2023 4-star WR Santana Fleming from American Heritage Plantation (FL) attended the Miami Hurricanes’ underclassman cookout last week with a bunch of his teammates.
“I went to the cookout with a couple of my Heritage teammates and a QB from 2023. I went with (2023 RB) Mark Fletcher, (2023 WR) Brandon Innis, (2023 DB) Damari Brown, (2023 DB) Daemon ***an, (2023 QB) Keyone Jenkins, and a few more Heritage teammates.”
Fleming, as well as Innis, arrived early and got extra time to see the campus and the coaches.
“Brandon and I got there a little early and we got to take pictures. They gave us the tour around in the carts. That was cool. We just got to vibe with the coaches. They sat us down in the office and had the whole staff talk with us. It was a good vibe overall.”
Miami is taking a unique approach with the 2023 Heritage class and are recruiting them as a group.
“The whole staff has been recruiting us. We get on the phone weekly with coach (Benedict) Hyppolite, coach Manny Diaz, coach T-Rob (Travaris Robinson), coach (DeMarcus) Van Dyke, coach (Rhett) Lashlee, and coach (Rob) Likens. It’s basically the whole staff. They are saying that we have a strong pipeline from Heritage to UM. The main person I’m on the phone with at the same time (while being recruited) is Brandon Innis because we both play receiver.”
One part of the cookout that stood out to Fleming was spending time with current Miami players.
“After we ate we went up and vibed with a couple of players from down here. We got the home vibe. Most of the guys are from Miami too so it’s the crib vibe. That was a really good feeling, knowing that if I go there people that I had a relationship with growing up will be able to mentor me.”
Fleming also saw a huge improvement in terms of the on-campus facilities at UM between the cookout and the last time he was on campus.
“There were a lot of things being built, and a lot of things built that I hadn’t had a chance to see on previous visits. Amazing facilities. It’s definitely going in the right direction as far as having a great campus for the kids to enjoy. It has a lot of things to offer.”
Something Fleming found beneficial was meeting the Miami coaches in person and being able to judge how genuine they truly are.
“Just getting the real vibe from them. Anybody can fake a vibe over the phone. They can fake smiles or crack jokes for three or four minutes on the phone but seeing them in person, seeing how they really interact with other people and recruits was good. I wasn’t looking for a fake vibe. I wanted the coaches to be real with me and have real conversations. That’s what I was looking for.”
Fleming has also visited Georgia Tech, Georgia, and Clemson this month, but Miami remains in a good spot for him.
“Miami is definitely one of those top schools for me down the stretch. They match up pretty evenly as far as facilities, coaching vibe, and giving me the hospitality I was looking for. Miami is going to be in a good spot.”
“I went to the cookout with a couple of my Heritage teammates and a QB from 2023. I went with (2023 RB) Mark Fletcher, (2023 WR) Brandon Innis, (2023 DB) Damari Brown, (2023 DB) Daemon ***an, (2023 QB) Keyone Jenkins, and a few more Heritage teammates.”
Fleming, as well as Innis, arrived early and got extra time to see the campus and the coaches.
“Brandon and I got there a little early and we got to take pictures. They gave us the tour around in the carts. That was cool. We just got to vibe with the coaches. They sat us down in the office and had the whole staff talk with us. It was a good vibe overall.”
Miami is taking a unique approach with the 2023 Heritage class and are recruiting them as a group.
“The whole staff has been recruiting us. We get on the phone weekly with coach (Benedict) Hyppolite, coach Manny Diaz, coach T-Rob (Travaris Robinson), coach (DeMarcus) Van Dyke, coach (Rhett) Lashlee, and coach (Rob) Likens. It’s basically the whole staff. They are saying that we have a strong pipeline from Heritage to UM. The main person I’m on the phone with at the same time (while being recruited) is Brandon Innis because we both play receiver.”
One part of the cookout that stood out to Fleming was spending time with current Miami players.
“After we ate we went up and vibed with a couple of players from down here. We got the home vibe. Most of the guys are from Miami too so it’s the crib vibe. That was a really good feeling, knowing that if I go there people that I had a relationship with growing up will be able to mentor me.”
Fleming also saw a huge improvement in terms of the on-campus facilities at UM between the cookout and the last time he was on campus.
“There were a lot of things being built, and a lot of things built that I hadn’t had a chance to see on previous visits. Amazing facilities. It’s definitely going in the right direction as far as having a great campus for the kids to enjoy. It has a lot of things to offer.”
Something Fleming found beneficial was meeting the Miami coaches in person and being able to judge how genuine they truly are.
“Just getting the real vibe from them. Anybody can fake a vibe over the phone. They can fake smiles or crack jokes for three or four minutes on the phone but seeing them in person, seeing how they really interact with other people and recruits was good. I wasn’t looking for a fake vibe. I wanted the coaches to be real with me and have real conversations. That’s what I was looking for.”
Fleming has also visited Georgia Tech, Georgia, and Clemson this month, but Miami remains in a good spot for him.
“Miami is definitely one of those top schools for me down the stretch. They match up pretty evenly as far as facilities, coaching vibe, and giving me the hospitality I was looking for. Miami is going to be in a good spot.”
