Kinchens gets closer to decision
The Miami Hurricanes look to continue their recruiting momentum as Miami Northwestern four-star safety Kamren Kinchens has a commitment announcement lined up for July 11.
Kinchens (5-foot-11, 200 pounds) is down to a top three of UM, Texas A&M and Auburn. He is still “figuring things out,” he told the South Florida Sun Sentinel in a phone interview Monday night.
“It’s home,” Kinchens said of Miami. “It’s got a good business option, as far as the player likeness [bill] that’s about to be coming next year, and I just feel like I got a good relationship with [safeties coach Ephraim] Banda and the defensive staff.”
Kinchens has four high school teammates in his senior class already committed to the Hurricanes in tight end Kahlil Brantley, cornerback Tim Burns Jr., outside linebacker Ja’Corey Hammett and wide receiver Romello Brinson.
He said his fellow Bulls are “in the middle” on how much they try to influence him to join them in UM’s 2021 class.
“They just say, ‘It’ll be fun to play with you.’ They’re building a little team or whatever,” Kinchens said. “For the most part, they don’t try to guide me to it. They know, at the end of the day, I’m going to make the best decision that’s for me, just like they made the best decision for them.”
He said Brantley is the teammate who puts the most effort toward getting him on board.
Of Banda, Kinchens said: “Me and him, we just have a personal connection. It’s deeper than football.”
As far as the other schools Kinchens is considering, he said of Texas A&M: “That’s a place where it’s most a guarantee where I can go and produce early.”
And Auburn: “It’s just a football type of place. It’s just a community that’s built around football, and there’s not really too many distractions around. If I go there, it’ll be just football and education.”
Kinchens’ recruitment, like many other
prospects this spring and summer, was affected by the coronavirus pandemic. He said not getting to visit other colleges during the NCAA’s recruiting dead period helped him narrow down his choices — first to a top five that also included LSU and Nebraska and eventually to his final three.
Texas A&M made the final cut despite Kinchens being unable to visit College Station.
Kinchens said he will announce his July 11 decision on social media.
For the upcoming season, Kinchens said Northwestern has aspirations of competing for a national championship after the Bulls’ senior class has reeled off three consecutive state titles.