2020 South Dade 4-star offensive lineman Jonathan Denis was part of a stacked field in the trenches at the Opening Miami Regional on Sunday. Although he was pleased with his performance, Denis knows he still has room to improve.
“I think I did alright, I did pretty decent,” Denis said. “There’s a lot of competition out here. I’m going to learn from my mistakes that I did today and come back better.”
Going against some of the best of the best in South Florida, Denis identified one defensive lineman he felt was the toughest matchup.
“I’ll say Henry Bryant,” Denis said. “He had me beat one time.”
In terms of recruiting, Denis says not much has changed for him after decommitting from UM back in October. He still sees the Canes as one of his top schools and says he’ll be on campus again this weekend. Denis also acknowledged he has been teasing on Twitter about a possible recommitment in the near future.
“Yeah I have been (laughs). It’s just, Miami’s great. Even before I had the offer, Miami has always been amazing in my eyes,” Denis said. “I’ll actually be there this Saturday.”
Denis’ last visit took place earlier this month at Junior Day. On that day, Miami landed 5 new commitments, which included two of Denis’ South Dade teammates in CB Jaiden Francois and DE/OLB Tyler Johnson. To Denis though, those pledges were inevitable.
“I already seen that coming,” Denis said. “With Jaiden, I wasn’t too shocked, because I know Jaiden is a hometown kid. Tyler, I knew from when he got his offer, I told him, ‘You goin’ there bro’.”
On the trip to campus, Denis got to spend some time with new OL coach Butch Barry, but says they’ve actually met multiple times already.
“I got to see him, but we’ve already seen each other a lot the past month just in general,” Denis said of Barry. “I’d say we’ve seen each other at least 10 times. He’s been to my school, I’ve been to Miami a lot. I’m feeling like a priority.”
What is the coaching staff’s pitch to him to get him back on board at Miami?
“They just basically talk to me about school and how bad they want me,” Denis said.
While the Canes have been coming after Denis hard, they are certainly not running unopposed: Denis says Oregon, LSU, Florida State, and Mississippi State are some other programs that are beginning to standout to him as well. Whoever lands the 6’3” 285 pound prospect, it’s clear that making him feel wanted and cultivating a family-like atmosphere will be key factors.
“Really it’s going to come down to who shows me the most love and where I really feel like I’m in a family,” Denis said. “Where I’m not just there for football, but I’m there to be part of the family.”
Does Miami have that family feel for Denis?
“Of course.”
“I think I did alright, I did pretty decent,” Denis said. “There’s a lot of competition out here. I’m going to learn from my mistakes that I did today and come back better.”
Going against some of the best of the best in South Florida, Denis identified one defensive lineman he felt was the toughest matchup.
“I’ll say Henry Bryant,” Denis said. “He had me beat one time.”
In terms of recruiting, Denis says not much has changed for him after decommitting from UM back in October. He still sees the Canes as one of his top schools and says he’ll be on campus again this weekend. Denis also acknowledged he has been teasing on Twitter about a possible recommitment in the near future.
“Yeah I have been (laughs). It’s just, Miami’s great. Even before I had the offer, Miami has always been amazing in my eyes,” Denis said. “I’ll actually be there this Saturday.”
Denis’ last visit took place earlier this month at Junior Day. On that day, Miami landed 5 new commitments, which included two of Denis’ South Dade teammates in CB Jaiden Francois and DE/OLB Tyler Johnson. To Denis though, those pledges were inevitable.
“I already seen that coming,” Denis said. “With Jaiden, I wasn’t too shocked, because I know Jaiden is a hometown kid. Tyler, I knew from when he got his offer, I told him, ‘You goin’ there bro’.”
On the trip to campus, Denis got to spend some time with new OL coach Butch Barry, but says they’ve actually met multiple times already.
“I got to see him, but we’ve already seen each other a lot the past month just in general,” Denis said of Barry. “I’d say we’ve seen each other at least 10 times. He’s been to my school, I’ve been to Miami a lot. I’m feeling like a priority.”
What is the coaching staff’s pitch to him to get him back on board at Miami?
“They just basically talk to me about school and how bad they want me,” Denis said.
While the Canes have been coming after Denis hard, they are certainly not running unopposed: Denis says Oregon, LSU, Florida State, and Mississippi State are some other programs that are beginning to standout to him as well. Whoever lands the 6’3” 285 pound prospect, it’s clear that making him feel wanted and cultivating a family-like atmosphere will be key factors.
“Really it’s going to come down to who shows me the most love and where I really feel like I’m in a family,” Denis said. “Where I’m not just there for football, but I’m there to be part of the family.”
Does Miami have that family feel for Denis?
“Of course.”
