Past, present, potential Hurricanes to gather
UM set for Paradise Camp, its marquee recruiting event
Nothing unites the current Miami Hurricanes with legends of the past and the program’s top recruiting targets like UM’s annual Paradise Camp. It serves that purpose even more so than some of the Hurricanes’ biggest college football Saturday showdowns.
After a year without Paradise Camp due to the COVID19 pandemic, Miami’s marquee recruiting event is back on in Coral Gables on Saturday.
Since former Hurricanes coach Mark Richt started Paradise Camp in 2016, top talent has traveled to UM, sometimes from out of state, to showcase their skills in several drills, 1-on-1 work and 7-on-7 play. Past camps have brought future NFL first-round picks such as Jerry Jeudy, Gregory Rousseau and DeVonta Smith to Miami when they were in high school.
“The whole idea behind this Paradise Camp is to try to bring in some of the elite guys from across the country. It’s really based on competition,” said Andy Vaughn, UM’s director of player personnel, on WQAM 560-AM on Friday morning.
Others prospects who aren’t as coveted will compete to show Miami coaches they’re worthy of a scholarship offer, hoping to earn one with standout performances. Younger high school football players beyond the 2022 class may have the most to gain from the experience in this regard. Before participating in drills, recruits get to tour Miami’s campus and will also benefit from whiteboard sessions covering the mental aspects of the game.
Along the way, on top of the Hurricanes coaches and staff, the prospects have Miami legends of the past and recent alumni that aren’t currently in the NFL guiding them.
Among the stars slated to be
present on Saturday night: Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin and running back Edgerrin James, All-Pro defensive end Calais Campbell, Miami Dolphins rookie defensive end Jaelan Phillips, fellow first-round pick Rousseau, other former greats like receiver Lamar Thomas and more recent alumni in safety Sheldrick Redwine, running backs DeeJay Dallas and Travis Homer, receiver K.J. Osborn and kicker Jose Borregales.
“Since I’ve been here from Day 1, coach [Manny] Diaz has always said, ‘This is a program built by the players,’ and it’s true,” Vaughn said. “This is what it’s all about. It’s a unique situation where we can bring back some of the great players in Miami history and guys that are still performing at a high level in the NFL. You have guys that have won Super Bowls, guys that have won national championships, guys that have been NFL Man of the Year, Pro Bowls.
You’re going to be surrounded by guys that have achieved things at the highest level at college and the professional game but love their university, love their program and want to give back in any way they can.
“That’s a unique thing where they’re not just kind of standing around and you shake their hand, take a picture with them and then move along. They’re actually out there giving you tips and giving you help for these guys at this high school level that they’ve accrued over time. … It just speaks to the love that these guys have for the University of Miami.”
Among the top 2022 recruits expected to attend Paradise is five-star Miami Monsignor Pace defensive end Shemar Stewart, who will visit UM’s campus for the fourth time this month, although it’s unknown if he’ll partake in drills on Saturday. In addition to holding the camp, Miami will host a final official visit weekend before the NCAA goes back into a recruiting dead period. Four-star prospects in linebackers DeMario Tolan from Orlando and Devon Jackson from Omaha, Neb., Orlando defensive lineman Zane Durant and South Carolina tight end Jaleel Skinner, along with three-star offensive linemen in Miami Central’s Daughtry Richardson and Nashville’s Jacob Hood, are slated to visit, according to 247 Sports.
With the key recruiting month of June wrapping up, Miami has four commitments in the 2022 class, one where the dominoes were expected to fall slowly because the pandemic delayed prospects’ ability to visit schools and develop relationships with college coaches. Two of them came last weekend in four-star cornerback Khamauri Rogers and three-star wide receiver Landon Ibieta, while the Hurricanes have created bonds with plenty others who will likely make decisions in July and August.
While the commitment numbers aren’t there, Vaughn feels the Hurricanes are still in a good spot building recruiting momentum with top targets.
“I think we are,” he said. “Publicly, everybody wants to see the commitments and wants to see that quick return on investment, so to speak. When a guy comes in, they want him to commit, and I think this year is very unique. Guys have not been able to go to campuses and meet staffs for over a year, so I think this June is really about guys getting out, broadening their horizons, get to meet people for the first time, get to see a campus for the first time, and I think it takes a little bit to process that.
“I’m not concerned about not having a flurry of commitments in the month of June. I think it’ll start to materialize here in July, as we go into the fall,” Vaughn continued. “I think we’ve made some definite inroads. We’ve had a lot of great players and families on campus, and I think that investment will pay off pretty soon.”
Following the weekend, the NCAA goes back into a dead period to allow prospects and coaches time off before their seasons, as well as to let players rejoin their high school teams for any activities for training camp.