bransuperpower
Senior
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2013
- Messages
- 3,444
After landing some impressive prospects in December, it’s been tough sledding for Miami recruiting the past couple weeks.
Travonte Valentine
DT Travonte Valentine
It began with Champagnat Catholic star Travonte Valentine, one of the top defensive tackles in the country, decommitting right after the U.S. Army All-American Game.
It continued when the Canes lost Booker T. Washington cornerback Nigel Bethel to Texas Tech. The biggest surprise was the late defection of Deerfield Beach running back Brandon Powell to Florida. He was supposed to be in Coral Gables right now and he’s already in Gainesville starting his career with the Gators.
Despite everything, 247Sports still ranks Miami’s class 9th in the nation with 26 commitments on board. InsideTheU.com takes a look at five storylines that should feature prominently in the world of Cane recruiting leading up to national signing day.
1. DT Travonte Valentine
Valentine is the best defensive tackle prospect to come out of South Florida since Marcus Forston in the 2008 class. The staff would love nothing more than to get him back and it’s one of their top priorities over the next few weeks. Even though he decommitted, there does seem to be a chance of that actually happening. But LSU has made a big push the last couple months and they’ll make it quite difficult at the very least.
Miami is slated to receive Valentine’s last official visit and they’ll have to convince him on a couple things. One would be the future of Al Golden. His decommitment occurred, at least in part, due to all the Penn State rumors. He also wasn’t a big fan of how the defense performed, especially later in the season.
2. QB Brad Kaaya
Kaaya committed to Miami back in May when San Diego State was his only other scholarship offers. He has risen to being considered one of the top quarterbacks in the country and that has brought more attention. That’s how it goes when hometown schools like UCLA and USC come calling.
Kaaya has maintained that he’s solid while also taking a politically correct approach. He has never officially shut the door on other schools and UCLA is looking to keep him local. However, Miami was there long before everyone else and he values that kind of loyalty. He’ll be in Coral Gables for a visit this Friday and that will be the best shot for the Hurricanes to lock him up.
3. Early Enrollees Hang in the Balance
Four prospects are already moved in and ready to attend classes today. They are Raleigh (N.C.) WR Braxton Berrios, Winter Park DE Trent Harris, Palm Beach Central OL Kc McDermott, and Albany (Ga.) LB Juwon Young. They’re all eligible to take part in spring practices and have a jump on getting early playing time in 2014.
The total count could rise as high as nine with five more commitments trying to get situated as soon as possible. Miami Central teammates Trevor Darling and Joseph Yearby appear in line to be all set very soon. East Los Angeles Community College DT Michael Wyche is waiting on an appeal he filed in regards to an ACC rule that requires prospects to spend at least three consecutive semesters at the same junior college. Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College DT Calvin Heurtelou and Oakleaf LB Darrion Owens are also working to get their enrollment issues resolved.
4. New Names at Running Back
Miami currently has only three running backs on the roster, Gus Edwards being the only one with much size. The incoming Joseph Yearby is a high level prospect but everyone knows he’s not particularly big either. The catch is that there really aren’t any names on the radar right now. There’s little doubt that at least a couple will surface, or re-surface in some cases, but the question is who?
5. Who’s an Option at Corner?
The loss of Nigel Bethel didn’t help matters but he had made it pretty public he was unhappy with Miami. What really stung were the latest developments with Immokalee star J.C. Jackson. The Canes had taken the lead following his official visit in December but now he looks quite likely to land at Florida State. Miami will probably keep pushing but it’s a tough task at this point. Northwestern’s Ryan Mayes is solid with his hometown school but the staff doesn’t want him to be the only one at his position. The good news is they’re relatively deep here in terms of current players but recruiting is usually for a couple years down the road.
http://miami.247sports.com/Article/5-Storylines-Heading-Towards-NSD-171083
Travonte Valentine
DT Travonte Valentine
It began with Champagnat Catholic star Travonte Valentine, one of the top defensive tackles in the country, decommitting right after the U.S. Army All-American Game.
It continued when the Canes lost Booker T. Washington cornerback Nigel Bethel to Texas Tech. The biggest surprise was the late defection of Deerfield Beach running back Brandon Powell to Florida. He was supposed to be in Coral Gables right now and he’s already in Gainesville starting his career with the Gators.
Despite everything, 247Sports still ranks Miami’s class 9th in the nation with 26 commitments on board. InsideTheU.com takes a look at five storylines that should feature prominently in the world of Cane recruiting leading up to national signing day.
1. DT Travonte Valentine
Valentine is the best defensive tackle prospect to come out of South Florida since Marcus Forston in the 2008 class. The staff would love nothing more than to get him back and it’s one of their top priorities over the next few weeks. Even though he decommitted, there does seem to be a chance of that actually happening. But LSU has made a big push the last couple months and they’ll make it quite difficult at the very least.
Miami is slated to receive Valentine’s last official visit and they’ll have to convince him on a couple things. One would be the future of Al Golden. His decommitment occurred, at least in part, due to all the Penn State rumors. He also wasn’t a big fan of how the defense performed, especially later in the season.
2. QB Brad Kaaya
Kaaya committed to Miami back in May when San Diego State was his only other scholarship offers. He has risen to being considered one of the top quarterbacks in the country and that has brought more attention. That’s how it goes when hometown schools like UCLA and USC come calling.
Kaaya has maintained that he’s solid while also taking a politically correct approach. He has never officially shut the door on other schools and UCLA is looking to keep him local. However, Miami was there long before everyone else and he values that kind of loyalty. He’ll be in Coral Gables for a visit this Friday and that will be the best shot for the Hurricanes to lock him up.
3. Early Enrollees Hang in the Balance
Four prospects are already moved in and ready to attend classes today. They are Raleigh (N.C.) WR Braxton Berrios, Winter Park DE Trent Harris, Palm Beach Central OL Kc McDermott, and Albany (Ga.) LB Juwon Young. They’re all eligible to take part in spring practices and have a jump on getting early playing time in 2014.
The total count could rise as high as nine with five more commitments trying to get situated as soon as possible. Miami Central teammates Trevor Darling and Joseph Yearby appear in line to be all set very soon. East Los Angeles Community College DT Michael Wyche is waiting on an appeal he filed in regards to an ACC rule that requires prospects to spend at least three consecutive semesters at the same junior college. Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College DT Calvin Heurtelou and Oakleaf LB Darrion Owens are also working to get their enrollment issues resolved.
4. New Names at Running Back
Miami currently has only three running backs on the roster, Gus Edwards being the only one with much size. The incoming Joseph Yearby is a high level prospect but everyone knows he’s not particularly big either. The catch is that there really aren’t any names on the radar right now. There’s little doubt that at least a couple will surface, or re-surface in some cases, but the question is who?
5. Who’s an Option at Corner?
The loss of Nigel Bethel didn’t help matters but he had made it pretty public he was unhappy with Miami. What really stung were the latest developments with Immokalee star J.C. Jackson. The Canes had taken the lead following his official visit in December but now he looks quite likely to land at Florida State. Miami will probably keep pushing but it’s a tough task at this point. Northwestern’s Ryan Mayes is solid with his hometown school but the staff doesn’t want him to be the only one at his position. The good news is they’re relatively deep here in terms of current players but recruiting is usually for a couple years down the road.
http://miami.247sports.com/Article/5-Storylines-Heading-Towards-NSD-171083
