4 stars, 103 national, 14 position, 3 state
Rivals: 4 stars, 146 national, 16 position, 4 state
ESPN: 4 stars, 41 national, 6 position, 3 state
An injury cut short Rogers’ senior season at Holmes County, but he had already established himself as one of the most polished cornerbacks in the country before he tore his right anterior cruciate ligament in September. The elite corner was targeted only five times as a junior, and had two pass break-ups and two interceptions, both of which he returned for touchdowns. He’s an Under Armour All-American and, with a slender frame, he has plenty of room left for development, too. He listened to other suitors in the last few weeks, but ultimately shut down his recruitment after visiting Miami over the weekend to spend time around new coach Mario Cristobal.
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10:11 a.m The Canes got their first South Florida star on early signing day, and he’s a great one at a position in need. Four-star linebacker Wesley Bissainthe of Miami Central just inked his letter of intent and is heading to the U.
Think Cristobal is psyched? We do.
LB Wesley Bissainthe, 6-1, 201, Miami Central
Other suitors: Alabama, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, FSU, Penn State
247Sports composite: 4 stars, 169 national, 16 position, 21 state
Rivals: 4 stars, 169 national, 11 position, 23 state
ESPN: 4 stars, 189 national, 20 position, 23 state
Bissainthe has been a star for Miami-Dade County’s preeminent powerhouse since his sophomore year and he’ll have a chance to win a third straight state title Friday when Central plays in the Class 5A championship at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
The four-star linebacker was a first-team all-county selection by the Miami Herald as both a sophomore and junior, and won the Warren Henry Award as the Miami-Dade County Player of the Year as a senior. He was a priority for the Hurricanes to keep home, especially given Miami’s need at linebacker, and they were able to secure his commitment Dec. 4, even as former coach Manny Diaz was on the brink of being fired.
He’s the top-ranked player from Miami-Dade County signing this week, the county’s No. 2 player overall and the No. 1 linebacker in Florida for the Class of 2022.
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We interrupt this blog with a message from UM linebacker Corey Flagg Jr.
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FLIP ALERT: Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, he of prolific tweets, stole one away from Miami today — though I was told previously the Canes weren’t really expecting him. Huge (6-7, 275-pound) three-star offensive tackle Falentha Carswell of Sandersville (Georgia) Washington County High had been committed to UM, but signed with Mississippi.
Carswell did not visit UM this past weekend with the other committed guys.
Here’s Kiffin’s “Merry #Flipmas’’ post on Twitter:
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9:02 a.m. Miami Hurricanes football announces signing of 6-1, 170-pound defensive back Markeith Williams, out of Orlando Evans High School.
DB (S) Markeith Williams, 6-1, 170, Orlando Evans
Other suitors: Alabama, Nebraska, Boston College, Florida, FSU, Ohio State
247Sports composite: 4 stars, 290 national, 25 position, 34 state
Rivals: 3 stars, unranked national, 34 position, 59 state
ESPN: 4 stars, 236 national, 18 position, 32 state
Miami keeps reeling in blue-chip safeties and Williams is the latest, bringing the Hurricanes the combination of ball hawking and hard hitting they always covet. Williams, who has been orally committed to Miami since August, finished his senior season with 60 tackles, nine passes defended and a fumble recovery.
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8:40 a.m. The Canes announce the signing of 6-3, 185-pound Murfreesboro (Tennessee) Oakland High wideout Isaiah Horton. Tyler Van Dyke and company have another four-star target to love.
WR Isaiah Horton, 6-3, 185, Murfreesboro (Tennessee) Oakland
Other suitors: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, FSU, Mississippi, Illinois
247Sports composite: 4 stars, 275 national, 42 position, 7 state
Rivals: 3 stars, unranked national, 85 position, 22 state
ESPN: 4 stars, 272 national, 39 position, 6 state
Horton started getting scholarship offers before he even started high school, but it took him a few years to actually start living up to the potential coaches saw. Once things clicked, he became one of the best wide receivers in the country, racking up 75 catches for 1,375 yards and 14 touchdowns across a pair of undefeated seasons at Oakland.
As a senior, the four-star wideout had 41 catches for 732 yards and seven touchdowns, and helped the Patriots win a second straight state title. He orally committed to Miami in July largely because of Rob Likens and decided to stick with the Hurricanes even despite the uncertainty around the wide receivers coach’s future.
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8:18 a.m. UM gets its second signee in defensive back/athlete, “playmaker’’ (as the Hurricanes just called him) Chris Graves of Fort Myers Bishop Verot.
DB/Athlete Chris Graves, 6-1, 175, Fort Myers Bishop Verot
Other suitors: Mississippi, Virginia Tech, South Carolina, East Carolina, FSU, Minnesota
247Sports composite: 4 stars, 224 national, 9 position, 25 state
Rivals: 4 stars, unranked national, 37 position, 49 state
ESPN: 4 stars, unranked national, 30 position, 60 state
For the second straight year, Miami lands a dynamic two-way athlete from Bishop Verot and hopes to develop him as a long, speedy cornerback. As a wide receiver, Graves had 32 catches for 535 yards and six touchdowns in just seven games, and he added two interceptions, five passes defended, a forced fumble and two blocked kicks as a defensive back.
Graves, who models his game after Carolina Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn, orally committed to the Hurricanes in July in large part because of defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson, who coached Horn with the South Carolina Gamecocks. Graves flirted with other suitors in the last few weeks, but ultimately shut down his recruitment when he took a second official visit to Miami over the weekend to spend time around new coach Mario Cristobal.
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2:58 p.m. Cristobal finally made the signing-day splash South Florida was waiting on, beating out Florida State to land four-star Dillard defensive lineman Nyjalik Kelly.
This was the No. 1 guy Cristobal was targeting in the nine days since Miami hired him and he came through.
DE Nyjalik Kelly, 6-4, 240, Fort Lauderdale Dillard
Other suitors: Florida State, Oregon, LSU, Indiana
247Sports composite: 4 stars, 84 national, 13 position, 12 state
Rivals: 4 stars, 86 national, 8 position, 14 state
ESPN: 4 stars, 119 national, 12 position, 12 state
Kelly has been one of the most dominant pass rushers in South Florida in the last two years, guiding Dillard to a tri-county championship last year and 10 wins this season. He was originally orally committed to the Florida State Seminoles last year before decommitting in April as Miami and the Oregon Ducks both pushed for him. The Hurricanes brought him in for a number of unofficial visit in the last month when former coach Manny Diaz at the helm and new coach Mario Cristobal -- who had Oregon in good position before he left Eugene for Coral Gables on Dec. 6 -- sealed the deal by bringing him to campus for an official visit over the weekend. It’s the biggest recruiting coup for Cristobal at Miami, as Kelly had 58 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and 12 sacks in 12 games as a senior. The All-American is now the highest-ranked South Florida player in the Hurricanes’ Class of 2022.
This story was originally published December 15, 2021 at 8:12 AM.
