Cristobal nabs another elite recruit as Orlando LB chooses Miami over Gators
Coach Mario Cristobal must be celebrating as he continues to create a storm in recruiting for the Hurricanes.
Miami landed an elite prospect Wednesday at their most vulnerable position, as Orlando Jones linebacker Malik Bryant — rated by Rivals.com as the nation’s No. 1 linebacker and by the 247.com composite as No. 4 — pledged his commitment to Miami for the Class of 2023.
“It’s already set in stone,” Bryant posted on twitter, with a graphic of him throwing up the “U.”
Bryant, 6-2 and 235 pounds, is the No. 61 player, regardless of position, in the Class of 2023 and the No. 15 player in Florida, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings. Miami beat out the Florida Gators, Alabama and the USC Trojans to win his commitment. But it was Florida that most analysts believed was UM’s main competition.
After years of uncertainty at linebacker, the Hurricanes appear to have gone a long way in solving their long-term concerns with the commitment of Bryant. The Hurricanes now hold commitments from two of the top 10 linebackers in the class — Raul Aguirre from Whitewater in Fayetteville, Georgia, committed to Miami earlier this month — and both rank higher than any other linebacker the Hurricanes have signed since the Class of 2017.
Bryant might be something closer to a hybrid edge rusher, but he has primarily worked as a stand-up linebacker and his substantial frame means he’s best suited for the position in the Hurricanes’ 4-3 defense.
Bryant spent the past two years at Bradenton IMG Academy and earned All-American honors from MaxPreps in each season while playing linebacker.
In January, Bryant announced he would return home for his senior year to play at Jones, where he will once again line up as a linebacker.
Bryant’s pledge adds to Miami’s incredible run of commitments across the last month, despite having offensive lineman Payton Kirkland commit Saturday night to Texas instead. Another O-lineman,
Olaus Alinen, from Finland, picked Alabama over Miami and several other schools Friday. UM also was beaten out by Georgia for four-star safety Joenel Aguero on Saturday, but most projected the Bulldogs would get him.
The Hurricanes’ eight new blue-chip additions in the past month — quarterback Jaden Rashada, wide receiver Nathaniel Joseph, tight end Riley Williams, tackle Francis Mauigoa, edge rusher Jayden Wayne, Aguirre, athlete Robert Stafford and now Bryant— are eight of the 10 highestranked prospects in their 2023 recruiting class.
Before Rashada kicked off the run during the final weekend of June, Miami’s 2023 class ranked 44th in the nation. As of 7 p.m. Wednesday after Bryant’s UM commitment, the Canes, now with 15 commits, were ranked 10th in the rivals
team rankings, No. 8 by 247Sports and No. 5 by On3.com.
PRESEASON ALL-ACC
Hurricanes offensive tackle Zion Nelson, tight end Will Mallory and punter Lou Hedley were named Wednesday to the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Preseason All-ACC team, as selected in a media poll.
The man who targets Mallory and whose blind side is protected by Nelson, did not make the All-ACC preseason team — but he did get the third most votes for Preseason Player of the Year. That’s UM quarterback Tyler
Van Dyke, another firstround draft prospect if he leaves after this, his thirdyear sophomore season. Van Dyke received 21 votes, behind Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman, who got 30 votes.
North Carolina State quarterback Devin Leary, with 40 votes, was selected as the preseason AllACC and Preseason Player of the Year.
Nelson, 6-5 and 216 pounds, has already been projected as a 2023 firstround draft prospect. He’s going into his fourth-year junior season.
Mallory, a 6-5, 245pound soon-to-be fifthyear senior, started all 12 games and caught 30 passes for 347 yards and
four touchdowns. He had surgery during the spring to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, but said last week at the ACC Football Kickoff media days that he’s 100 percent healed and ready for practice to begin Aug. 5.
Punter Lou Hedley, a 6-4, 220-pound sixth-year redshirt senior from Australia, was a 2021 semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award honoring the nation’s top punter. He averaged 44.9 yards per punt on 47 punts with 11 punts of 50 yards or more.
UM starts the season Sept. 3 at home against Bethune-Cookman. Fall camp opens Aug. 5.
Preseason Player of the Year (votes in parentheses): 1. Devin Leary, QB, NC State (40); 2. Sam Hartman, QB, Wake Forest (30); 3. Tyler Van Dyke, QB, Miami (21); 4. Bryan Breese, DT, Clemson (14); 4-t. Brennan Armstrong, QB, Virginia (14); 6-t. Malik Cunningham, QB, Louisville (12); 6-t. Josh Downs, WR, North Carolina (12); 8. Sean Tucker, RB, Syracuse (11); 9. Myles Murphy,
DT, Clemson (5); 10. Trenton Simpson, LB, Clemson (3); 11. Jammie Robinson, S, Florida State (2).
Preseason All-ACC Football Team: Offense — QB Devin Leary, NC State (56); RB Sean Tucker, Syracuse (125); RB Will Shipley, Clemson (112); WR Josh Downs, North Carolina (128); WR A.T. Perry, Wake Forest (111); WR Zay Flowers, Boston College (104); TE Will Mallory, Miami (69); AP Keytaon Thompson, Virginia (70); OT Jordan McFadden, Clemson (127); OT Zion Nelson, Miami (82); OG Caleb Chandler, Louisville (104); OG Christian Mahogany, Boston College (67); C Grant Gibson, NC State (90).
Defense — DE Myles Murphy, Clemson (120); DE Habakkuk Baldonado, Pitt (54); LB Payton Wilson, NC State (60); CB Kei’Trel Clark, Louisville (70); CB Josh DeBerry, Boston
College (65); S Jammie Robinson, Florida State (93); S Tanner Ingle, NC State (63); PK B.T. Potter, Clemson (99); P Lou Hedley, Miami (101); SP Josh Downs, North Carolina (57).