Recruiting Profile: Miami Commitment Chris Wheatley-Humphrey
On April 17, 2023, Mario Cristobal and the Miami Hurricanes landed one of the nation’s most explosive prep football players with Chris Wheatley-Humphrey.
A natural football player, Wheatley-Humphrey will bring traits to Coral Gables that impact the running back room and the offense overall. Based on diligently going through his junior film and watching him practice live, here’s a breakdown of what he’s proven he can do on the gridiron.
Chris Wheatley-Humphrey
Dania Beach (Fla.) South Broward
6-foot, 175 pounds
Running Back/Slot Receiver
Recruitment
Offers from Miami, UCF, FIU, Florida State, Marshall, Tulane, Ole Miss, Syracuse, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Louisville and Maryland among others.
Best Asset
No need not overcomplicate this. Wheatley-Humphrey has run past people on a consistent basis. He’s a showstopper in space, or even when hitting the hole between the tackles, as noted below. That also extends to passing plays where Wheatley-Humphrey can take a simple swing pass and run by defenders.
For those folks fortunate enough to have seen Wheatley-Humphrey live, it’s easier to understand. He can make defenders look bad even if they have the angle to the sideline.
Most importantly, getting up to full speed in a few steps allowed him to win one-on-one battles that the majority of other prep players simply cannot accomplish.
Down below, there will be more specific examples of these traits.
Between The Tackles
Ironically, Wheatley-Humphrey prefers inside runs over outside runs. Most burners prefer to hit the edge and go; Wheatley-Humphrey likes to take a more balanced approach.
While being interviewed, Wheatley-Humphrey made it clear that he understood how important his speed has been and will continue to be. He also, however, noted his preference for inside runs.
“Not going to lie, it’s inside power.”
Here’s the full Interview with Wheatley-Humphrey
That was something that Wheatley-Humphrey truly wanted to make a point of. He ran hard, downhill, right at opponents.
While he certainly made defenders miss with juke moves and spinning off of defenders, he was not afraid to lower his shoulder pads and grind out the short runs that keep drives alive either.
MORE: 2024 Miami Commitments
With the ability to run inside or outside, Wheatley-Humphrey maximized his big-play abilities because teams had to evenly distribute their efforts for how to slow him down. That’s when his game-breaking speed often took over.
Wheatley-Humphrey showed trust that he could either run over someone if the hole closed, and if the hole remained open, he was gone.
Too many running backs tippy-toe to the line of scrimmage. Wheatley-Humphrey hit the gas and made defenders feel his pads if they met him in the hole.
He also knew how to be a running back, despite his tremendous acceleration and speed.
One-On-One Ability
With the help of good vision to find cutback lanes or hitting the intended hole, there were several runs from Wheatley-Humphrey where he would use excellent timing with going full speed, then suddenly sink his hips and use choppy feet to sidestep a defender, before immediately going back to full speed.
His natural ability to do this was fantastic to watch. Making second and third-level defenders miss can be the difference between a 10-yard run or an 80-yard touchdown. Wheatley-Humphrey showed he could make that happen several times.
Now for the most fun topic about Wheatley-Humphrey.
Catching The Football And Making Plays
When watching him at a South Broward spring practice, it was obvious that Wheatley-Humphrey was a natural at catching the football away from his body.
Defenders dealing with Wheatley-Humphrey in space will face a serious challenge
Over and over, he made catches where he needed to adjust to the placement of the football and he did so rather easily. That point also allowed for him to quickly go back into running back mode and make defenders miss.
He was even asked about playing slot to gain an advantage with being one-on-one with a linebacker or safety, in addition to playing running back, and he was all for it. That brings up a rare quality for a top prep football recruit.
Maturity
He’s not full of himself. Wheatley-Humphrey wants to win and if that means playing some slot, so be it. Many running backs strongly prefer not to do that. That was a good start to understanding the mindset that he possessed.
Even during the interview, several times Wheatley-Humphrey made it clear that he was not satisfied with even his best traits.
That will help Wheatley-Humphrey as he moves forward to play for the Hurricanes and as a young man becoming more and more involved with his community. It was refreshing to meet him and listen to his thoughts.
Areas Wheatley-Humphrey Will Improve
Pass protection. This has been an across-the-board situation for decades and will not likely change. High school running backs have not generally been physically ready for handling blitzing linebackers or front seven defenders in pass protection.
It’s a matter of size and strength more than anything else. That’s what Miami’s strength and conditioning program will help provide for this young man.
Along with continuing to learn the nuances of pass protection, the added strength will help Wheatley-Humphrey be on the field during passing situations that may require him to stay in and block.
Beyond that, continuing to grasp concepts and understanding his blockers. Wheatley-Humphrey noted during the interview something that’s generally a part of the process for a young running back.
“Patience. Like, everybody will be moving too slow (for how I want to hit the hole), and I’ll try to force things a little bit. So, I need to work on patience.”
Good for him that he understood the need to improve within this area.
Overall, Wheatley-Humphrey has the tools – on and off the gridiron – to make an impact with the Hurricanes. He’s a unique talent on and off the football field.
Wheatley-Humphrey was an excellent addition to the 2024 Miami recruiting class. To take a closer look at Wheatley-Humphrey’s skills for one’s self, click on this link to his junior film on HUDL.
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