Cane Commits, Top Targets Shine Thursday Night
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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The Miami Hurricanes are definitely attempting to finish out the 2023 recruiting class strong, and Thursday’s jamboree featuring south Florida prep programs Fort Lauderdale (Cardinal Gibbons), Miami (Palmetto), and Hollywood (Chaminade-Madonna) helped to show that.
As noted in the update about UM pledges Bobby and Robby Washington, Miami is in great shape with the two brothers that are now at Palmetto. Both players are openly talking up Miami without even being asked. The Louisville situation is apparently now over. That’s about as good of news for head coach Mario Cristobal and his staff as one can get.
As for how they played, Robby had a fantastic long kickoff return where he made multiple defenders miss after splitting through the middle of wedge and bursting down the right sideline. The wide receiver's best play came later, however.
After the outside linebacker had Robby in his sights, the ball arrived in Washington’s hands and the expected thud did in fact happen, but the end result did not find the talented receiver on the ground.
Instead, he immediately jolted towards the perimeter and scored a touchdown that was about 60 yards. His speed proved to be impressive as usual. Taking the hit, and subsequently keeping his balance, allowed Washington’s speed to be utilized. That is a true athlete right there. His brother Bobby also made some plays.
Running full tilt all evening long, Bobby was most impactful attacking the backfield and blitzing. He changed multiple plays – runs and passes – with his ability to penetrate and disrupt what the opposing offense was trying to accomplish.
The linebacker also tracked down a running back down the field and had a big collision near the sideline. Bobby’s speed is going to be a welcome addition to the Miami roster, especially in the modern space and pass-first iteration of college football.
As for Chaminade-Madonna, two players stood out from the class of 2024. Receivers Joshisa Trader and Jeremiah Smith are elite prospects. They are being recruited by Miami and the vast majority of elite programs across the country.
Smith does not have a definitive date set for when he will visit The U for a game this fall, but expect him to be on campus at least once if not multiple times for Miami home games. Smith also has other destinations he’s planning to go to this fall.
He’s attending the Ohio State versus Notre Dame game on Sep. 3, and also wants to get out to LSU, Michigan, and Cincinnati among other programs as well.
Trader is another prime Hurricanes’ target and his recruitment is a long way from being decided, much like Smith. He could end up taking some of the same unofficial visits this fall, in fact. Ohio State and Texas A&M are a couple of the schools that have been after him hard, among others, besides Miami.
It’s easy to see why both prospects are sought after when watching them make big play after big play. Here’s a touchdown for Trader that was impressive.
Touchdown for WR @joshisathe1 from QB @Cedrickbailey11 - @Nadeboyz pic.twitter.com/HA9YyF3tFY
— All Hurricanes (@AllHurricanes) August 19, 2022
Trader is a two-way player that can be just as impactful as a defensive back. In fact, he had an interception in the game. He’s as fluid as one will find, and Trader’s stop-and-start ability is also elite.
Smith provides the long arms that help a quarterback in the red zone, as evidenced by his two touchdown catches from inside the 10. He’s also a dynamic player with an open field in front of him. Watching Smith’s body control during deep balls conjures up thoughts of Michael Irvin, arguably the greatest Cane of them all.
Look for Trader and Smith to both contend to be ranked in the nation’s top 10 overall prospects by John Garcia, Jr. when the SI99 comes out for the class of 2024 next summer. Here’s the 2023 SI99 edition that just came out on Aug. 9.
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