UM football recruiting updates on its top-three class. Where hoops roster stands
The Miami Hurricanes have done nearly all the heavy lifting on a 2027 recruiting class that ranks third in the country and could be UM’s most talented collection of high school football recruits in a single cycle since the early years of the century.
UM has 18 commitments and won’t be adding many more. Among a handful of matters that remain unresolved, by position:
▪ Wide receiver: The Canes’ already have one elite commitment in Miami Carol City’s Nick Lennear, rated by 247 Sports as the No. 3 receiver and No. 16 player overall for 2027.
Now they hope to land 6-1 speedy slot receiver Eli Woodard, who is rated 23rd among receivers and 178th overall.
Woodard, who decommitted from Southern California last month, raved about UM after his visit on the last weekend of May. But California apparently has pulled even after his visit to Berkeley last weekend.
“I’ve been able to check out Miami and Cal so far, and both are great schools,” Woodard told 247 Sports. “The Miami visit was incredible, and I really liked it there. Then I went to Cal with lower expectations, but they definitely exceeded everything. Cal is definitely up there with Miami now. It’s tight at the top.”
▪ Front seven: The Canes landed one of the best edge prospects in the country last week when they flipped five-star Jaiden Bryant from LSU. Now they’re hoping to flip five-star DJ Jacobs from Ohio State.
UM five-star cornerback commitment Donte Wright has been working out with the Georgia-based Jacobs and posted a social media message to Jacobs suggesting that “we’re not stopping” the Canes’ efforts to persuade him to commit to Miami.
Jacobs — rated by 247Sports as the top player in the country — had 24 tackles for loss and 16 sacks last season. Snatching Jacobs from Ohio State could push UM’s class to No. 1 in the country.
But UM has work to do; he was on campus in April, and the Canes are trying to get him back again.
If UM defensive line coach Jason Taylor can get in a room with Jacobs and make the case for how destructive he and Bryant can be as a tandem, UM could pull this off.
Snagging Tampa-based linebacker Kaden Henderson, who visited UM in late May, remains a priority and likely would catapult UM to the No. 2 class.
Henderson — rated by 247 Sports as the No. 3 inside linebacker and 56th-best player overall — continues to consider Miami, Texas A&M and Notre Dame. He visited the Aggies last week and plans to visit Notre Dame on June 19. Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong predicts he will pick A&M when he announces July 1.
Per 247’s rankings, UM now has commitments from three of the nation’s top 30 edge prospects — Bryant (No. 4), Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons’ DeMarcus DeRoche (17th) and Lantana-based Jayvon Dawson (29th).
At linebacker, UM already has two of the nation’s top 10 inside linebacker commitments in North Carolina-based Aroson Randle (eighth) and Virginia-based Noah Glover (10th).
▪ Safety: North Miami Beach’s Andre Hyppolite is set to visit UM next weekend after last weekend’s visit to UF, which has put itself in decent position for the nation’s No. 18 safety and 227th overall prospect (per 247 composite rankings). He’s scheduled to visit Georgia and Notre Dame after his trip to Coral Gables.
He told Gator Country that UF is “pretty high, very high on my list after this visit.”
Georgia-based Ta’Shawn Poole also has emerged as a potential UM option and might visit June 19, per both 247 and On3.com. He’s the No. 5 safety and No. 59 prospect nationally, per 247’s Composite rankings. Clemson, Tennessee and FSU are in hot pursuit.
UM has a commitment from one safety — Hollywood McArthur’s Jaylyn Jones, who’s rated No. 21 at his position.
▪ Tight end: UM — which doesn’t have a tight end committed in the class — is awaiting a June 28 decision from Detroit-based Anthony Cartwright, who also plans to visit Oregon and Michigan.
The 6-5 Cartwright has visited UM several times in recent months, including last weekend. 247 Sports rates him the No. 21 tight end and No. 395 prospect overall in the 2027 class.
Hoops update
247 Sports ranks UM’s class of basketball portal additions sixth best in the country, behind only Louisville, Texas, Indiana, Tennessee and Providence.
For the second year in a row, coach Jai Lucas did what appears to be an exceptional job filling needs.
Georgia transfer Somto Cyril, who started 32 games in the SEC last season, gives UM a replacement for Ernest Udeh. He led the SEC with 2.24 blocks per game last season, to go with 9.3 points (on 76 percent shooting) and 5.4 rebounds.
Villanova transfer Acaden Lewis (12.2 points, 5.3 assists, 1.9 steals) gives the Canes a replacement for point guard Tre Donaldson. His 176 assists last season were most ever by a Big East freshman.
And 6-8 forward DeSean Goode, the Horizon League’s Player of the Year, will replace some of Malik Reneau’s scoring, but in a different (slightly shorter) body type. He averaged 15.2 points and 8.7 rebounds last season and shot 36 for 63 (57 percent) on threes. His 62 percent shooting percentage led the conference.
UM badly needed more three-point shooting, and that need should be filled not only by Goode but also by Saint Peters guard Brent Bland, who shot 36.9 percent on threes last season, a big jump from his previous three seasons.
He earned All-Mid American Conference first team honors last season after leading the Peacocks in scoring (13.9 ppg), steals (59), and three-pointers made (79). Lucas said his “ability to shoot the ball, defend and create momentum on both ends of the floor will be a great fit for our team.”
The combination of those four players, plus returnees Shelton Henderson and Dante Allen and five-star recruit Caleb Gaskins (Columbus High) was enough to earn UM the No. 12 spot in the Field of 68’s preseason rankings.
Besides Gaskins, UM’s other Class of 2026 freshman commitment is South Kent (Conn.) power forward Chris Birden Jr., whom the Canes view as a diamond in the rough of sorts, a 6-10 player with length and considerable upside. His other offers included Northeastern, Texas State and Western Carolina. Boston College, Seton Hall, Providence and Oklahoma State had shown interest.
This and that
▪ Reneau was among a group of players who worked out for the Heat on Tuesday, per Cody Taylor. The 6-10 power forward is a potential option for the Heat’s pick at No. 41.
▪ Alabama will play at UM Dec. 2 in the ACC/SEC men’s basketball challenge.
▪ Pro Football Network’s 2027 first-round mock draft includes three Hurricanes: defensive lineman Ahmad Moten 10th, edge player and Missouri transfer Damon Wilson II 16th and cornerback O.J. Frederique 27th.
▪ UM announced it will celebrate the 2001 championship team at the Oct. 24 home game against PIttsburgh. The homecoming game will be Nov. 14 against Duke.
This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 2:25 PM.
