Examining UM’s recruiting classes with benefit of hindsight: What’s clear
One question that’s difficult for Miami Hurricanes fans to wrap their proverbial arms around as Duke prepares to play Virginia in Saturday’s Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game:
How have Mario Cristobal and this UM regime kept landing all of these top recruiting classes and gone 20-4 during the past two seasons and pointed the program in the right direction, yet so far hasn’t fielded a team that’s good enough to qualify for the Atlantic Coast Conference title game?
Of course, blame this season starts with the difficult-to-justify losses to Louisville and SMU, two good teams that don’t have as much talent as UM. Blame Carson Beck, whose only blemishes on an otherwise outstanding season were the four-pick Louisville game and the overtime interception against SMU. Blame offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson for an unnecessarily conservative game plan in those losses.
The Canes “have the most talented roster by a mile in the ACC and not playing in the ACC Championship Game is a real gut punch to Mario Cristobal,” said Greg McElroy, ABC/ESPN No. 2 college football analyst.
For the fourth consecutive year, UM had the ACC’s top recruiting class, according to the most prominent recruiting websites. 247Sports ranked UM’s class 10th. The next three ACC schools were ranked 14th (FSU), 17th (North Carolina) and 18th (Clemson).
But it’s also important to note that while UM’s recruiting classes in Cristobal’s first three seasons produced two elite players and several good ones, the classes overall have not been quite what they were cracked up to be by evaluators. That’s the case for a lot of schools.
247 Sports rated Cristobal’s first class (2022) 16th overall, the 2023 class seventh and the 2024 class fourth. (The 2025 class was ranked 14th, and the past four classes -- including this week’s -- were all rated No. 1 among ACC schools.)
In Cristobal’s first three UM recruiting classes (2022-2024), UM signed 33 players who were rated among ESPN’s top 300 prospects each year.
But only 12 of those 33 made an impact on this UM team for myriad reasons: miscalculations in recruiting (every school has some of those) or players transferring for more opportunities elsewhere or injuries or (in the case of Isaiah Horton), the lure of more NIL money elsewhere.
We’ve broken those 2022, 2023 and 2024 classes into seven categories:
▪ Elite players from those three classes on UM’s current roster (two): defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. and right tackle Francis Mauigoa. Both are projected first-round picks in April’s draft. (Remember, for the purpose of this exercise, we are examining the 2022 to 2024 classes, which excludes Malachi Toney and the excellent 2025 class.)
▪ Very good starters from those three classes on UM’s current roster (two): Running back Mark Fletcher Jr. and linebacker Wesley Bissainthe, who will move on to the NFL after UM’s season is over.
▪ Solid, heavy-usage contributors from those three classes on UM’s current roster (eight): Defensive linemen Justin Scott, Armondo Blount and Marquise Lightfoot; offensive lineman Samson Okunlola, cornerback Damari Brown, linebacker Raul Aguirre, receiver Jojo Trader and tight end Elija Lofton.
▪ Players on the roster from those three classes who didn’t make a significant impact yet this season (five): defensive end Malik Bryant (he was injured most of the season and was limited to 25 defensive snaps), receivers Ray Ray Joseph and Ny Carr, edge rusher Booker Pickett and defensive tackle Artavius Jones.
Important caveat: It’s too soon to judge Pickett and to a lesser extent, Jones. Pickett (33 defensive snaps all season) and Jones (one) figure to get a chance to compete when older players graduate or move on next year.
Bryant, who flashed last season with a sack and five tackles for loss, had the misfortune of sustaining an undisclosed injury and playing at the position where UM has its most talent; he has played only 25 defensive snaps. He can take a redshirt this season if he chooses.
Joseph (42 offensive snaps all season) and Carr (nine snaps) were beaten out by other receivers at a competitive position. Joseph didn’t play over the final eight games.
▪ Made little or no impact at UM and transferred (13):
This is the area where UM’s class rankings ended up seeming a bit inflated, because of the departure of 13 players who mostly weren’t as good as evaluators believed, or weren’t the same after injuries (running back TreVonte’ Citizen) or received more opportunities elsewhere and have made the most of them (Chris Johnson, Chris Graves, Nyjalik Kelly).
That group includes:
1). UM’s six recruits ranked in ESPN’s top 150 in 2022 (cornerback Khamauri Rogers, edge player Cyrus Moss, tight end Jaleel Skinner, defensive lineman Kelly, cornerback Graves and running back Citizen).
Rogers, who was ESPN’s highest-rated recruit in Cristobal’s first class (45th overall), is now at Jackson State after playing sparingly at Mississippi State last season. Moss (Portland State) and Citizen (McNeese State) also play at the FCS level.
Three others are contributing at the FBS (major college) level: Graves doesn’t have a career interception but has been helpful as a rotation player at Mississippi. Kelly has 8.5 sacks at UCF over the past two years and Skinner has 20 receptions for 199 yards and two touchdowns at Louisville this season.
2). Another 2022 ESPN top 300 recruit — safety Markeith Williams — who was removed from UM’s roster earlier this season.
3). Five players from the 2023 class: defensive end Jayden Wayne (ESPN’s No. 90 player that year), cornerback Robert Stafford, edge player Collins Acheampong, defensive back Robby Washington and running back Chris Johnson.
Wayne has two sacks for California after playing at Washington last season. Stafford has 16 tackles and two passes defended in limited playing time at UCLA, while Acheampong has five tackles in limited playing time at Bowling Green.
Washington has 24 catches for 231 yards at Coastal Carolina. The speedy Johnson played sparingly at UM but is averaging 7.5 yards on 62 carries for SMU this season.
4). Safety Zaquan Patterson, who was rated ESPN’s No. 143 player in the 2024 class. He transferred to Oklahoma State in April, was dismissed from the team and is now at Alabama State.
▪ Suspended (one): Linebacker Adarius Hayes. UM suspended him in August after he was charged with three counts of vehicular homicide and one count of reckless driving with serious bodily injury following an investigation into a May crash that killed three people in Largo, Fla.
▪ Had an impact at UM but left in the portal (two): Receiver Horton (who has 34 catches for 418 yards and eight touchdowns this season at Alabama) and quarterback Jacurri Brown, who has two touchdowns and five interceptions and just 72 pass attempts as a backup at UCF the past two seasons.
So that’s the 33.
Let’s be clear: There are recruits who don’t live up to expectations at every program. Roster attrition has been amplified by the loosened rules of the transfer portal.
UM acquired plenty of very good players from Cristobal’s first three classes; those players, combined with a dozen-plus skilled transfers and star freshman receiver Toney, should have been enough for UM to go unbeaten, or lose only once, in the ACC.
The Canes had the most talent in the ACC this season and should be playing in Charlotte on Saturday. But it’s also worth noting that the classes, in retrospect, weren’t quite as good as they were characterized at the time.
Here’s what Cristobal said about most of the players in UM’s recruiting class, a group that included 14 on offense and 16 on defense.
Here’s how UM’s roster looks for next season.
This story was originally published December 5, 2025 at 1:29 PM.
