Miami closing in on another elite recruiting class with a few targets still in its sights

Somewhat quietly, Mario Cristobal and Miami have put together one of the nation’s deepest recruiting classes in the 2026 cycle.

The Hurricanes are up to 25 commitments after flipping four-star defensive lineman Keshawn Stancil from Clemson on Wednesday. Among those are 18 blue-chippers, giving Miami the seventh-highest blue-chip percentage of any program in the country. Five-Star Plus+ offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell draws all the headlines, but the ‘Canes class is legitimately deep from top to bottom.

Nine of their 18 blue-chip pledges rank among the top 250 players nationally, and that includes three commits along the defensive line, three wide receivers and quarterback Dereon Coleman. Cristobal and his staff have also beefed up their secondary group with five four-star commits between the cornerback and safety positions.

And maybe the most impressive part is they’ve done all that with multiple targets still left on the board. Stancil was a key domino, as was four-star wideout Milan Parris — who they flipped from Iowa State. But there is still more meat on the bone.

According to Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong, Miami is trending as the favorite to land four-star safety Blake Stewart, who recently decommitted from Clemson. The Fairburn (Ga.) standout is having a strong senior season. Across seven games, he has 34 receptions for 426 yards and five touchdowns. He has 37 tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble.

They’re also looking to flip four-star running back and Wisconsin commit Amari Latimer, elite Texas running back commit  Derrek Cooper — a Miami native — and four-star defensive lineman Carter Gooden, currently committed to UCLA.

Sitting just outside the top-10 of the team recruiting rankings currently, if Miami can grab any combination of those targets they’ll be strongly in elite territory again on the trail.

Miami commitments by position

Quarterback
Four-star Dereon Coleman, No. 244 NATL. (No. 20 QB)

Running back
Four-star Javian Mallory, No. 307 NATL. (No. 23 RB)

Wide receiver
Four-star Somourian Wingo, No. 108 NATL. (No. 11 WR)
Four-star Vance Spafford, No. 137 NATL. (No. 17 WR)
Four-star Milan Parris, No. 180 NATL. (No. 28 WR)
Three-star Tyran Evans, No. 551 NATL. (No. 85 WR)

Tight end
Four-star Israel Briggs, No. 149 NATL. (No. 8 TE)

Offensive tackle
Five-star Jackson Cantwell, No. 3 NATL. (No. 1 OT)
Four-star Ben Congdon, No. 288 NATL. (No. 22 OT)

Interior offensive line
Four-star Joel Ervin, No. 338 NATL. (No. 27 IOL)
Three-star Canon Pickett, No. 775 NATL. (No. 72 IOL)
Three-star JJ Sparks, No. 834 NATL. (No. 80 IOL)
Three-star Rhys Woodrow, No. 873 NATL. (No. 83 IOL)

Defensive line
Four-star Keshawn Stancil, No. 150 NATL. (No. 15 DL)
Four-star Anthony Kennedy, No. 396 NATL. (No. 40 DL)
Three-star Tyson Bacon, No. 909 NATL. (No. 90 DL)
Three-star Frederic Sainteus, No. 1283 NATL. (No. 126 DL)

EDGE
Four-star Asharri Charles, No. 185 NATL. (No. 24 EDGE)
Four-star Jordan Campbell, No. 186 NATL. (No. 24 LB)

Linebacker
Three-star Justin Edwards, No. 642 NATL. (No. 52 LB)

Cornerback
Four-star Jaelen Waters, No. 158 NATL. (No. 21 CB)
Four-star Jontavius Wyman, No. 273 NATL. (No. 26 CB)
Four-star Camdin Portis, No. 325 NATL. (No. 32 CB)
Four-star Brody Jennings, No. 373 NATL. (No. 38 CB)

Safety
Four-star Cortez Redding, No. 301 NATL. (No. 25 SAF)