Hurricanes bolster 2026 class after Columbus 4-star basketball recruit commits
Caleb Gaskins knows what it takes to win a basketball national title.
He won one as a sophomore at Montverde Academy.
He won another one last season at Miami’s Christopher Columbus High School - a feat he hopes to repeat this winter.
Could Gaskins then help the University of Miami win a national title?
Hurricanes fans will have a chance to find out starting next season as Gaskins, a 6-foot, 8-inch, four-star senior power forward at Columbus, ranked among the top 25 prospects in the nation overall by multiple recruiting services, announced his commitment to Miami on Thursday afternoon.
“I’m ready for this moment because I put nothing but hard work into this on and off the court,” Gaskins said. “I’m excited for the Miami fans because they’re getting a hard-working young man who’s not going to take anything less but winning.”
Gaskins is ranked 16th overall in the class of 2026 by ESPN and 247Sports.com ranks him No. 5 in the nation among power forwards. He chose the Hurricanes over the defending national champion Florida Gators and Texas A&M.
Gaskins had narrowed his choices to three recently, but chose to play for Miami, a school which is looking for a quick rebuild under new coach Jai Lucas and a staff, which included his former coach at Columbus, Andrew Moran.
“My relationship with Coach Moran has never wavered, and I have a good one like that now with Coach Lucas,” Gaskins said. “Those guys have really poured their hearts into me and I just feel like their staff really sold me on making this decision.”
With his mother, Larnette Ramsey, sitting to his right, his grandmother, Vickie Ramsey, to his left, his younger brother, Cayden, and Cindy Boozer, the mother of Duke star freshman and his former Columbus teammates Cameron and Cayden Boozer, standing behind him, Gaskins announced his commitment during a live broadcast on CBS Sports Network at the Explorers’ gym.
Gaskins opened up the gray jacket he was wearing to reveal a shirt with a UM logo on it.
The Hurricanes are coming off a dismal 7-24 season, but hired Lucas, a former Duke assistant, in the hopes of restoring the program to the prominence it enjoyed not so long ago with its trip to the Final Four in 2023.
Lucas hired Moran, who led Columbus to its four consecutive state titles and national title a year ago, this offseason and the two have been a part of a strong recruiting effort to transform the Hurricanes’ roster.
“I feel like I can be a huge part of the transition Miami is going through,” Gaskins said. “Hopefully, they can win a national championship this season, and I definitely hope to lead them to one once I get there, and hopefully that experience prepares me for the NBA.”
Gaskins, who is originally from Melbourne, Fla., averaged 14 points and six rebounds last season as a junior at Columbus while helping the Explorers win a fourth consecutive state title and become the first Miami-Dade County boys’ basketball team to win a national title.
Gaskins is at the core of a Columbus squad, which is expected to remain ranked among the nation’s best when the season begins in just over two weeks.
This story was originally published October 30, 2025 at 6:17 PM.
