On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine: Miami trending with multiple coveted targets
Mario Cristobal started his first full recruiting class at Miami with some major fireworks, pulling in a pair of five-star offensive linemen in Samson Okunlola and Francis Mauigoa. The ‘Canes finished with the nation’s No. 6 class in the 2023 On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings and the No. 1 class in the ACC.
2024 though, has been a bit slower thus far. Miami will likely enter the month of June with only one top-150 commitment, though they do have eight total commits after a busy April. That doesn’t mean hope is lost on this cycle though — far from it.
The Hurricanes are in the mix for some of the nation’s elite prospects inside the Sunshine State and a few outside of it. Their June 9 official visit weekend is expected to be loaded, with On3 No. 1 overall prospect Dylan Stewart, five-star Georgia CB commit Ellis Robinson, and five-star defensive lineman David Stone among the long list of visitors.
Heading into the summer, the Hurricanes are already trending for one of the nation’s elite defensive linemen and top wide receivers. And they’ll look to close on them and a few more over the course of the coming months.
5-star DL Justin Scott
School: Chicago (Ill.) St. Ignatius
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 8
On3 RPM: Miami 69.8%, Notre Dame 20.2%, Georgia 6.3%
The Skinny: Notre Dame was the trending school for most of the past year for Justin Scott. And he almost committed at the end of January, likely to the Fighting Irish. But after waiting things out and taking spring visits, Scott is high on the Hurricanes right now. He was on campus twice in the month of April, and members of Miami’s coaching staff also came up to Chicago twice last month to visit him.
“I’m feeling good with Miami,” Scott said. “Just knowing that I’m that much of a priority to them, to come to my school twice with different coaches each time, it makes me feel like an actual priority. It makes me feel like they really want me.”
4-star WR Joshisa Trader
School: Miami (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 27
On3 RPM: Miami 92.3%, Florida 2.0%, Florida State 1.2%
The Skinny: Joshisa Trader is one of the most dynamic players in South Florida, finishing his junior season with 743 yards and seven scores while averaging 15.8 yards a catch. While his teammate, Five-Star Plus+ wideout Jeremiah Smith, committed early to Ohio State, Trader has held off. There was some early buzz around the Buckeyes, but Miami has become the team to beat, according to the RPM. Florida State and Florida are also involved, and it’s shaping up to be a battle between the three in-state powers.
4-star DL T.A. Cunningham
School: Miami (Fla.) Central
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 157
On3 RPM: Miami 76.1%, USC 3.3%, Georgia Tech 2.8%
The Skinny: T.A. Cunningham recently moved from Southern California to play at Miami Central, one of the nation’s powerhouse programs. The Hurricanes have had a lot of success at Central historically, including landing elite pass-rusher Rueben Bain in the 2023 cycle. The Hurricanes were already a school of interest prior to his move, but the proximity to his new home and the opportunity to be coach by pass-rush specialist Jason Taylor will make Miami tough to beat.
“The fact that I could potentially be coached by a Hall-of-Famer is major,” Cunningham said earlier this month. “Coach Taylor as a player is great and amazing. The opportunity to be coached by him is just amazing and unique. That’s something that I take into mind.”
Along with the Hurricanes, Cunningham has received heavy interest from Penn State, Texas A&M, and UCLA.
4-star safety Zaquan Patterson
School: Miami Gardens (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 83
On3 RPM: Miami 91.0%, Auburn 2.2%
The Skinny: Zaquan Patterson listed Auburn, Florida State, Michigan and Ohio State (in addition to Miami) in his top five earlier this spring and told CaneSport those schools have maintained consistent contact this year. He’s been on campus at Miami three times already this spring and will also take an official visit the Hurricanes this summer. Michigan and Auburn are among those putting up a tough fight, but the hometown school is trending right now.
“I love the program. I love Coach Cristobal. He’s a great guy,” Patterson said last month. “Him and Coach Addae, those are my guys, and I’ve been fortunate to build a relationship with them. And if I do commit, I’m sure I’ll be in good hands.”
On3 4-star TE KJ Duff
School: Riverhead (N.Y.) St. Anthony’s
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 466 (#281 in the On300)
On3 RPM: Miami 78.7%, Rutgers 9.1%, North Carolina 4.0%
The Skinny: KJ Duff announced his top seven schools earlier this month, a list that included Texas, Miami, Texas A&M, Rutgers, UCF, North Carolina and Syracuse. He has already visited each of those programs once and has officials locked in with the Scarlet Knights and Tar Heels, but Miami is setting the pace according to the RPM.
“Miami, I think you could just say it speaks for itself, first off,” he told On3’s Chad Simmons. “What’s stuck out to me about Miami is Coach Kevin Beard, the wide receivers coach. I went in there on a visit to feel things out and he pulled me aside. We talked. He watched my tape right in front of me and decided he wanted to offer me right there. Also, the conversations we have are real life conversations, which is something I really respect about him. So I really like him as a coach.”