Okunlola Commits, What's Next for Miami?

Article profile photo is of American Heritage running back Mark Fletcher.

The Miami Hurricanes are on a recruiting roll. With the addition of Samson Okunlola to the 2023 recruiting class, Miami is likely to be moving up the Sports Illustrated recruiting rankings.

Now, here are a couple of other key recruiting notes, moving back a couple of weeks and moving towards what’s about to transpire.

*Miami needs linebacker help and one of the players that possesses the traits necessary to play in the middle of the defense would be Marcellius Pulliam, from Tyrone (Ga.) Sandy Creek. He is the first of two southside Atlanta prospects to pick the Canes in as many days, as the next player denotes.

*The Hurricanes added defensive tackle Joshua Horton on Dec. 4. He’s a pure interior defensive tackle prospect, and one that possesses the physical traits and demeanor to create havoc in the backfield. He’s from Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes, a program that is coming off its first-ever state title, capturing the 6A division in Georgia.

*Just recently, Miami brought into the fold a top running back, Chris Johnson, from nearby Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Dillard. His public decision to go with the Canes came on Dec. 11.

*Two days after Mario Cristobal and his Canes were ecstatic to land Johnson, another elite local product said yes to Miami. That would be Rueben Bain, one of the nation’s top overall players, coming in at No. 66 in the SI 99 rankings. Bain attends Miami (Fla.) Central.

What’s next for the Canes? Well, it’s all about official visits and in-home visits. The Miami coaching staff is spreading out to visit prospects that are already in the recruiting fold, as well as trying to add more talent to the Hurricanes’ depth chart.

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*The key prep prospect to visit Miami, beginning on Friday and through the weekend, would be power running back Mark Fletcher. Considering how the Canes do not possess an established big running back, adding Fletcher to the fold makes sense. He’s 6-foot-2 and roughly 230 pounds. Miami appears to be battling Florida for Fletcher after he decided to decommit from Ohio State. He attends Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage.

*There are also possible Transfer Portal additions to consider, with one being important this weekend. Defensive lineman Thomas Gore is visiting at the same time as Fletcher. He is coming off a big season for Georgia State.

*Perhaps the most important visit of the recruiting weekend would be former Oregon wide receiver Dont’e Thornton, who is a former Cristobal recruit. Thornton is originally from Baltimore (Md.) Mount Saint Joseph. His 2022 receiving totals include 17 receptions, 366 yards, a 21.5 average, and one touchdown. Thornton is also 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds, making Thornton a great complement to Miami’s wide receiver corps and current recruiting class; the Canes need more height at wide receiver.

*Finally, note that there are more recruiting happenings taking place behind the scenes with the Hurricanes before the Dec. 21 National Signing Day. Miami is continuing to monitor decommitments from other institutions and will pounce when it's necessary.

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