Miami Racking Up Impressive Official Visitors List (Saturday Update)
As we get closer to June, more and more official visits have been set up between top recruits and the Miami Hurricanes coaching staff.
Here’s a look at a few players that announced their intentions via social media recently, with some commentary down below the list regarding the impact of the prospects visiting.
MORE: Miami Commitments and Evaluations
Keep in mind, this list has been changing practically by the hour. There will likely be updates to this report at some point down the line, as well as a full-blown official visit article closer to the first week of June.
May 21 Edit: As All Hurricanes continues to confirm visitors to the list, note that some of the visits listed below will likely change. There will also be some new names probably being added to the official visit list based on the May evaluation period giving new information to the Miami coaching staff.
May 21, 3:55 p.m. Update: Confirmed that Miami will receive a visit from Clearwater (Fla.) Calvary Christian offensive lineman Joseph Ionata. After communicating with him, here's where the talented offensive lineman already has visits:
UCF (June 2), Georgia Tech (June 9) and Miami (June 23). He also let it be known that, "Working on one or two more."
Ionata can play on the interior or possibly even at tackle at the college level. Miami has been after him for quite some time and he's a priority recruit. He's 6-foot-4 and 290 pounds.
May 21, 4:30 Update: Per On3, their No. 1 overall recruit will be visiting Miami on June 9. That would be Dylan Stewart, the talented 6-foot-5 and 235-pound edge rusher.
May 22, 4:15 Update: Props to multiple networks like 247 for reporting that Aydin Breland will be making an official visit to Miami on June 9. That's going to be a loaded weekend, as noted below.
As for Breland himself, he's rated the No. 6 player in the country, as well as the No. 2 defensive lineman, per 247 Sports. To provide more depth on how well Breland has been thought of, he's also been rated as the No. 99 player in the country by Rivals. That's the lowest he was rated among any of the major recruiting organizations. Not too shabby.
At 6-foot-5 and 290 pounds, he's a defensive lineman that can come off the snap of the football and hammer an offensive guard and take him back to the signal caller, or he can use a pass rush maneuver like slap and rip, to get home to the quarterback with a technical move. Bottom line, Breland should be considered one of the nation's very best prospects regardless of position.
May 25, 10:00 a.m. Update
Miami coaches truly do want to sign the nation's top defensive line class based on how they are bringing in the elite prospects for official visits:
Simmons has been ranked a 5-star recruit by each of 247 Sports, ESPN, On3 and Rivals. The 6-foot-3 and 225-pound edge rusher has played for one of the nation's most successful programs, Duncanville (Texas) High School. His offer list has been through the roof and the Canes will certainly be in a battle to land his services.
May 25, 2:30 p.m. Update
Miami bringing in another big offensive lineman for an official visit. Here's Zuri Madison from Lexington (Ky.) Frederick Douglass announcing his official visit plans to the University of Miami for June 23:
May 28
Miami's official visit list has continued to change at a rapid pace. It's hard to even remotely keep up. That's the No. 1 point to make. Here's the bigger point, however.
The official visits have not even begun to take place. Starting this week, and this happens each year, Miami (and every Power 5 school) will likely have different recruits moving around official visit dates.
Some of these will all but definitely be last-minute changes.
Miami fans should flat out expect that to happen. Travel issues, a death in the family, and many other issues do sometimes happen. Now onto some interesting topics.
Miami wants Silsbee (Texas) High School prospect Drelon Miller to play wide receiver. That's what All Hurricanes has learned. Even so, it's still important to note that he's a do-it-all performer and could play safety or even running back at the college level. There's another trend that has continued to play out.
Miami's coaching staff have truly been evaluating prospects based on film and what they think, not star rankings. Sure, there have been 5-star prospects line up visits. There have also been some 3-star prospects the Canes really like, much like this big fella that's way under rarted and has now transferred to IMG Academy.
As Miami's official visits start to get going this next Friday, expect the fireworks to also start not all that long after the official visits end. It's recruiting time y'all!
May 31
Miami has made serious inroads into the Midwest's largest metropolitan area. Chicago has never been considered an area Miami would dominate or even be a consistent recruiting contender. Well, then the 2024 recruiting cycle began.
Of course there's top defensive tackle Justin Scott from Chicago (Ill.) St. Ignatius. He's ranked as Rivals' No. 1 defensive lineman and the 8th best player in the country. He will take an official visit to Miami on June 16.
Scott should probably be considered a Miami lean and there's even a shot at a commitment this summer. That's despite Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State and Georgia all going after him hard.
There's also edge rusher Marquise Lightfoot from Chicago (Ill.) Kenwood Academy. He's been ranked by Rivals as the No. 4 edge in the country and the 83rd best player. He's taking his Miami official visit on June 26.
The Canes will battle Georgia (June 4), Ohio State (June 9), and Southern California (June 18) for his services, among others. There's also another Chicago-area prospect that Miami has lined up an official visit.
An under the radar recruit has been identified by the Canes. It's edge defender Eddie Tuerk from La Grange (Ill.) Lyons Township. He's a 4-star recruit by rivals and ranked as the 31st best defensive lineman in the country.
If you like a player that plays his guts out, Tuerk is a prospect for any football fan to check out his HUDL highlights. He will be visiting Miami on June 16, and he's a unique player because he can fill more than one role.
This young man can be a strong side defensive end, at least for now. He's in the 255-pound range. He's still in high school, however. After one or two years in the weight program at the school he attends, Tuerk could be a swing player (defensive end and defensive tackle), based on his junior film.
Bottom line, Tuerk was the third Chicago prospect to line up an official visit with Miami. That's a promising development for Miami's recruiting efforts overall.
May 31, 9:25 a.m. Update
Miami has truly not left any rock unturned. Here's another official visitor added for this upcoming weekend.
June 2
Yet another official visitor for the Canes has been added to the June slate. Defensive end/tight end Wyatt Gilmore will begin his first of five official visits during the month of June with a trip to Coral Gables.
Gilmore has been ranked by 247 Sports as the No. 1 player in Minnesota, and the 20th best edge defender for the class of 2024. He has been playing at Rogers (Minn.) High School where college coaches from around the country have been scouting him.
The biggest threat to Miami signing Gilmore, however, could end up being Minnesota (June 9), the in-state program that's certainly seen its recruiting efforts improve the past few years. Kansas State (June 12), Oklahoma (June 16), and Oregon (June 23) have all got a shot to sign Gilmore as well.
As for his long-term position, the 6-foot-4 and 245-pound defender could end up playing strong side defensive end, 3-technique, or perhaps a combination of each. As has been commonly noted, no college team can truly have enough defensive linemen.
June 3
One of the nation's most physical recruits will visit Miami on June 9. Cameron Pruitt has shown a propensity to make startling hits, even against players bigger than himself.
The 6-foot-2 and 190-pound safety plays more like a 6-foot-4 and 235-pound middle linebacker.
Coming from Theodore, Ala., just on the southwest edge of Mobile, Pruitt has been competing against competition from one of the densist NFL-concentrated areas in America, per capita. Miami will gain his first visit.
Regardless of where else Pruitt visits and eventually signs, what about his long-term position? That's a unique proposition.
If he adds 20 or more pounds, he could be a great weak side linebacker. Pruitt's physical nature fits that role well. For now, it's a good bet that he's tried out at both strong safety and the hybrid linebacker-safety position that's often used when college football defensive units use one less traditional linebacker and instead add a defensive back.
Pruitt has gone under the radar in recruiting rankings, but his film does not lie. Pruitt could develop into a big-time college football player.
Note: The official visit dates, as well as the recruits taking those official visits, will change with time. This list should be considered fluid.
June 2
Jerrae Hawkins, Wide Receiver, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy
Demetrius Freeney, Cornerback, San Leandro (Calif.) College of San Mateo (3 years of eligibility)
Kamarion Franklin, Defensive Line, Lake Cormorant (Miss.) High School
Wyatt Gilmore, Defensive End/Tight End, Rogers (Minn.) High School
Dre'lon Miller, Wide Receiver, Silsbee (Texas) High School
James Nesta, Linebacker, Cornelius (N.C.) William Amos Hough
June 9
Aydin Breland, Defensive Line, Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei
Nyier Daniels, Offensive Line, Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic
Keyshawn Flowers, Linebacker, Severn (Md.) Archbishop Spalding
Kylan Fox, Flex Tight End, Loganville (Ga.) Grayson
Jerrick Gibson, Running Back, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy
Tye Hilton, Offensive Line, Oviedo (Fla.) High School
TJ Lindsey, Defensive Line, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy
Elija Lofton, Tight End, Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman
LJ McCray, Defensive End, Daytona Beach (Fla.) Mainland
Cameron Pruitt, Safety, Theodore (Ala.) High School
Ellis Robinson IV, Cornerback, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy - Georgia commit
Colin Simmons, Edge, Duncanville (Texas) High School
Braylon Staley, Wide Receiver/Defensive Back, Aiken (S.C.) High School
Dylan Stewart, Edge, Washington (D.C.) Friendship Collegiate Academy
June 16
Isendre Ahfua, Offensive Line, Seattle (Wash.) O'Dea
Ashton Hampton, Wide Receiver/Defensive Back, Tallahassee (Fla.) University School
Jericho Johnson, Defensive Tackle, Fairfield (Calif.) Armijo
Kevin Riley, Running Back, Northport (Ala.) Tuscaloosa County
Justin Scott, Defensive Tackle, Chicago (Ill.) St. Ignatius
Eddie Tuerk, Defensive End, La Grange (Ill.) Lyons Township
June 19
Kaj Sanders, Safety, Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic
June 23
Judd Anderson, Quarterback, Gray (Ga.) Jones County - Miami commit
Chris Cole, Safety/Athlete, Salem (Va.) High School
Kaj Sanders, Safety, Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic
Jaylen Heyward, Safety, Rockledge (Fla.) High School - Georgia commit
Joseph Ionata, Offensive Line, Clearwater (Fla.) Clearwater Calvary Christian
Kendall Jackson, Defensive Line, Gainesville (Fla.) Buchholz
Artavius Jones, Defensive Tackle, Blountstown (Fla.) High School
Ricky Knight II, Cornerback, North Palm Beach (Fla.) Benjamin School
Zuri Madison, Offensive Line, Lexington (Ky.) Frederick Douglass
Juan Minaya, Offensive Line, Paramus (N.J.) Paramus Catholic - Miami commit
Zavier Mincey, Cornerback/Safety, Daytona Beach (Fla.) Mainland
Rydarrius Morgan, Safety, Phenix City (Ala.) Central
Caleb Odom, Flex Tight End, Carrollton (Ga.) High School
Deryc Plazz, Offensive Line, Jacksonville (Fla.) Jackson
Chance Robinson, Wide Receiver, Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Saint Thomas Aquinas - Miami commitment
Isaiah Thomas, Safety, Clearwater (Fla.) Clearwater Academy International - Miami commit
Dylan Williams, Linebacker, Long Beach (Calif.) Poly
June 26
Marquise Lightfoot, Defensive End, Chicago (Ill.) Kenwood Academy
*Having scanned social media and just returned from IMG Academy’s spring game, it’s incredible just how much buzz there has been with Miami. The list above was just a part of that.
*Players like Cole (could play safety, linebacker, nickel, etc.) have the ability to make early impacts. All of the uncommitted recruits listed above are 4-star and above types of talents.
*This June will be a chance for Miami to close the talent gap with some of the perennial College Football Playoff programs. It’s as important of a 30-day period as the Canes will see this year.
*Scott could be as important a recruit to Miami’s defensive recruiting efforts as there has been to date. Just cannot find many defensive linemen that move like Scott and also already possess a frame carrying over 300 pounds.
*Franklin could be a swing player between strong side defensive end and 3-technique along the interior. He’s a rare blend of length (his wingspan has proven to be top-notch), size and power. Franklin’s offer list has just about every elite school one could imagine.
*Canes fans should appreciate that Mario Cristobal and his staff continued to go after prospects committed elsewhere – in-state or out of state – that could make an impact in Coral Gables. They have been relentless.
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