Nathaniel Joseph, Miami’s recruiting leader, is making sure this class sticks together
Ever since he was young, Nathaniel Joseph dreamed of playing for the Miami Hurricanes. He grew up watching their games on television every Saturday, learning of the history of the program and picturing what it would be like to one day suit up for the home team in Miami Gardens.
The day is fast approaching for the four-star wide receiver, who now has just three regular-season games left in his career at Edison, and he’s already living some of the experience he dreamed about.
Every Saturday when the Hurricanes play at home, Joseph is there in the crowd at Hard Rock Stadium, walking through the masses of like-minded Miami fans, posing for pictures and assuring everyone he can about the future of the program he loves.
Even as a high school senior in Miami, Joseph is already part of the Hurricanes family.
“Being a Miami fan and being able to just rep the U — it means a lot to me,” Joseph said. “That’s been a dream since I was a little kid.”
Although he won’t start college until next year, Joseph is already one of the most important leaders around the program.
When all the commits in the Hurricanes’ Class of 2023 tweet out pictures of themselves in Miami gear on a random day of the week, Joseph is usually the one kicking it off. When the Hurricanes lose and the commits come out in unison to express their confidence in coach Mario Cristobal, Joseph is usually the ringleader.
The 5-foot-8, 170-pound receiver is savvy and understands how modern college football and recruiting work. It’s an age of instant satisfaction — with the top-ranked recruits concentrate at top programs more than ever before and transfer numbers shattering all-time records — and it means patience tends to wear thin everywhere, especially in South Florida, where transfers are commonplace in high school and fans have now waited decades for Miami to truly contend again.
Perception is important in college football — especially with regards to recruiting — and Joseph is trying to do his part to help the perception of the Hurricanes.
“That’s the most important thing: We want to make it feel special,” said Joseph, who’s the No. 3 prospect in Miami-Dade County, according to the 247Sports composite rankings for the Class of 2023. “We want other people to be a part of it, just to show that the group and that the commits are a tight unit. People want to be a part of that tight unit.”
“A lot of kids like to decommit and stuff like that, but just going out there and posting after the game—I read some of the comments. When I read them, this makes me feel good.”
Although he can’t speak for every member of the Hurricanes’ 2023 recruiting class, Joseph has confidence the group will stay intact and everyone will sign with Miami.
Oct. 8 was something of a reunion for this 2023 class. The Hurricanes hosted the North Carolina Tar Heels and eight of the 17 were all there to watch it together. It was the largest congregation of commits so far this season — and the first visit for the quartet from Bradenton IMG Academy — and it helped reaffirm the commitment of the group as a whole.
“The fans interact with us when we’re walking up to come from the field and we’re just going to sit down. ... That just shows me how much the fans and everybody are just in tune to what we’re bringing, and I just love it,” Joseph said. “We just want to come and help the team. We just want to come in and do whatever we can do as early as possible. We’re going to come in and just try to do the best we can do, and that’s what’s important and these guys want to play for the U. That’s what it’s all about.
“We want guys that want to come in and want to be a part of it, and want to bring it back, so honestly we’re all just locked in and ready.”
Joseph sees some other players across the region he wants to add, too. The main targets right now, he said, are Dillard running back Christopher Johnson and Miami Central linebacker Stanquan Clark, who’s currently orally committed to the Louisville Cardinals. Joseph is also already hard at work on recruiting players in the Class of 2024, including Chaminade-Madonna wide receivers Joshisa Trader and Jeremiah Smith.
Joseph knows winning will help the Hurricanes keep winning on the recruiting trail. He also believes losing won’t change what the current group thinks of Miami.
“Even though they’ve taken some tough losses and some losses maybe they shouldn’t have, we’re still all locked in because we want to come help them guys and be a part of it,” Joseph said. “I say it all the time: I’m ride or die. Win or lose, I’m ride or die.”
