Canes get Wayne, win another five-star recruiting battle
For the second time in a week, the Miami Hurricanes won a five-star recruiting battle Saturday.
Jayden Wayne, an edge rusher at Bradenton IMG Academy, orally committed to Miami during a live broadcast on CBS Sports HQ. It was the second time in a week that a five-star lineman from IMG Academy committed to the Hurricanes — Francis Mauigoa committed Monday — and it continues a torrential run of commitments for Mario Cristobal and Co.
Wayne is the sixth bluechip recruit to commit to Miami’s Class of 2023 in the last two weeks. In the process, the Hurricanes have jumped from No. 44 to No. 7 in 247Sports’ team rankings.
The 6-foot-5, 245pound athlete is the No. 30 player and No. 5 edge rusher in the 247 composite rankings for the Class of 2023, and he was the No. 1 recruit in Washington before he announced his decision to transfer to IMG last month.
Although Wayne will play his senior year in Florida, this is another national victory for the Hurricanes, just like Mauigoa’s commitment was.
Wayne is from Washington and played the last three seasons at Lincoln in Tacoma before he decided to join the Ascenders.
CRISTOBAL’S EDGE
The Georgia Bulldogs, Alabama Crimson Tide, LSU Tigers, Michigan State Spartans and Oregon Ducks rounded out Wayne’s top six, and Miami beat them all, at least in part because of Cristobal’s ties to the goals is to earn more consistent playing time this upcoming season. Dedmon re-signed with the Heat in free agency but Yurtseven is expected to have an opportunity to compete with him for the backup role.
“Still the same hunger,” Yurtseven said when asked what’s different about this summer compared to last summer when he was still working for an NBA contract. “I think overall it’s just about wanting to get better and that summer league helped me get better . ... This year is the same. I want to improve and jump another level.”
At 6-11 and 275 pounds, Yurtseven has focused his summer work on speed and force to become a more effective and versatile
West Coast.
When he was the coach at Oregon, Cristobal had the Ducks in great position to land both Wayne and Mauigoa, who is from American Samoa, before he left to return to his alma mater late last year. defender. Heat president Pat Riley listed “strength, mobility, footwork, back-to-the-basket strength” earlier this offseason as areas that Yurtseven needs to improve.
With a void at power forward following the departure of veteran P.J. Tucker in free agency, there’s also the possibility that Yurtseven could be asked to play alongside Adebayo more often this season. To do that, Yurtseven will need to prove he can be a reliable threepoint shooter for spacing purposes. He made just 1 of his 11 attempts from three-point range last regular season.
Yurtseven said he and Adebayo could be great in a twin towers lineup. He hopes Spoelstra gives them a chance to prove it.
Now Cristobal has the Hurricanes in position to sign multiple out-of-state five-star players for the first time since the 2005 recruiting cycle.
Miami has signed multiple five-star prospects only once in the last 10
“I think it’s just us playing and having some time together,” Yurtseven said. “I think just seeing us play and dominate the boards and just pretty much dominating all around is going to convince [Spoelstra] that we can be a lethal force.”
But first, he hopes to get a chance to play in the summer league, to keep getting time on the court.
“I think that’s really what he needs,” Allen said. “It’s not like a summer checklist of two to three things skills-wise. I think those things will come because he’s so talented offensively. It’s just time of playing basketball on the court.”
Anthony Chiang: 305-376-4991, @Anthony_Chiang years.
Wayne has been a major recruiting target for the Hurricanes for about a year. They managed to get him on campus a handful of times this year, hosting him for an unofficial visit in January and an official visit in June.
Cristobal was the first coach to offer Wayne a scholarship back when the coach was at Oregon.
At Miami, Wayne will slot in as a defensive end, although he also has the size to develop into an interior presence, too.
As a junior, the defensive end logged 44 tackles with 16 tackles for loss, nine sacks and a forced fumble in just eight games, and also caught 18 passes for 259 yards and five touchdowns a a wide receiver.
FOOTHOLD AT IMG
Wayne also strengthens the Hurricanes’ foothold at IMG as the third Ascender to commit to Miami in the last eight days, joining Mauigoa, a fivestar tackle, and elite tight end Riley Williams.
The six additions in the last two weeks — Wayne, Mauigoa, Williams, elite quarterback Jaden Rashada, Edison wide receiver Nathaniel Joseph and Melbourne Eau Gallie athlete Robert Stafford — are now the six highestranked players in UM’s 2023 recruiting class.
Miami, however, did not go 2 for 2 on five-star decisions this weekend. Jalen Brown, a five-star wide receiver at Gulliver Prep, orally committed to LSU on Friday, spurning his hometown Hurricanes for the Southeastern Conference.
David Wilson: 305-376-3406, @DBWilson2