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Miami visits recently decommitted 4-star DL Anthony Kennedy

hunterby: Hunter Shelton05/22/25HunterShelton_
Anthony Kennedy 6 copy 1.jpg

Earlier this month, Little Rock (Ark.) Maumelle four-star defensive lineman Anthony Kennedy decommitted from Missouri. He’s now back on the board and schools will take notice.

Miami looks to be emerging as a contender for the 6-foot-3.5, 285-pounder. On Thursday, Kennedy was visited by Hurricanes DL coach Jason Taylor. The blue-chipper also revealed that he’ll be in Coral Gables next week for an official visit:

Kennedy was pledged to Mizzou for just over five months, but opted to reopen things on May 16. He was one of just two members of the Tigers’ 2026 class.

“After talks with my family and careful consideration, I’ve decided to decommit from the University of Missouri,” Kennedy wrote announcing his decision on X. “My recruitment is completely 100-percent open.”

He is the No. 376 overall prospect and No. 34 DL in the 2026 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 5 player in Arkansas.

Kennedy has acquired plenty of big-time interest throughout his recruiting process. USC, Georgia, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Auburn, Texas and Florida are others that have extended offers. Miami is in the mix and is clearly making the four-star a priority moving forward.

Miami surging on the recruiting trail

Head coach Mario Cristobal and the Miami staff won out for the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2026 cycle — Nixa (Mo.) Five-Star Plus+ offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell — earlier this month, as the elite trench monster chose the ACC program over Georgia and Oregon.

The addition of Cantwell vaulted Miami inside the top 10 of the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. The Canes now have 10 total commits and rank No. 8 nationally.

Six in-state commits are in the Miami class, including top-200 recruits in Miami Northwestern four-star linebacker Jordan Campbell and Seffner (Fla.) Armwood four-star cornerback Jaelen Waters. Campbell is the No. 7 LB in the cycle, while Waters, a former Florida commit, is the No. 17 CB nationally.

Last July, the Canes landed their quarterback this cycle in Lakeland (Fla.) Jones four-star Dereon Coleman. The Elite 11 finalist is now the No. 208 recruit overall and No. 13 QB nationally.

“The culture,” Coleman told On3 about why he chose Miami. “The fanbase. Who doesn’t want to play at Miami. Who doesn’t want to play in that city. You can live your life there after a long career. You can go back to Miami and be that dude.”

Jonesboro (Ga.) four-star CB Jontavious Wyman flipped to Miami from Georgia at the beginning of April. He’s also a top-20 corner in the cycle. Charlotte Myers Park four-star CB Camdin Portis, the son of Clinton Portis, has been committed since October. March brought commitments from West Boca Raton (Fla.) four-star running back Javian Mallory and Mineral City (Ohio) Tuscarawas Valley four-star offensive tackle Ben Congdon.

Congdon is one of three offensive linemen in the class, alongside Fort Myers (Fla.) three-star IOL Joel Ervin and Jacksonville Bolles three-star IOL JJ Sparks.