Miami Adds More Front Court Depth For Next Season's Roster
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The Miami Hurricanes have a star recruit entering the program this season, but with only one high school recruit, Jai Lucas, needed to add some more players to the lineup.
He now has a new commitment from the high school ranks as three-star forward Chris Birden Jr. commits to Miami.
Birden chose Miami over Texas State, Western Carolina, Northeastern, East Tennessee State, and California Baptist. Associate coach Charlton “C.Y.” Young played a major role in this commitment.
BREAKING: 2026 3-Star forward Chris Birden Jr. has committed to Miami.
— CanesMuse (@canes_muse) April 21, 2026
The 6’10 PF is ranked 55th at his position in the class. pic.twitter.com/osBV8DpN58
“I really enjoyed it, really great campus feel, really great coaching staff, great facilities," Birden Jr. said during his official visit. "It seems like they have a really good team out there. One of the biggest takeaways I got for me personally was just getting my body right, just seeing how physical those guys are in practice, seeing how big they are. Seeing how important the weight room is at the next level is a really big thing for me seeing that, so that kind of pushed me to really start taking care of my body and really investing in my body early.”
Birden was a key player playing alongside Duke signee Deron Rippey Jr. during high school, and now with the Hurricanes, he can develop into a solid big man for the team.
A look at new Hurricanes commit Chris Birden.
— TrintonBreeze (@TrintonBreeze) April 22, 2026
He played alongside 5-star point guard Duke signee Deron Rippey Jr.pic.twitter.com/zUC6MPCW9k
Projected Roster for the 2026-27 season:
Starters:
1. Acaden Lewis
2. Dante Allen
3. Shelton Henderson
4. Caleb Gaskins
5. Somto Cyril
Bench:
Marcus Allen
DeSean Goode
Chris Birden Jr.
Portal
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Birden is the style of player who is more of a long term play than an instant player. He has great size, but the game would need to come to him with more experience.
This is the second high school commit of the 2026 class for the Canes, as they continue to work towards the top of the transfer portal class.
Miami's focus is on the transfer portal while also building what the Canes have now. The key returning players, like Shelton Henderson and Dante Allen, continue to love these additions while also knowing they are stepping into a leadership role of their own this season.
Transfer Portal Class Rankings:
(As of April 21)
1. Louisville
2. Texas
3. Indiana
4. Tennessee
5. Miami
6. Providence
7. Villanova
8. Xavier
9. Missouri
10. Alabama
11. Houston
12. Maryland
13. UCLA
14. Pitt
15. South Carolina
16. Iowa State
17. Cincinnati
18. Ole Miss
19. Creighton
20. DePaul
T21. Kentucky
T21. UConn
23. BYU
24. Florida State
25. Texas A&M
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.
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