Looking at 6 new Canes recruits
Paradise Camp helps seal deal with four-star Palm Beach Central WR.
What kind of weekend did the Hurricanes football program have? A productive one.
Miami hosted its third annual Paradise Camp, and it was a big success. About 200 high school players took part in the two-day event held at the Coral Gables campus, which featured a pool party/cookout Friday and actual football drills Saturday night.
Recruits — some who have already committed to the Hurricanes, some who are still uncommitted, and others who are still working for a Miami offer — from the 2019, 2020 and 2021 classes made the trip to work with current Hurricanes coaches and players, and even a few legendary former players. This year’s list of past Hurricanes who served as guest coaches included Warren Sapp, Jonathan Vilma, Bryant McKinnie, Clinton Portis, Jon Beason, Bennie Blades and Lamar Thomas.
Six high school standouts committed to the Hurricanes over the weekend. Here’s a look at the six:
1. 2020 DB Jaiden Francois, Homestead-South Dade: Francois verbally committed to the Hurricanes on Friday night. The rising junior is listed at 6 feet, 185 pounds and is not rated by 247Sports or Rivals yet. Francois picked Miami over early offers from Georgia, Georgia Tech, Syracuse, UCF, Florida Atlantic, UAB and Florida A&M. He told CaneSport that he committed to the Hurricanes because “I wanted to stay home and play in my back-
yard.” Francois played safety at South Dade last season as a sophomore, but he will start his junior year at cornerback. Most project him as a safety at the college level.
2. 2020 DB/OLB Keshawn Washington, South Dade: Washington verbally committed to the Hurricanes shortly after Francois, his high school teammate and close friend, on Friday night. The rising junior is listed at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds by Rivals and is unranked by the major recruiting sites. Washington picked the Hurricanes over early offers from schools like Georgia, Nebraska, Rutgers, Syracuse and UCF. At 6-foot-3, Washington is probably too big to play cornerback in college. Safety and linebacker seem like the two most realistic positions for him moving forward.
3. 2020 OL Jonathan Denis, South Dade: Denis verbally committed to the Hurricanes right after Francois and Washington, his high school teammates, on Friday night. The rising junior is rated as a three-star prospect and the 12th-best 2020 offensive guard in the country by 247Sports, and a fourstar prospect and eighth-best offensive guard by Rivals. Denis chose the Hurricanes over early offers from schools like Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU and Oregon. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 270 pounds by 247Sports, he’s projected by most to play as a guard in college. But he’s currently lining up as a tackle at South Dade.
4. 2021 DE Donell Harris, Miami-Booker T. Washington: Harris verbally committed to the Hurricanes Saturday night. The rising sophomore is not rated by 247Sports or Rivals yet, with three high school seasons still to play before getting to college. Harris, who is listed at 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds by 247Sports, picked Miami over early offers from Baylor, North Carolina State and Syracuse. Harris told 247Sports that Hurricanes defensive line coach Jess Simpson is a big reason why he committed to Miami, saying Simpson is “very vocal and very hands on” and “I love the way that he coaches his players.”
5. 2020 WR Bryan Robinson, Palm Beach Central: Robinson verbally committed to the Hurricanes, becoming the first Palm Beach County prospect to join Miami’s 2020 class. Robinson is rated as a four-star player and the 17th-best 2020 wide receiver in the country by 247Sports, and Rivals also has him as a four-star recruit. At 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, he finished last season with 29 catches for 493 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Robinson is the No. 13-ranked player on The Palm Beach Post’s Too Early Top 20.
6. 2019 DT Jalar Holley, Buford, Ga.: Holley made his commitment to the Hurricanes official Sunday afternoon. He was down to a final two of Miami and Minnesota, and ended up picking the Hurricanes over a list of other offers like Florida, Louisville, Michigan State, N.C. State, Tennessee and Virginia Tech. The 6-foot-3, 280-pound Holley is listed as a three-star recruit by 247Sports and Rivals. One of the biggest reasons behind his decision? Simpson, Miami’s first-year defensive line coach. Holley attends the same high school that Simpson won seven state titles at as head coach. In total, Simpson spent a total of 22 years on the Buford coaching staff and even coached Holley’s older brother for a few seasons during that time. Holley said to 247Sports: “Me and my family have always been close with (Coach Simpson). I have known him for like 11 years.”