Recruiting Thoughts: Miami's 2024 Class

Here's what Miami needs from this upcoming recruiting class.

Looking at what’s been happening with Miami Hurricanes recruiting and what’s next, I wanted to share my thoughts about what I believe will be critical factors for the 2024 recruiting class.

This is my take alone about what the Hurricanes need to help close the talent gap between themselves and the truly elite programs in college football. In short, this 2024 recruiting class must be on the same level, if not even better, than the last one. Here we go.

Local Talent

For years, it’s been well noted that Miami needed to do a much better job signing the top-notch local talent. Well, head coach Mario Cristobal accomplished that task during his first recruiting class.

Now, can Miami take that next step of landing a few more than the 2023 class? How about going even further, and landing more of the Rueben Bain’s of the world? You know, the truly elite players that have shown the ability to play right away at the Power 5 level?

From communicating with several South Florida personalities and high school coaches during the last couple of years, it’s been like an open book that each person was reading from. Miami’s staff needed to spend more time focusing on the programs in their own backyard, i.e. sending coaches to those local schools to build relationships and eventually offer the local players.

The last Miami staff, overall, did not do that based on the intel I gathered. At least not good enough to help Miami’s won-loss record and that’s the bottom line.

I’ve heard good feedback about Cristobal’s staff being involved in Dade County and Broward County, and I’ve literally seen Miami coaches on the road and working to make an impact with top players. So far, so good.

Let’s see how spring ball goes when the coaches from The U hit the road again. I’ll check the buzz with high school coaches and people like Larry Blustein, and go from there. As of today, I like where things are headed.

Recruiting Needs

Wide receiver, offensive line talent and depth, perhaps two quarterbacks – if possible and the right combination wants to come to Coral Gables – for Miami, and a top-notch group of defensive players across the board need to be added to the roster.

To be clear, defense has always been about numbers. Teams needed to rotate when Miami was dominating in the 1980s, and that’s not changed.

The Canes absolutely need high-end talent across their defensive class this year to help augment the 2023 Miami recruiting class. That’s no small task, but that’s how many big-time games have been won with rotating in top talent, especially during the fourth quarter, and Miami needs a lot more depth than it holds heading into the 2023 spring practices.

As for offense, probably the biggest need would be that big-bodied playmaker on the perimeter. That “dude” that teams need to account for no matter where he’s lined up. Much like with the defense, the Canes also need to add talent so that there are more players to rotate and help build the depth chart.

Playmakers

Every recruiting class can be looked at differently. Some talk about needs, depth, speed, whatever it might be. For Miami, they need all those things, but also football players that have shown the ability to have moxie; the character to figure out a way to make a play happen no matter the circumstance. That’s what Miami’s heritage was built upon.

Sure, attributes like speed, size, and strength have and will continue to be needed. It’s just that the intangibles have sometimes been missing during the past 20 years and that cost the Hurricanes. Miami has needed that back and each recruiting class needs to find those players.

In-State Recruiting Cache

How much power does Miami hold in recruiting? In short, do the Hurricanes go out and consistently compete for elite recruits when going against teams like Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama and the like, for top Florida prospects?

Maybe out of four categories listed in this article, this one would be the most intriguing, at least to me. Many of the off the record conversations with recruits and high school coaches in the Sunshine State have centered around out of state programs.

Does Miami, with a second-year coaching staff that’s developed some in-state relationships, make a move up the ladder this year and start to earn more respect with Florida prep coaches and prospects?

Maybe it's landing a player like Miami (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna wide receiver Joshisa Trader or flipping Miami (Fla.) Columbus edge defender TJ Capers from his Louisville commitment. Perhaps both. 

It wouldn't hurt to land a big-time talent like Daytona Beach (Fla.) Mainland safety Zavier Mincey either. Taking a player out of the Florida Gators' home base would be a good sign.

I will be watching this situation closely, and will report back about it later this year. Should be interesting.

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