Top-5 class could get even better
After racking up stars on offense in early period, defense is today’s focus.
Remember how hot the Hurricanes were last November? They were 10-0 after routing Notre Dame and waylaying Virginia Tech, and seemed to have left their October issues behind. If you were speaking credibly about serious College Football Playoff contenders, you had to mention Miami.
Then, of course, came the injuries. And the stunner at Pitt. And the beatdown by Clemson. After the Canes couldn’t stagger past Wisconsin in the Orange Bowl, it was hard to find fans who were still glowing from that glorious start.
As signing day arrives, a similar scenario is playing out for Mark Richt’s program. The early signing period has given UM a recruiting class worth celebrating, a group that fills some of the holes in a roster that is, all things considered, not far from
heavyweight status. But if today comes and goes without flash and splash, fans may be a little salty before March brings the annual hope of spring practices.
The Dec. 20-22 signing period, a first for college football, allowed UM to sign 19 players, 10 of which enrolled last month. Miami enters today with the fifth-best class in the nation, according to Rivals and 247Sports. ESPN ranks UM seventh. The Hurricanes boosted their offense in a big way, adding arguably the nation’s best crop of running backs and tight ends, finding a top-tier quarterback and bolstering the offensive line. They are still in need of quality defensive linemen and cornerbacks, and today is a prime chance to add both.
Of major importance: Plantation-American Heritage defensive tackle Nesta Silvera, who committed last February but opted not to sign early. He’s a four-star prospect, listed at 6-foot-2 and 308 pounds, rated as high as No. 2 among all players at his position (by 247Sports). If he signs as expected, he’ll fill a major need for UM, which loses starters Kendrick Norton and RJ McIntosh to the NFL draft.
Miami hopes three of his high school teammates — five-star cornerbacks Tyson Campbell and Patrick Surtain Jr., and four-star defensive end Andrew Chatfield — join him in Coral Gables. They are scheduled to make a televised announcement around 10 a.m. on ESPNU.
Landing all four would shock the recruiting world.
Surtain, the son of the former Dolphins All-Pro who now coaches Heritage, is considered by analysts to be the top cornerback prospect in the country (LSU, Alabama and Clemson are also in the mix). Campbell, second among cornerbacks in ESPN and 247Sports’ rankings and fourth in Rivals, is picking between UM, Georgia and Alabama. Either player would be a coup for defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, who lost one pro-quality cornerback (Dee Delaney) to graduation and sophomore standout Malek Young to a career-ending neck injury.
Tom Luginbill, ESPN’s national recruiting director, likes what UM already has: four-stars D.J. Ivey and Gilbert Frierson, who are enrolled; four-star Al Blades Jr., who signed early and will enroll in May; and three-star Nigel Bethel, who signs today. “They’re going to have good options,” Luginbill said.
Other UM targets include three-star defensive lineman Jamarcus Chatman (6-3, 266), a Georgia prospect who could play tackle or end; four-star tackle Keondre Coburn (6-3, 330), a Texas commit who is rumored to be mulling a switch; threestar tackle Jordan Miller (6-4, 330), a late-rising recruit from Jacksonville who committed to UM last month; and Georgia-based wide receiver Marquez Ezzard (6-1, 215), a four-star recruit who is also considering Mississippi.
UM also plans to add two grad transfers this summer: offensive guard Venzell Boulware (Tennessee) and defensive tackle Tito Odenigbo (Illinois).