Will The Class Of 2023 Freshmen Help Bring Miami Football Back To Glory?

To submit questions for a future mailbag, you can tweet me @LockedOnCanes.

Q: How do we get back to glory, and how do this class and last years fit in to it? -Donny Q

A: You get back to glory by stacking recruiting classes with big, strong, talented players who love football. That last part might sound cliche, but it's essential to land recruits with the most competitive of personalities. This is what Miami's GM of football operations, Alonzo Highsmith, always says. His players "must love football."

A former Miami player who stays connected with the current leadership recently painted a powerful picture for me. He told me that Hurricanes coaches have never seen anything like Miami's incoming class of 2023. They've seen more talented classes (on paper) before, but they've never felt like they've had a group with this sort of leadership, desire, love for football, and alpha mentality from top to bottom.

In recent years, we've heard it suggested that Miami lacks fight and lacks cohesion. If these incoming freshman can turn that around, they can become the most important recruiting class at Miami in at least two decades.

Miami can fix their offensive line for years to come with stars like Francis Mauigoa, Samson Okunlola, Tommy Kinsler and Antonio Tripp. Mauigoa and Okunlola were both five star recruits, but their work-ethic is the first thing O-Line coach Alex Mirabal raves about.

Edge rusher Rueben Bain is among the most decorated high school football players in South Florida history. He won four state championships at Miami Central, set sack records left and right, and won the 2022 Nat Moore Trophy given to the top football player in South Florida. Bain shined during spring ball at The U and will surely be ready to push his teammates in fall camp, too.

Those aren't the only special additions Miami made. Quarterback Emory Williams impressed me during spring football with his size, footwork and accuracy. Former Canes quarterback Malik Rosier, now a coach for QB Country, has worked out with Williams and raves to me about his hard work and dedication to improvement.

Williams connected with former Miami Edison star Ray Ray Joseph on a touchdown in the spring game. Joseph and fellow freshman wideout Robby Washington have earned rave reviews so far, too.

Another player who I expect to play a major part in Miami's rebuild is running back Mark Fletcher. The former American Heritage Patriot rushed for nearly 2,000 yards as a high school senior and has the physical traits (6'2, 230 lbs) of someone ready to play at the Power Five level immediately.

There are more than a dozen others here that I can mention, but you get my point. The class of 2023 can absolutely kickstart Miami's return to the glory days.

Fall camp will open on August 1st for those who are getting excited to see these new players in action.

The upcoming class of 2024 will hopefully fill in some of the holes and build on that momentum. The Canes currently have 18 verbal commits and the 14th ranked class per 247 Sports with a long way to go until National Signing Day. A strong season on the field in 2023 should give Miami a boost with some of their top remaining targets.

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