Homestead’s star D-line duo talks Miami and other schools on the radar this summer
Dante Anderson and Daniel Lyons, like so many of the best players in South Florida, will spend the first day after the dead period ends next month visiting the Miami Hurricanes.
The two defensive linemen have been transformational for Homestead, leading the Broncos to multiple playoff wins last season for the first time since 2002. They’ve talked about the idea of being a package deal in college football and are setting the lofty goal of combining for 70 sacks in 2021.
They’re a no-brainer tandem for Miami to prioritize in the Class of 2021, which is why they’ll both be in Coral Gables on the first day of June for the Hurricanes’ cookout.
“Hell yeah, I’m excited,” Anderson said last Tuesday in Homestead.
He and Lyons have waited more than a year now to really dive into the recruiting process.
Anderson is a four-star defensive end and the No. 25 player in Florida, according to the 247Sports.com composite rankings. Lyons is a three-star defensive tackle and the No. 49 player in the state, although he’s a four-star prospect in 247Sports’ own rankings. Each has nearly 30 scholarship offers, and a list of suitors from across the Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference.
While neither has named a favorite or put out any official list of contenders, Miami is on the short list of frontrunners because of proximity, the track record of producing NFL talent and a strong pipeline from southern Miami-Dade County.
Before they transferred to Homestead, Anderson and Lyons played at Miami Southridge for defensive line coach Patrick Cooney, who’s now at South Miami. Cooney is the younger brother of recruiting director David Cooney, who was previously the offensive coordinator at Southridge when Broncos coach Philip Simpson was the Spartans’ defensive line coach.
Simpson is a close mentor for five-star defensive tackle Leonard Taylor, and the soon-to-be Hurricane often trains with Anderson and Lyons because of the Simpson connection. Last Tuesday, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, who played for Simpson at Southridge, happened to be at Homestead’s practice.
The talking point lately, however, has been Miami’s success in the 2021 NFL Draft. With two defensive ends going in the first round, the Hurricanes have a clear pitch for ends in the 2022 recruiting cycle.
“They’re great players, both them them,” Anderson said. “That could be me soon.”
Lyons was more dismissive of hype around the two defensive linemen, but he is impressed with new defensive line coach Jess Simpsons’s resume.
The defensive lineman got to know Simpson a little bit when he was an underclassman and Simpson was in his first stint in South Florida before he left to work for the Atlanta Falcons.
“He’s a great man,” Lyons said last Tuesday in Homestead. “We have Zooms, teaching me new things.”
Anderson said he talks to Simpson “every other day” and they text even more frequently. Both juniors are excited to get to campus for the first time in more than a year to spend some time with Simpson in person.
Both also mentioned playing time as something important and “a place where I feel like it’s home,” Anderson said.
They aren’t married to the idea of playing together in college, though, even though the two visits they have lined up so far are together.
After they visit Miami, the linemen will head up to Tallahassee for an unofficial visit with the Florida State Seminoles the first weekend of June. For both, it’ll be the second visit of the spring after they attended a scrimmage at Florida State in March.
Their other visits could diverge, though. Anderson also wants to visit the Florida Gators, Ole Miss Rebels, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Penn State Nittany Lions. Lyons said he’s working on setting up an official visit with the Oklahoma Sooners.
While there’s no commitment timeline in place, the coming months will be crucial in their decision processes.
