On 'Fire': Hurricanes' West Coast Recruiting
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College football recruiting can run in cycles with regards to where recruits come from.
That being said, the way Miami head coach Mario Cristobal and his staff are hitting the West Coast for the class of 2023 already goes beyond the prior five recruiting hauls for the Hurricanes.
That’s significant improvement.
In 2018, Miami signed Brevin Jordan, a tight end from Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman that produced 105 receptions for 1,358 yards and 13 touchdowns during his three years in Coral Gables.
He went on to become the Houston Texans fifth round pick from the 2021 NFL Draft. During his NFL rookie season, Jordan caught 20 passes for 178 yards and three scores.
In 2020, it was wide receiver Key’Shawn Smith from San Diego (Calif.) Lincoln. During his second season in a Miami uniform, Smith became a mainstay within the receiving corps by catching 33 passes for 405 yards and three touchdowns.
The 2022 recruiting class saw Miami sign edge rusher Cyrus Moss from Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman after Cristobal took the Miami job. He is a national recruit expected to compete for playing time right away. Signing Moss was just the beginning.
To date with the current cycle, Miami has already surpassed the three West Coast high school recruit plateau from 2018-2022 by early July. In fact, each of the 'Cane commitments from the other side of the country have all jumped on board over the last three weeks, too.
The Hurricanes currently have 13 verbal commitments for the class of 2023, with four of them from out West.
National recruit and edge rusher Jayden Wayne comes from Tacoma (Wash.) Lincoln prior to his transfer to Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy. Another Miami commitment and national recruit, offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa, is from American Samoa. He also plays for IMG Academy after beginning his varsity career in California.
The third recruit from out West in the Miami class, and the third now at IMG Academy after coming over from Portland (Ore.) Central Catholic, would be tight end Riley Williams.
Finally, there’s Miami quarterback commitment Jaden Rashada from Pittsburgh (Calif.) High School, a prospect the Hurricanes won a national recruiting battle for. With five months to go before the first National Signing Day on Dec. 14, Miami has four big-time recruits from out West already on board.
To place how coveted Wayne, Mauigoa and Williams have become, Southern California and Oregon offered all three of them. They also had SEC and B10 offers in addition to USC. Luring three top-notch prospects from locations that the Trojans, in addition to other top programs, helps to display Miami’s current recruiting cache.
Adding to Miami’s roll out West, Rashada picked up offers from programs across the country, including SEC schools such as Texas A&M, Florida, LSU, Ole Miss, Auburn, Arkansas, and Tennessee, Big 10 members Purdue, Penn State, and Michigan State, plus Big 12 program Oklahoma.
Overall, Miami has begun to improve the Hurricanes' roster with really good recruits from states like California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. Do not forget, Miami even dipped into American Samoa for Mauigoa, too.
Coach Cristobal and his staff are truly on fire by way of recruiting at an elite level out West.
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