ANALYSIS: Five immediate impact candidates for Miami

It’s not a secret that Miami is in need of immediate roster help after a disappointing 2023 campaign. And the Hurricanes responded with a historic recruiting class.

Miami’s recruiting class is the school’s first top-five class since 2008, former head coach Randy Shannon’s first recruiting class. The Hurricanes landed more than a dozen blue-chip prospects and paved the way to potentially lay the framework for future recruiting classes, although several members of the 2023 class may have their impact felt immediately.

CaneSport dove into which high school recruits in the 2023 class have the best chance to make an immediate impact on the field next season. This analysis is not based on the On3 Consensus ratings or a player’s talent or skillset, but a player’s ability to immediately have his presence felt on the field.

5. Raul “Popo” Aguirre | On3 Consensus four-star linebacker | 6-foot-1, 220 pounds

Aguirre comes to Miami as a talented run stopper with the ability to plug gaps and shed blocks, although he still has room to improve in pass coverage. That being said, his physicality, energy and relentless motor gives him a chance to add immediate value to the Hurricanes’ front seven.

He committed to Miami July 12 over Alabama, Florida and Ohio State, among others, and On3’s high school scouting summary listed him as one of the more talented linebackers in the country with “excellent instincts and ability to diagnose” and that he is a “high floor defender who could be primed to make an early impact at the college level.”

4. Rueben Bain | On3 Consensus four-star EDGE | 6-foot-2, 250 pounds

If Bain were about three inches taller, he’d probably be the No. 1 recruit in this year’s cycle. But his size doesn’t make him any less of an impact candidate his freshman season.

Bain is a true edge rusher with a refined arsenal of moves and firm understanding of run gap assignments whose raw talent matches up with anyone in the country. Miami Central (Fla.) occasionally moved him inside to match him up against slower guards, and the Hurricanes could certainly play him inside or outside depending on the role they envision him in.

His talent and physicality gives him a substantially higher floor that most high school defensive linemen, and his ceiling is tall with NFL potential.

3. Robert Stafford | On3 Consensus four-star cornerback | 5-foot-11, 171 pounds

Stafford could quietly be the most underrated player in Miami’s recruiting class.

Although he doesn’t jump out physically, his skills in man-to-man coverage are second to few in the 2023 class. His football IQ and in-game savvy keeps him from busting in coverages and falling for double moves, and there were few receivers at the high school level he wasn’t capable of locking down.

He’ll be challenged like he never has before next season, but he holds all of the skills to give Miami’s secondary an immediate boost.

2. Samson Okunlola | On3 Consensus five-star offensive tackle | 6-foot-5, 305 pounds

Miami’s offensive line is in need of an obvious rebuild following a difficult 2022 season, and Okunlola could be one of the key foundational pieces next season. On tape, Okunlola looks the part of the country’s No. 3 offensive tackle – aggressive, violent, and physically overwhelming. Heck, his high school coach even recalled coaches telling him he could be a future first-round draft pick, and for good reason.

Despite being the largest player on most fields he’s stepped on, Okunlola plays with exceptional pad level and has a clear understanding of leverage, and he’s never failed to drive opponents into the turf.

Okunlola’s biggest challenge will be adjusting to a new level of physicality after spending four years of high school of being able to simply overpower his opponents, but his size, strength and speed suggest he has the ability to provide an instant impact once he steps on campus.

1. Francis Mauigoa | On3 Consensus Five-Star Plus+ offensive tackle | 6-foot-5, 327 pounds

And on the other side of the offensive line, potentially, could be Mauigoa, the No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2023 cycle.

Few freshmen offensive linemen are talented enough, physical enough and adjusted enough to start their first year on campus, but Mauigoa and Okunlola appear capable of being that type of difference maker coming out of their respective high school programs. Mauigoa has had the advantage of playing against fellow Division I talent after graduating from IMG Academy, and On3 scouts and his high school coach have compared him to Penei Sewell.

Of course, playing at the level of a first-round draft pick from day one is a pretty tall task. But that being said, he’ll undoubtedly elevate the Canes next season.