Master recruiter Cristobal closes huge gap, hauls in No. 15 class for Miami to lead state
Chances are no one on this side of the planet worked harder than Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal in trying to land Monsignor Pace defensive end Shemar Stewart right here in his backyard at the University of Miami — while also going full force recruiting other UM targets and scoping out prospective new coaches.
And though UM’s Sept. 17 opponent Texas A&M ultimately caught the five-star whopper on National Signing Day, Cristobal made a substantial impact Wednesday in fortifying the trenches and improving the team in the barely more than eight weeks he was named coach. His 19-man bounty since December was rated No. 1 in the state and includes four top-100 players, three who signed during the early period and Wednesday’s newest consensus four star tailback surprise TreVonte’ Citizen. All four standouts committed to Miami after Cristobal took over.
“To say I’m excited might be the understatement of the year,’’ Cristobal said during a news conference on campus.
Cristobal, who on Dec. 15 said he was aiming for 16 to 20 new Hurricanes for the 2022 signing class, on Wednesday also added two offensive linemen and a defensive tackle to the previous 10 high school signees and five transfers.
UM’s 247Sports composite team rankings went from just outside the top 50 on the first day of the early signing period to No. 15 by 7 p.m. Wednesday — four spots better than the Florida Gators, five better than Florida State and No. 3 in the ACC behind North Carolina and Clemson.
‘Never satisfied’
“The fact that we closed the gap like that is good,’’ the coach said. “But we’re never satisfied.”
And he’s not done.
“It’s not wrapped up,’’ said Cristobal, who noted “we probably have to address linebacker a little bit more. There are still more pieces.’’
The new offensive linemen: Matthew McCoy, a 6-6, 292-pound three-star tackle out of St. Johns Creekside who was originally recruited by former coach Manny Diaz and chose Miami over the Florida Gators and UCF; and 6-6, 364-pound consensus three-star guard Anez Cooper of Pleasant Grove, Alabama.
“One of the largest human beings you’ll ever see in your life,’’ Cristobal said of Cooper, who at one point weighed 400 pounds and could play some defensive tackle as well. “Thrilled to have him here.’’
McCoy’s signing came just as the news conference began. “Enormous wing span,’’ Cristobal said. “Length, power, agility on the edges. He’s going to be a great offensive tackle for us.’’
Those two eventually could be blocking for blue-chip bonus Citizen, 6-1 and 215 pounds from Lake Charles, Louisiana. Citizen, who was expected to pick the Gators, is rated fourth nationally at his position and 86th overall, regardless of position, by Rivals. 247Sports composite has him at 107th nationally.
“Every down back,’’ Cristobal said. “He can run through you, can run around you. He can get the ball out of the backfield and line up outside as a receiver. Explosive power. Hard to tackle guy…This guy does it all.”
Offense wasn’t the only side of the ball that got better.
Defensive signee
Defensively, the Canes on Wednesday added 6-3, 322-pound tackle Ahmad Moten out of Class 4A state champion Cardinal Gibbons. Moten, a four-star (Rivals)/three-star (247 composite) interior defensive lineman who didn’t have any scholarship offers before his senior year, and wound up with 20.
“Very versatile athlete,’’ Cristobal said. “Big, jumbo athlete. One of the best d-tackle guys in the country. He decided to stay home to let it be known the backyard is important.’’
The Wednesday targets who got away, besides Stewart: three-star 6-2, 215-pound Cardinal Gibbons edge rusher R Mason Thomas, who signed with Oklahoma; consensus four-star Cedar Grove, Georgia defensive tackle Christen Miller, who signed with Georgia; and consensus four-star guard/center Dave Iuli, a 6-5, 315-pound run stuffer from Puyallup, Washington, who chose Oregon.
Coming into Wednesday, the Hurricanes previously signed 15 players that included four defensive linemen and one on the offensive line. The five transfers: defensive tackle Jacob Lichtenstein (Weston Cypress Bay/Southern Cal), defensive tackle Antonio Moultrie (West Florida High/UAB), interior offensive lineman Logan Sagapolu (Lehi, Utah Skyridge//Oregon), running back Henry Parrish (Miami Columbus/Ole Miss) and receiver Frank Ladson (Homestead South Dade/Clemson).
All the transfers except for Sagapolu, who didn’t play as a true freshman and missed last season with an injury, have substantial experience on the college level. The Hurricanes hope that Ladson will help compensate for the departure of record-breaking receivers Mike Harley Jr. and Charleston Rambo. Lichtenstein and Moultrie will be needed to beef up a defensive line that lost ends Zach McCloud and Deandre Johnson and tackles Jon Ford and Nesta Jade Silvera.
Top-100
Cristobal’s class includes the three top-100 recruits from the early period: 6-4, 240-pound defensive end Nyjalik Kelly out of Fort Lauderdale Dillard, a four-star talent who had originally been committed to Florida State and was one of the most dominant pass-rushers in South Florida the past two years; 6-5, 220-pound Las Vegas Bishop Gorman defensive end Cyrus Moss, rated No. 2 in the state by 247 and Rivals, No. 1 in the state by ESPN and as high as fifth at his position nationally by Rivals; and 6-5, 215-pound tight end Jaleel Skinner, a four-star prospect who was rated No. 3 or 2 nationally by recruiting sites and was originally committed to Alabama.
Cristobal is still in the mix for 5-star Seattle Rainier Beach offensive tackle Josh Conerly, who announced this week that he will wait until March to make his choice. Five of the six programs he is considering — Miami, USC, Washington, Michigan, Oklahoma and Oregon — have new coaches. And Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh was interviewed for the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings job.
“We still have room to sign a good chunk more,’’ Cristobal said.
Hurricanes signees
DL Nyjalik Kelly, 6-4, 240, Fort Lauderdale Dillard; CB Khamauri Rogers, 6-0, 165, Holmes County (Lexington, Miss.); LB Wesley Bissainthe, 6-1, 205, Miami Central; ATH Chris Graves, 6-1, 175, Fort Myers Bishop Verot; QB Jacurri Brown, 6-4, 205, Lowndes (Valdosta, Ga.); S Markeith Williams, 6-1, 170, Orlando Evans; WR Isaiah Horton, 6-3, 190, Oakland (Murfreesboro, Tenn.); CB Jaden Harris, 6-0, 180, Riverwood (Atlanta); DE Cyrus Moss, 6-5, 220, Las Vegas Bishop Gorman; TE Jaleel Skinner, 6-5, 215, Bradenton IMG; DL Jacob Lichtenstein, 6-6, 270, Weston Cypress Bay/Southern Cal; WR Frank Ladson, 6-3, 205, Homestead South Dade/Clemson; RB Henry Parrish, 5-10, 183, Miami Columbus/Ole Miss; DL Antonio Moultrie, 6-4, 265, West Florida (Pensacola)/UAB; OL Logan Sagapolu, 6-2, 344, Skyridge (Lehi, Utah)/Oregon; OT Anez Cooper, 6-6, 364, Pleasant Grove, Alabama; OT Matthew McCoy, 6-6, 292, St. Johns Creekside; RB TreVonte’ Citizen, 6-1, 215, Lake Charles, Louisiana College Prep; DT Ahmad Moten, Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons.
This story was originally published February 2, 2022 at 7:01 PM.
