How Much Will South Florida Receiver Prospects Factor Into Miami's Recruiting Efforts?
MIAMI, Fla. - The Miami Hurricanes' 2025 recruiting efforts have a good problems to work on, and that includes the specific receivers the Canes go after and sign.
Watching yesterday's Miami Under Armour Camp, there's no question that the wide receiver talent is off the charts. Now, which receivers will Hurricanes receivers coach Kevin Beard and the rest of the UM staff prioritize and be able to land?
To be clear, saying the South Florida area is loaded with receivers is not enough. It's ridiculous! Per Rivals, there are some truly top receivers inside the top 150 prospects in the country. After watching Under Armour's one-on-one reps, that list should be changing as well.
Miami Central's Naeshaun Montgomery is #67 and he did a tremendous job on Sunday, including catching this bomb:
Montgomery is a slot or flanker at the college level. Regardless of where he lines up, his speed is difficult to handle; great burst as well.
There are several more South Florida recruits to think about like Waden Charles, a UM commitment from Palm Beach Central. He has tremendous upside and is a welcome addition to the Miami recruiting class. That also brings up Miami's wide receiver recruiting needs.
Coming off the 2024 class with Joshisa Trader, Chance Robinson, and Ny Carr, the Canes are also in an advantageous position because all three of those young men can ball.
Now the Hurricanes can be quite selective, albeit with some caveats. Here are three important aspects of UM wide receiver recruiting that Canes fans should consider.
Timing is everything. How long does Mario Cristobal and his staff wait for a top receiver if another talented prospect is ready to pull the trigger? That's one of the hardest questions to answer with any recruitment and is a consistent reminder that recruiting is as much about gut feeling as it is science.
For instance, the Canes would love to add speedy Homestead High School receiver Cortez Mills to the fold. He was arguably the best receiver, and player, at yesterday's Under Armour event. He could take his recruitment all the way to National Signing Day though. Here's Mills in action:
Mills is one of those receivers that could play in the slot or outside. That's great because he's the exception and not the rule. That brings up the next point.
Positional balance is important. Right now, Miami is not exactly the deepest team at the boundary receiver position. Adding at least one true big-bodied receiver is a need for the 2025 class. A 6-foot-3 and 200-pound player, if one will. Charles could grow into that position as well; he certainly possesses the length.
Any person walking by Charles will notice his long arms, a desired trait for receivers. In the slot, there's a different scenario to consider.
The Hurricanes are deeper at the slot position with several young receivers who can play that role. Thus, Miami could be extremely picky about which prospect fits that mold in the 2025 class.
Could the Canes take a slot? Yes, it just needs to be a true playmaker. Maybe UM makes a run at Miami Central's Kha'lead Sterling or another speedy South Florida slot? Here's a top grab Sterling made yesterday:
That leaves one more area to consider.
Finally, it's about the sheer numbers. Again, UM has three freshmen receivers on campus. It's okay to take three or possibly even four receivers for the 2025 class. To possibly sign a fourth receiver recruit, Miami needs that prospect to be a big-time player. Maybe that recruit will be Mills pledging to the Canes in December. Who knows?
Will Miami sign four receivers in this class? It could. Going by the Miami Under Armour Camp, all of them could come from South Florida.