A look at all of the top South Florida football recruits and UM’s involvement
Part 3 of a 3-part series on UM’s local recruiting
UM has watched 14 tri-county area players in the 2020 class decommit during the past year, leaving the Hurricanes with only four nonbinding commitments from Rivals’ top 16 Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach prospects. And of the Hurricanes’ 20 committed players in this class, only eight are from the tri-county area.
With the three-day early signing period beginning Wednesday, a look at those 16 South Florida players who are rated in Rivals’ top 250 prospect nationally and where other top local players are headed, and Miami’s involvement with each of them:
▪ Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas receiver Marcus Rosemy (rated 28th nationally by Rivals and a Georgia commitment): Rosemy told Canesport in the spring that he might have considered UM more if the Canes had started recruiting him harder and said “we don’t have as good a relationship as we used to” with UM because of the dismissal of receivers coach Ron Dugans, who’s now with FSU.
Rosemy ultimately picked Georgia. “I’m done,” he told Canesport earlier this season. “It just feels like I’m home when I’m at Georgia.”
▪ St. Thomas Aquinas linebacker Derek Wingo (35th; a UF commit): Originally a Penn State commitment, Wingo said UM pursued him, both before and after he committed to the Gators in June, and told Canesport in July that if the Hurricanes “make the playoffs or anything like that, it would make me look a lot harder.” Alas, that never happened.
So why UF? “The whole entire program is on the rise,” Wingo said. “Coach [Dan] Mullen has changed the entire program, keeping the football players academically above average. And just the overall program is going better.”
▪ Miami Belen running back Don Chaney (38th; UM commit): Remains solidly committed to UM, even though Alabama, Georgia and UF have tried to sway him. He’s expected to sign Wednesday and enroll in January.
▪ Miami Gulliver Prep defensive end Donell Harris (49th; Texas A&M): Was committed to Miami for six weeks this summer but then lost interest. His father told Canesport this summer that the family was concerned that UM hasn’t had defensive linemen drafted in the first two rounds in recent years, adding: “The numbers don’t lie. We [UM] are just not developing kids.”
▪ Palm Beach Central receiver Bryan Robinson (94th; uncommitted): He was committed to UM for nearly a year before decommitting this past June. That wasn’t a shock, because Robinson’s biggest connection to UM was his fondness for Dugans, who was fired by Manny Diaz.
The Seminoles were considered the favorite before the coaching change and still might land him. Alabama and Pittsburgh also reportedly have received consideration.
▪ Fort Lauderdale Stranahan receiver Leonard Manuel (118th, UF commit): Previously was committed to Miami and Tennessee before opting for the Gators. He said his commitment is solid, and Miami looked elsewhere after his decommitment.
▪ Hialeah Champagnat cornerback Jalen Harrell (111th; UM commitment): Committed last month — choosing UM over Georgia Tech — and he’s a key member of this class. Can play corner, safety or striker.
▪ Carol City defensive end Samuel Anaele (112th; Kentucky commit): Three weeks after visiting Kentucky in June, he flipped from the Hurricanes to the Wildcats, telling 247sports: “It would be intriguing to be a part of the team and have the Kentucky experience.” Perhaps Anaele believes he can play more quickly at Kentucky, but this was an odd flip.
▪ Miami Columbus wide receiver Xzavier Henderson (116th; uncommitted): UM hasn’t been on the radar here. Henderson, the younger brother of Gators cornerback CJ Henderson, has taken two trips to UF this season and said “growing up and following his footsteps would be a dream for me I guess. That is basically the school I liked because of him.”
Clemson also has been considered a serious threat to lure Henderson, with Alabama and LSU also in pursuit.
▪ Carol City receiver Thaiu Jones-Bell (120th; Alabama commit): Miami offered but Jones-Bell told Canesport in September: “There’s nothing wrong with Miami, but I want to get out of Miami just because of some things going on.”
▪ St. Thomas Aquinas offensive tackle Marcus Dumervil (125th; uncommitted): For much of the summer, Dumervil said Miami was a possibility, but the Canes never were viewed as a serious contender. He’s expected to pick among UF, LSU and Louisville. The Canes simply haven’t had much luck with the top local offensive linemen in this class.
▪ South Dade safety Keshawn Washington (133rd, UM commit): One of two safeties in this class, he has been trying to pursuade four-star cornerback Jaiden Francois to commit to UM for a third time. Washington is expected to sign on Wednesday.
▪ Deerfield Beach running back Jaylan Knighton (150th; UM commitment): He decommitted from FSU after the coaching change, and UM successfully pounced three weeks ago. Could be a long-term third-down back in a loaded backfield. Though others are still pursuing him, UM expects him to stick.
▪ Deerfield Beach receiver Bryce Gowdy (167th; Georgia Tech commit): According to Canesport and 247sports, UM never pursued him.
▪ South Dade guard Jonathan Denis (181st, Oregon commit): This one hurts, but Denis told me that UM “did nothing wrong, nothing wrong at all. I wanted to go far and explore things and try new things and get out of my comfort zone.”
▪ Miami Central cornerback Henry Gray (210th, Nebraska commit): He decommitted from UM last December and committed to Nebraska this fall, raving about their facilities after a visit there.
There are five local 2020 recruits in ESPN’s top 300 that aren’t on the Rivals 250 list. Of those, one is committed to UM (Hollywood Chaminade defensive tackle Willie Moise) and one to Maryland (Hollywood McArthur outside linebacker Ruben Hypolite). Moise isn’t expected to sign until February.
Two are committed to UF: Miami Christian receiver Marc Britt, a former UM commit, and Miami Norland offensive tackle Issiah Walker, who had been a top UM target but said he picked UF because of quality of the Gators’ coaching.
The top remaining uncommitted player is Francois, who has twice decommitted from UM and is now considering the Canes and Nebraska, with a decision expected to be announced on Wednesday.
UM also has been trying to lure Plantation American Heritage cornerback Davonte Brown (it’s down to UCF and UM, with UCF reportedly the favorite) but has given up hopes of persuading St. Thomas Aquinas offensive lineman Marlon Martinez to flip from LSU.
UM has commitments from several 2020 local players outside the top 250, including Deerfield Beach receiver Xavier Restrepo, Columbus defensive lineman Elijah Roberts and Miramar safety Brian Balom.
Here’s part 1 of the series, with straight-talk explanations for UM’s struggles in local recruiting
Here’s part 2 of the series, on suggestions from analysts to help UM’s local recruiting
This story was originally published December 16, 2019 at 5:43 PM.
