Can Miami Add Elite WR Recruits to Create a Top 5 Class?
What will the Miami Hurricanes need to do to complete a national top five recruiting class? The effort from head coach Mario Cristobal, as well as his coaching staff, has been tremendous along the recruiting trail thus far.
Still, there’s a long way to go until the Dec. 21 National Signing Day arrives for the Canes and every other college football program. Miami’s current 2023 recruiting class deserves to be ranked inside the nation’s top 10 overall.
Can it climb into the top five, perhaps the top three? More specifically, can a few more top offensive recruits help the Hurricanes finalize their already very good recruiting class?
There’s already two top receivers in the class with Nathaniel “Ray Ray” Joseph and Robby Washington, but Miami would like more talent added to the wide receiver room.
To make that happen, Miami’s coaching staff not only needs to continue their due diligence along the recruiting trail, but also find a way to show a more consistent and convincing offensive performance than what the last coaching staff did.
John Garcia, Jr., Director of Recruiting for Sports Illustrated, just wrote an article related to this subject. To begin, he gave credit where it is due, citing how the Miami administration has helped to buy into helping the football via an expensive assistant coaching staff, including offensive coordinator Josh Gattis coming over from Michigan. He was one of the nation’s most sought-after coaches because of how he transformed the Wolverines' offense.
You can read the entirety of Garcia’s article here.
There’s also the need for Miami to come out and find wins with that offense being at the forefront of the victories. Not just against teams like Bethune-Cookman or Southern Miss, the two teams the Canes open up 2022 with at home. Those are expected wins where the offense will likely have its way.
After his comments about what Cristobal inherited, here’s an excerpt from Garcia’s commentary about what Miami needs to do to finish off its already strong recruiting class, and it could do so with more offensive firepower added to the commitment list:
“The offense, in particular under reigning Broyles Award winner Josh Gattis, could also play a part in how the rest of the recruiting board shakes out.”
To Garcia’s point, the Sep. 17 matchup in College Station, Texas against the Aggies, that’s circled on not only the calendar of coaches and players’ for the Hurricanes, but offensive recruits know that date, too.
Texas A&M possesses a lot of talent on defense. Miami would gain cache with dropping 30-plus points inside of Kyle Field. Further, if Miami passes the football well, it would give even more credibility to what Cristobal is communicating with top receiver recruits. The same with his assistant coaching staff.
The other marquee matchup, also on the road for Miami, comes when it heads to the state of South Carolina and finds itself inside Death Valley to play Clemson (Nov. 19). That’s another top-notch defense that could give the Hurricanes a chance to show their offensive passing prowess because Clemson’s pass rush is elite.
Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke is going to need time to get off passes, and he’s also going to have to hit receivers on the money to create the big plays needed to knock off Clemson on the road. There are also games for Miami against North Carolina (Oct. 8) and Florida State (Nov. 5) at home, of particular note.
Of course, the matchup with the Seminoles is always anticipated. Beating FSU especially helps with in-state recruiting. Recruiting could still boil down to those two aforementioned games, however.
Will the Hurricanes be able to knock off either Texas A&M or Clemson with Van Dyke dealing to Xavier Restrepo, Key'Shawn Smith, Jacolby George, Brashard Smith, et al? If yes, it should pay off with at least one more top wide receiver recruit.
There are several top prep wide receivers that the Hurricanes are still in contention for, including Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Stranahan’s Hykeem Williams, one of the nation’s best at his position.
Miami is in the final group of potential colleges for Williams along with Texas A&M, a player some people believe hold an edge to sign him. There is another wide receiver recruit high on the board that Miami fans will probably recognize the name.
When courting a player like top wide receiver Brandon Inniss, who’s committed to Ohio State and its potent offensive production, the Canes must show why he should switch. He’s a priority for Cristobal and his staff.
The South Florida recruit from American Heritage is one of several that Miami is recruiting from the school. Inniss has evidence of what the Buckeyes will do offensively and the Hurricanes must give him reason to reconsider his original pledge. It would definitely be easier to switch his commitment to the Hurricanes with Miami scoring a lot of points this fall.
There’s also Jalen Brown, although committed to LSU, that could be a player Miami ends up with. Do not rule that out for the Miami (Fla.) Gulliver Prep player.
From out West where Miami has already landed quarterback Jaden Rashada, there’s top receiver recruit Jurrion Dickey from East Palo Alto (Calif.) Menlo-Atherton. He’s committed to Oregon, but that door may not be closed for the Hurricanes with Rashada working on his friend to come to Coral Gables. To say the least, Miami has options to close out this recruiting class with top wide receiver recruits.
For this class to get to the elite status that Miami fans, as well as Cristobal and his staff want, landing at least one more top receiver recruit could come down to the offensive production the Canes show this season.
Projected Miami Hurricanes Depth Chart
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