Big 3 Recruiting Wars: Which Program Wins in 2024?

Which school will win this year’s Sunshine State recruiting battle? Miami came out on top this past year, but 2024 brings about a clean slate.

Here’s a look at how the traditional Big 3 did with in-state recruiting for the class of 2023, and then discussion points about what’s important for each of the Hurricanes, Gators, and Seminoles for their 2024 recruiting classes.

Miami Hurricanes

2023 247 Sports recruiting ranking: No. 7.

The 2023 Miami Hurricanes recruiting class featured 13 players that came from Florida, and a total of 17 that played their senior season in the state of Florida. Linebacker Malik Bryant from Orlando (Fla.) Jones and edge rusher Rueben Bain from Miami (Fla.) Central helped to headline that list, and they were ranked No. 167 and No. 63 from the 247 Sports rankings.

Adding to the total, four out of state prospects played for Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy like Francis Mauigoa and Jayden Wayne, ranked No. 10 and No. 81 in the nation by 247 Sports.

To say that Miami head coach Mario Cristobal and his staff focused on the top talent within the Sunshine State’s borders would be an understatement. It was a great accomplishment. Now, what about moving forward?

One of the primary ways that Miami can continue to assemble top talent would be beating its two primary in-state rivals for recruits, Florida and Florida State.

Current 2024 in-state commitments: zero. It’s early. Many teams have few if any commitments right now. Look for Miami’s commitment list to change quite a bit before April ends. Many top prospects will be taking unofficial visits to Coral Gables over the course of the next few months.

Biggest 2024 recruiting needs: Wide receiver and defensive tackle. Miami needs more size at wide receiver, and the Canes only signed one defensive tackle -- Joshua Horton from Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes -- from the prior recruiting class.

Keys to success: Putting a fence around South Florida talent. Miami started to do a good job of that with this past recruiting class, but there’s still a long way to go to get back to where Miami needs to be. It’s a process and one that Cristobal and his staff know will take time.

In particular, Miami needs to sign even more of the truly elite players from the counties of Palm Beach, Broward and Dade. Too many top-200 recruits from those areas have not signed with the Hurricanes during recent years.

Miami signed nine South Florida recruits this past season. It will be important to at least reach that total once again with the class of 2024.

Florida Gators

2023 247 Sports recruiting ranking: 13.

Head coach Billy Napier and his staff also focused on in-state recruiting. The Gators signed 14 players from Florida. The vast majority of recruits came from areas near Orlando to Jacksonville. Based on location, it was a recruiting class similar to how Steve Spurrier used to go after top talent inside the state borders.

Florida added speed at wide receiver, something it definitely needed. The Gators also added size and speed across the front seven, with three of those recruits being from inside the state like defensive end Kamran James from Orlando (Fla.) Olympia and linebacker Jaden Robinson from Lake City (Fla.) Columbia.

Current 2024 in-state commitments: two. Already landing running back Chauncey Bowens from North Palm Beach (Fla.) The Benjamin School and edge defender Adarius Hayes from Largo (Fla.) High School was a great start. Hayes has been ranked the No. 61 player in the country by 247 Sports.

Biggest 2024 recruiting needs: Quarterback is by far priority No. 1 after the situation with signal caller Jaden Rashada. He finally signed with Arizona State after getting out of his letter of intent with Florida. Additionally, Florida needs even more top-end skill position playmakers to once again compete for top SEC honors.

Keys to success: Continue to do well in Central Florida (Orlando to Gainesville), as well as hit the greater Tampa to Sarasota areas. Finding a way to take a few players from South Florida would help UF quite a bit as well.

Florida State Seminoles

2023 247 Sports recruiting ranking: 16.

From the traditional Big 3, the Seminoles signed the fewest prospects at 18, and also the fewest number of players from Florida with 11. Led by head coach Mike Norvell, the FSU staff signed a balanced class, offensively and defensively.

There were playmakers like wide receiver Hykeem Williams from Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Stranahan and cornerback/safety Kenton Kirkland from Jacksonville (Fla.) Raines that should see early action in Tallahassee. They were ranked No. 31 and No. 510 (way underrated) respectively. Keeping some of the top talent home was key for the Noles.

Current 2024 in-state commitments: six. The Noles started the fastest from the Big 3, no question. Jordan Pride, a safety from Blountstown (Fla.) / IMG Academy, was an early commitment, and he’s ranked No. 64 in the nation by 247. The other five players have come from all over the Sunshine State.

Biggest 2024 recruiting needs: Impact prospects, regardless of position, need to be signed. Florida State has done a quality job of building its depth the past couple of recruiting classes with a few stars mixed in, and now they need more of the truly elite players. It’s not all that different from what Miami and Florida need to do.

Keys to success: Just continue on the current path. Six Floridians already in the class speaks volumes to how well Norvell and his staff have done to date. It’s still a long way to National Signing Day, however, and the Noles need to keep those prospects committed in addition to landing several more.

AllHurricanes.com is your home for all things Miami Hurricanes football, recruiting, basketball and other athletics, all the time. Follow along on social media at @AllHurricanes on Twitter and All Hurricanes on Facebook for round-the-clock news and analysis.