Fletcher may have wavered, but UM is ‘home’
For a long time, Mark Fletcher thought he was going to be an Ohio State Buckeye. For a little while, the four-star running back figured he might become a Florida Gator. In the end, he’s a Miami Hurricane, just like he always felt he was.
Fletcher, the top-ranked running back in South Florida for the Class of 2023, waited until Sunday to finally decide it and until Wednesday to truly make it official, but the All-American tailback is staying close to home to try to bring his favorite team back to prominence.
It took five years of recruiting and a lifetime of fandom, and then a final aggressive push from Mario Cristobal, to make it all happen.
“Why not the U? It’s home,” said Fletcher, who’s the No. 15 running back in the 247Sports composite rankings for the Class of 2023. “The coaches have really been on me since the eighth grade and when things started to fall down, they relied on me to just make the program better again and, like I told them before, I just admired their hunger just to get Miami back to the top and I feel I can really help them do that.
“I want to go show them I can do that and I want to show the world I can do that.”
Fletcher has held a scholarship offer from the Hurricanes since 2019 and, even though most of the on-field coaching staff is different now, many of those working behind the scenes in the recruiting department are the same, but he still committed to Ohio State in April as he was trying to feel out Miami’s new staff after the departure of former running backs coach Eric Hickson, who’s now the running backs coach for the FIU Panthers. Cristobal never gave up, though, and Fletcher decommitted from the Buckeyes last month and narrowed his choices down to the Hurricanes and Gators.
A few days before the early signing period began Wednesday, Fletcher finally made the move he always truly wanted and committed to Miami last weekend as he wrapped up an official visit in Coral Gables.
The 6-foot-1, 225-pound senior officially signed his national letter of intent Wednesday.
“His heart has always really been down here. I think he was just kind of looking to see. For him, I think it was, ‘What direction are they going in?’ ” American Heritage coach Mike Smith said. “When they brought the new staff in, it was, OK, well, let me kind of see from a distance what direction they were going in. I just think that with all the momentum that they’ve had in recruiting and the level of kids that they’re signing, I think he was like, OK, you know what? It does look like Mario’s going to get that thing back and rolling.”
Said Fletcher: “They just want guys who really want to go in there and work. They want people who are tired of seeing what happened last year and the previous years, so I feel like I’m one of those people.”
His resume with the Patriots certainly suggests he is. Fletcher has been at American Heritage since he was in eighth grade, getting carries on varsity when he was still in middle school. As a freshman, he emerged a contributor, then became the Patriots’ top halfback as a sophomore in 2019 and ran for more than 1,400 yards.
In the last three years, Fletcher ran for 4,124 yards on 7.7 yards per carry and 114.6 yards per game, winning a Class 5A championship in 2019 and again leading American Heritage to the Class 2M title game this year.
As good as he was as a sophomore and junior, Fletcher took yet another leap as a senior and finished this season with 226 carries for 1,934 yards and 23 touchdowns, plus 13 catches for 157 yards and another touchdown, all while losing just one fumble.
In his five years in Plantation, Fletcher went from being a power back to one of the best all-around halfbacks in the country, with a blend of speed, power and balance to lead Broward County in rushing yards.
Smith, who was the Patriots’ running backs coach before taking the head job this year, said Fletcher is about 10 pounds lighter than he was last year — he played this year around 220, Smith said — and it helped him be a more complete runner in 2022, especially after he dealt with an ankle injury last season.
“That doesn’t seem like a big difference,” Smith said, “but you take that 10-pound weight vest off and you move a little bit quicker.”
The situation is also good for Fletcher right now at Miami. The Hurricanes lost Jaylan Knighton to the transfer portal — the running back is now with the SMU Mustangs — and there are carries to be had.
Fletcher isn’t concerned about it too much, though. He’s just happy to be headed to his dream school.
“I’m not really worried about starting. I just want to go in there and work hard and everything that I work for it’ll be given to me . ... I just want to go in there and work, and just earn everything,” Fletcher said. “They showed how much of a priority I am and I just want to bring the U back.”
David Wilson: 305-376-3406, @DBWilson2