Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Hurricanes recruiting
UM has reason to feel good about where it stands.
CORAL GABLES — There are dozens of caveats that should come with any discussion of football recruiting this time of year.
National Signing Day is still nine months away. Top-notch prospects are fickle. Perennial recruiting powers like Alabama, Ohio State and Michigan probably haven’t really gotten started yet.
Sure, that’s all true. But right Miami has reason to feel good about where it stands in recruiting.
That’s because when the Hurricanes wrapped up spring football, they had the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class, a class that only got stronger when four-star tight end prospect Will Mallory and three-star defensive end Gregory Rousseau became the latest big-name recruits to verbally commit to Miami last month.
With the additions of Mallory and Rousseau, the Hurricanes now have 18 commitments in their 2018 recruiting class. Of those, 12 are rated four-star prospects like Mallory. Miami also has one five star — running back Lorenzo Lingard of Orange City — in the bunch. And of those 18 pledges, 11 hail from Miaminow,
Dade, Broward or Palm Beach counties, an area widely regarded as one of the most talent-rich in the country.
The next school closest to Miami in the composite rankings put together by 247Sports.com is Penn State, which has secured verbal commitments from 13 prospects, including two five-star players.
LSU, Ohio State and Notre Dame round out the top five as it currently stands, with defending national champion Clemson sitting at sixth and in-state rival Florida State not far behind at seventh.
So can the Hurricanes hang on to that top spot for the next few months? Can they finish at No. 1 when it matters most, on National Signing Day? Recruiting analysts say that’s highly unlikely.
But that doesn’t mean Miami won’t be successful on Feb. 7 — as long as they keep those prospects in the fold, something that’s proven tricky sometimes for early recruiting leaders.
“In recruiting, the race almost always goes to the tortoise, not the hare,” said Tom Lemming, CBS Sports Network’s national recruiting analyst. “But again, Miami is very good. They’re going to wind up very high. It may not be No. 1 at the end, but there’s an enormous amount of talent in South Florida, more than any place in the country. So when Miami’s doing the job, they should always be in the top 10. Always.
“Those kids down there were born to play for ‘The U,’ and all they needed was a good excuse to come. If you do good recruiting and you kind of work on the high school coaches there, you’re always going to have a good year, because high school coaches have a lot of influence on their kids. They have momentum, but momentum can quickly stop in September if you get off to a slow start.”
So what can Miami do to keep those highly touted prospects in the fold?
Well, the new early signing period approved recently by the NCAA Division I council can help. More than anything else, though, the Hurricanes need to win games. And if they don’t win, they need to at least show the kind of progress that will still be attractive to the caliber of players that have committed in recent weeks.
“Winning games is an easy way to say it, but it’s just showing an improvement, showing that your program is moving forward. That’s not always done through winning,” said Steve Wiltfong, recruiting director for 247Sports. “If you’re playing a young roster and those guys are in a lot of ball games, or they lose close ones, the people paying attention can see they’re trending correctly. If you show you’re trending, that you’ve moved forward in the [Mark] Richt era, that’s what you need.”
While finishing with a top-ranked recruiting class would be nice, it’s unlikely that’s UM’s ultimate goal.
Both Lemming and Wiltfong said the Hurricanes’ biggest priority should be filling areas of need on the roster, with the secondary and offensive line being two likely priorities for Miami.
The Hurricanes currently have commitments from six defensive backs and two offensive linemen. They’ve also got commitments from two running backs, three wide receivers, a quarterback, a tight end and a defensive tackle — a mix of explosive skill position players and roster holes that need plugging.
And that — recruiting rankings or not — is what should matter for Richt and his staff, experts say.
“Finishing No. 1 is not the goal. You want to finish in the top 10 every year and address your needs. If you’re addressing your needs and finishing with a highranking recruiting class every year, you’ll probably have a chance to be very competitive and compete for championships,” Wiltfong said. “With Miami, as they continue to retool the roster, I think you see they’re addressing their needs. … They’re recruiting guys that are touted guys. They’re on the uptick. Can they maintain this year and finish No. 1? I think they’re going to take a big enough class that will put them in the discussion, but for them, it’s more exciting if you’re a Miami fan to see them addressing needs, particularly on the offensive line and in the secondary.
“They’re getting skill position players that can run and make plays in the open field. It’s come together nicely under Richt and Co. … This fall, it’ll be about sustaining it. People are going to want to see another step forward with the program. People are excited to see Miami take another step forward.”
Miami’s 2018 recruiting class Five stars
Lorenzo Lingard, RB, 6-0, 190, University (Orange City, FL)
Four stars
Josh Jobe, CB, 6-1, 180, Miami Columbus
Brian Hightower, WR, 6-2, 202, IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL)
Artur Sitkowski, QB, 6-5, 215, IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL)
Brevin Jordan, TE, 6-3, 257, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV)
Mark Pope, WR, 6-1, 175, Miami Southridge
Gilbert Frierson, CB, 6-1, 185, Coral Gables
Gurvan Hall, S, 5-10, 173, Palm Beach Lakes
Cleveland Reed, OL, 6-3, 327, Lakeland
Cam’Ron Davis, RB, 5-9, 190, Miami Carol City
Daquris Wiggins, WR, 6-2, 180, Miami Southridge
Will Mallory, TE, 6-5, 207, Jacksonville Providence
Three stars
Delone Scaife, OL, 6-3, 305, Miami Southridge
Randy Russell, S, 5-11, 180, Miami Carol City
Nesta Silvera, DT, 6-2, 308, American Heritage-Plantation
D.J. Ivey, CB, 6-0, 171, South Dade
Thomas Burns, CB, 5-9, 150, Miami Northwestern
Gregory Rousseau, DE, 6-6, 205, Hialeah Champagnat