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Where Hurricanes’ football recruiting class stands: A look at commitments and targets

Now that his disappointing first season at the University of Miami is behind him, coach Mario Cristobal can focus on what’s considered his greatest strength — recruiting — and further fortify a 2023 class that’s considered among the 10 best in the country.

With the first national signing period three weeks away, the Hurricanes have 19 non-binding commitments, including one of the nation’s premier cornerbacks and top offensive tackles, and several strong prospects at linebacker.

UM’s 2023 class — which could add at least a half dozen or more players — is ranked No. 10 by the 247Sports composite and On3.com consensus rankings, and No. 9 by Rivals.com and ESPN, even after elite quarterback Jaden Rashada flipped to Florida on Nov. 11.

But more is needed to begin rebuilding the foundation of a sub-.500 team.

“They must address linebacker and defensive line,” South Florida-based recruiting analyst Larry Blustein said. “They’ll pick up a running back in the portal. Cornerback is a concern. They’ll go after some kids there.

“It’s a strong class [so far]. I’m encouraged by what they’re going to do. Mario sold this program for the future. He didn’t sell it for 2022. It wouldn’t be fair to sell for 2022 because he didn’t have his team there. Over the next three years, if they repeat the 2023 class in 2024 and 2025, they’ll become” a contender.

Blustein said “one advantage they have” in recruiting in this cycle is “people know at Miami, they can play next year” because of talent deficiencies on the roster.

Where UM’s 2023 class stands by position, with all the commitments non-binding and players not permitted to sign until Dec. 21:

QUARTERBACK

Committed: Three-star Milton quarterback Emory Williams

Targets: None

After losing out on Rashada, the Hurricanes are probably done here, although the portal could be an option if somebody leaves. Tyler Van Dyke has a decision to make about the 2023 NFL Draft; UM is believed to want him back and Mario Cristobal said he would discuss the matter with Van Dyke and his family.

Fellow quarterbacks Jacurri Brown and Jake Garcia were inconsistent - Brown struggled with downfield throws and Garcia with turnovers - but both at times have flashed enough skills to suggest they could be potential successors to Van Dyke. Typically, this is a situation where someone would transfer out, although none of these three has indicated they will.

RUNNING BACK

Committed: None

Targets: Four-star Plantation American Heritage running back Mark Fletcher, four-star Fort Lauderdale Dillard running back Christopher Johnson and three-star Charlotte Christian running back KJ Jones.

Fletcher, rated by 247 as the ninth best tailback in the 2023 class, recently decommitted from Ohio State, and UF is now considered the frontrunner, but UM is pushing hard.

“One reason Fletcher could come to Miami is Florida is stacked at running back,” Blustein said. “Fletcher would be what they thought Thad Franklin would be — a [power back] inside the 20s, maybe leads the league in touchdowns.”

As of now, Fletcher plans to wait until the traditional national signing day in early February to sign, which bodes well for the Hurricanes, who need to get him back on campus after losing some of the momentum they built earlier in the fall.

Jones is a North Carolina State commit and has given no indication he’s reconsidering, but UM has shown strong interest. Johnson’s recruitment is a battle between Miami and Ole Miss, and he was discouraged by the Hurricanes’ losing season.

American Heritage wide receiver Brandon Inniss returns a kick off against Chaminade-Madonna during the first half on Friday, Sept. 16, 2022 in Hollywood.
American Heritage wide receiver Brandon Inniss returns a kick off against Chaminade-Madonna during the first half on Friday, Sept. 16, 2022 in Hollywood.

WIDE RECEIVER

Committed: Four-star Miami Edison wide receiver Nathaniel Joseph and four-star Miami Palmetto wide receiver Robby Washington.

Targets: Five-star American Heritage wide receiver Brandon Inniss, five-star Fort Lauderdale Stranahan wide receiver Hykeem Williams and four-star Tennyson (Hayward, Calif.) wide receiver Taeshaun Lyons.

Inniss is the top target right now, although he continues to seem really locked in with the Buckeyes. The Hurricanes are going to keep trying with him, though, and the same goes for Williams, who’s locked in with Florida State.

Lyons was in Miami Gardens for the Hurricanes’ loss to the Seminoles on Nov. 5 and could return for an official visit. If he gets down to Coral Gables sometime in December, then Miami should be in good shape.

Joseph and Washington are a good starting point, though. Both are probably slot receivers at the next level and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Joseph quickly carve out a role as a return specialist.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN

Committed: Five-star Bradenton IMG Academy tackle Francis Mauigoa, three-star IMG Academy interior lineman Antonio Tripp, three-star Kennessaw (Ga.) Mountain interior lineman Connor Lew, three-star Ocala Trinity Catholic interior lineman Tommy Kinsler and three-star Miami LaSalle tackle Frankie Tinilau.

Targets: Five-star Thayer Academy (Braintree, Mass.) tackle Samson Okunlola.

This is already a great haul: Mauigoa could compete for a starting job as a freshman and Lew, an All-American, projects as Jakai Clark’s successor at center.

Okunlola would make this an all-time offensive line haul; the Hurricanes were viewed as the favorite for him before the season. But the elite offensive lineman barely took any visits during the season, and this is now a toss-up among UM, Georgia, Alabama and potentially others.

IMG Academy Riley Williams (84) during their game with Miami Central Senior High School in Bradenton, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020.(Photo/Chris Tilley)
IMG Academy Riley Williams (84) during their game with Miami Central Senior High School in Bradenton, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020.(Photo/Chris Tilley)

TIGHT ENDS

Commits: Four-star IMG Academy’s Riley Williams, three-star Loomis Chaffee School (Windsor, Conn.) tight end Jackson Carver and three-star Bridgeland (Cypress, Texas) tight end Reid Mikeska.

Targets: None.

Williams is considered the best of the three, as the No. 4 tight end in 247’s rankings, and will help make up for the loss of tight end Will Mallory. Mikeska, it’s worth noting, was in South Carolina for the Gamecocks’ upset of Tennessee on Nov. 20.

IMG Academy Jayden Wayne (18) during their game with Miami Central Senior High School in Bradenton, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020.(Photo/Chris Tilley)
IMG Academy Jayden Wayne (18) during their game with Miami Central Senior High School in Bradenton, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020.(Photo/Chris Tilley)

DEFENSIVE LINE

Commitments: Four-star IMG edge rusher Jayden Wayne.

Targets: Five-star Archbishop Carroll (Washington) athlete Nyckoles Harbor, five-star Venice edge rusher Damon Wilson, five-star IMG edge rusher Samuel M’Pemba, four-star Miami Central defensive lineman Rueben Bain, four-star Camden (S.C.) defensive lineman Xzavier McLeod and unranked St. Petersburg Lakewood edge rusher Chamberlain Campbell.

UM is going hard after M’Pemba, ranked by Rivals as the No. 1 defensive end in the class and the No. 5 player overall. He recently visited Florida, and this could end up a UM-UF battle.

The Canes hope to land Bain, rated by Rivals as the No. 17 defensive end, and still have a great shot, although this never materialized as the recruiting layup fans hoped. Former Central coach Roland Smith is on staff at Miami and Reginald Bain, the lineman’s older brother, is a graduate assistant for the Hurricanes.

Harbor and Wilson are long shots, although both technically have Miami on their lists. Campbell is a late-rising sleeper, who was mostly a basketball player before this year and was at Hard Rock Stadium multiple times this season.

McLeod is orally committed to the Gamecocks, although it won’t stop Cristobal from recruiting him.

As for Wayne, he could easily play a similar role to the one defensive lineman Nyjalik Kelly played as a freshman this year. He’s a top 60 prospect, according to 247.

LINEBACKERS

Commits: Four-star Orlando Jones linebacker Malik Bryant, four-star Whitewater (Fayetteville, Ga.) linebacker Raul Aguirre, three-star Palmetto standout Bobby Washington and three-star Life Christian Academy (South Chesterfield, Va.) linebacker Kaleb Spencer.

Targets: Four-star Central linebacker Stanquan Clark and three-star Sandy Creek (Tyrone, Ga.) linebacker Marcellius Pulliam.

This is another good haul, especially since Bryant, Aguirre and Washington are all having monster senior years. Bryant is an even more highly touted prospect than linebacker Welsey Bissainthe, who seized a starting job as a freshman this year.

Clark would be a nice addition as a new-age linebacker, who can hit and cover. Pulliam has expressed interest in taking an official visit sometime before the early signing period.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

Committed: Five-star Lakeland cornerback Cormani McClain, four-star Melbourne Eau Gallie cornerback Robert Stafford and four-star Fort Dillard four-star safety Antione Jackson.

Targets: Four-star Junipero Serra (San Mateo, Calif.) cornerback Rodrick Pleasant, four-star Kissimmee Osceola cornerback Ja’Keem Jackson, four-star American Heritage cornerback Damari Brown and four-star St. Johns Bartram Trail cornerback Sharif Denson.

McClain, ranked as the No. 1 cornerback and No. 4 prospect in the country by 247, would be UM’s highest-rated recruit in years. He and Stafford should help immediately, and McClain’s somewhat surprising commitment last month, plus Jackson’s reclassification from the Class of 2024, makes the secondary a less pressing need heading into signing day -- provided these players sign with UM, as expected.

Still, cornerback has been an issue for Miami for years and the Hurricanes are still in the mix for some good ones. Brown, Jackson and Denson — the latter two are committed to the Gators — all visited Miami this season and Pleasant, a top-100 recruit, has said in the past he’d like to get down to Miami at some point.