• Five-star tight end Isaac Nauta surprised the recruiting world on Friday when he stopped by UM for an unofficial visit to meet with Mark Richt and watch the first bowl practice for the Hurricanes. Because of his relationship with Richt, Nauta has added Miami to his top six schools along with Georgia, Michigan, Oklahoma State, Alabama, and Ole Miss. He plans to announce a top three soon and will make a commitment at the Army All-American Game. Miami has a lot of ground to make up, but Nauta does have a lot of respect for Richt. Georgia and Michigan are considered the top two teams. Nauta will enroll early at his future school.
• Wide receiver Sam Bruce continues to maintain a strong commitment to Miami. It is clear that as long as Kevin Beard is the wide receivers coach at UM, the Hurricanes should be considered the leader to land Bruce. He is a fan of the hiring of Richt and looks forward to meeting with him face-to-face over the next six weeks. Bruce will visit Miami the final weekend before National Signing Day on January 29th. Florida has long been the main contender for Miami in the race for Bruce, but there are signs that the Gators are cooling on the St. Thomas Aquinas receiver. The Gators may decide to not make a strong push for Bruce during the final stretch.
• Vero Beach defensive end Patrick Bethel was the only non-Miami commit to take an official visit to UM this weekend. Bethel is a Miami legacy with his father playing tight end for the Hurricanes from 1987-90. The Hurricanes are in a strong position to land Bethel soon as he is expected to make a decision in the coming weeks. He plans to enroll early at his future school.
• Miami continues to be a legitimate player for Miami Central four-star safety Jamel Cook, who is committed to Florida State. Cook is highly impressed with the resume of Mark Richt. Cook’s recruitment will come down to: does he want to stay close to home or experience something new? Which school can offer the most immediate playing time? What defensive back position does that school envision him playing? Cook is eyeing official visits to Florida State, Miami, Alabama, and South Carolina, who is now a player because Travaris Robinson has moved there from Auburn.
• Miami Central defensive end Keir Thomas was ultra productive for the Rockets this season, finishing the year with 83 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, and 20 sacks. A one time FSU commit, Thomas wasn’t offered by Miami until Al Golden was fired. Thomas is searching for his next school and Miami could be a significant player if they decide to make a move. At the moment, Thomas is looking strongly at South Carolina because of his relationship with their new head coach and defensive coordinator, Will Muschamp and Travaris Robinson. Miami hasn’t shown much interest since Richt has been hired. Thomas admits he will give Miami a very strong look if Richt brings in a defensive coordinator that plays an attacking 4-3 style of defense. Miami would be wise to give Thomas a strong look. He is a good fit as a defensive end for a 4-3 front.
• Richt has already reached out to speedy Viera wide receiver Tre Nixon since taking the Miami job. Nixon was a target for Richt at Georgia. With that being said, Miami has plenty of ground to make up in the race for Nixon with Penn State, Georgia, Florida, and Texas A&M establishing long relationships. His relationship with his future wide receivers coach is an important factor for Nixon, who finished his senior season with 1,243 yards and 18 touchdowns. Nixon had interest in Miami early in the recruiting process because he viewed himself as a player that had similar ability to former UM standout Phillip Dorsett.
• Georgia was in a strong position recruiting Louisiana four-star cornerback prospect Shyheim Carter when Mark Richt was the head coach. Now that he has moved to Miami, Carter admits he is highly interested in learning what UM has to offer with Richt there. Recruiting Carter won’t be easy. He is a one-time Alabama commit and is heavily targeted by the Crimson Tide, Georgia, Michigan, Ole Miss, and Southern California. Carter is an example of Richt opening doors on the recruiting trail as big time prospects in the Southeast are now interested in Miami.
• Texas running back Devwah Whaley committed to Georgia for two weeks before he de-committed from the Bulldogs because of the firing of Mark Richt. Now that Richt is at Miami, the Hurricanes plan to make a push for Whaley over the final weeks leading up to National Signing Day. Whaley had a strong connection with Richt that was based on a foundation of having a strong religious faith. Whaley has a great respect for Richt and the way he carries himself. He has already taken official visits to Georgia, Texas A&M, and Arkansas. He has two official visits remaining and Miami is fighting to be one of those schools. Whaley is a north-south, one-cut running back that has great success between the tackles. He rushed for 1530 yards and 21 touchdowns during his senior season.
• Coconut Creek athlete Malek Young officially de-committed from Georgia on Friday and is now looking like a strong possibility to Miami. Young made the de-commitment in the wake of news that defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt was taking the same job at Alabama and it appeared he wasn’t in the plans for new UGA coach Kirby Smart. Young plans to visit Miami on January 15th. The Hurricanes are now considered the team to beat for Young, who projects as a cornerback.
• As expected going into the weekend, Miami picked up a commitment from Santaluces four-star linebacker Zach McCloud. When Richt was announced as head coach, it was a formality for McCloud to re-commit to the Hurricanes. Miami now has a very strong linebacker group committed in the 2016 class with McCloud joining four-star prospect Shaquille Quarterman and three-star Michael Pinckney. The group will go a long way toward upgrading the overall talent Miami has at that position.