Miami commit Nathaniel Joseph talks Bain, Okunlola and more ahead of signing day
Sitting in the front row at the Nat Moore Trophy ceremony Tuesday in Miami Gardens, Nathaniel Joseph was just as surprised as anyone when Rueben Bain stood on stage and decided to orally commit to the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.
Like so many other Miami fans, Joseph had an inkling of what Bain’s decision would be — the Hurricanes were the unanimous favorite in 247Sports’ Crystal Ball — and yet he didn’t know what the elite edge rusher was going to do until he finally made his announcement public. Joseph by flashing a big smile, throwing up the U and, a little later on, posing for photographs with Bain to celebrate their joint future.
Next Wednesday, they will both sign national letters of intent with Miami and Joseph, who has been something like the unofficial leader of the Hurricanes’ Class of 2023, was beaming for the rest of the night.
“He can get us the ball back and get the offense back on the field quick. It’s amazing,” the four-star wide receiver said Tuesday. “I’m just glad he’s a Hurricane.”
Joseph hopes Bain won’t be the last elite addition, either.
On Thursday, five-star tackle Samson Okunlola is set to make an oral commitment at Thayer Academy in Braintree, Massachusetts, and Joseph continues to aggressively recruit the elite offensive lineman.
Miami is battling the Florida Gators, Alabama Crimson Tide and Michigan State Spartans for the 6-foot-5, 305-pound lineman, and Joseph is optimistic Okunlola will sign with the Hurricanes, even after he spent the weekend in Gainesville on an official visit.
“Florida’s trying to creep in, but Florida better back up, so I’m definitely on him,” Joseph said. “I’ve been tweeting about him, I’ve been texting in private, so we’re definitely on him. I had the official with him, so I’ve been knowing him for a while.”
With a week to go until the early signing period begins, Okunlola is the No. 6 uncommitted prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, according to the 247 composite rankings, and adding Okunlola would bump Miami’s 2023 class up as high as No. 3 in the nation. The Hurricanes are tracking toward finishing the early signing period with a top-five class.
It’s an incredible feat for coach Mario Cristobal and Co. given how this season went. In Cristobal’s debut season in Coral Gables, Miami failed to qualify for a bowl game for the first time since 2007, and yet the Hurricanes’ recruiting class has mostly stayed intact, with only elite quarterback Jaden Rashada and three-star interior lineman Connor Lew flipping elsewhere in the fall.
Joseph, who was a finalist for the Moore Trophy and will play in the All-American Bowl next month, said it wasn’t hard to stick by his commitment.
“If a team’s not winning too good, there’s a good possibility you could come in and get your shot to play, so that’s been our mind-set like, OK, well, dang, but we can come in and change that trajectory,” the 5-8, 170-pound wideout said. “We’re coming in ready to take jobs and do whatever we’ve got to do to get back to winning because that’s what we want to do. We want to win.”
The addition of Bain, who’s the No. 70 overall prospect in the 2023 class, is an important one. The 6-2, 250-pound defensive lineman will have a chance to win a fourth straight state title Friday when Miami Central faces Plantation American Heritage in the Class 4M championship at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. He fits what the Hurricanes are looking for and what Joseph likes about this class.
Last year, six freshmen started at least one game for Miami and two of those were from Miami-Dade County. Perhaps the three best long-term players on the defense — star defensive tackle Leonard Taylor, and star safeties Kamren Kinchens and James Williams — are all from South Florida and underclassmen, too.
“I’m just trying to build the class up so we can come in and compete and back to the winning tradition. That’s all our goal. That’s all our mind-set. We just want to win, so I mean just getting the best guys with the best attitude, and the best character on and off the field — that’s what we want,” Joseph said. “We want kids who want to play for Miami, who have that attitude and that swag, that want to win.”
Although Hurricanes’ 2023 class will be close to complete by the end of next week, Joseph’s work won’t be done.
He’s already starting to think about the Class of 2024, and especially five-star Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Joshisa Trader. Smith, however, committed to Ohio State on Wednesday night.
“We need them guys, so I’m on them early. I know they’re got some time and they’ve got some options to make, and some places to go and places to look at, but them the guys I’m keying on.”
This story was originally published December 14, 2022 at 4:27 PM.
