Time is ticking down to signing day, but as the hours fly by it seems there's more and more mystery about what Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas High School WR Sam Bruce will do.
Even his visit tomorrow is somewhat up in the air. Will he visit Florida?
His coach thinks so.
But "I don't really know where the University of Florida fits in," Roger Harriott says. "I haven't heard from them much and he hasn't spoken too much about them."
What is known: Bruce is set to visit UM the weekend before signing day, and he visited South Carolina last weekend. He visited Ohio State officially during the season.
Certainly the Canes are making a big push to land him. Coaches Mark Richt and Ron Dugans visited St. Thomas for two hours today, meeting with coaches and Bruce. Harriott thinks they are taking an in-home visit with Bruce this evening.
However, as Harriott told CaneSport previously, the departure of Kevin Beard hurts UM's chances.
"The departure of Kevin Beard opens the recruiting process back up," Harriott said. "Not taking anything away from coach Dugans or coach Richt, I think he just wanted to keep his options open. And it sounds like he has a lot of admiration for coach Richt, but he has to get to know the coaches.
"The reality is in the college industry most people want to think that the recruiting process for the prospective athletes is predicated on the winning record of the institution. However, if you look at the surveys and statistics, the majority of prospective athletes are more interested in the relationships they've cultivated with the college coach."
Many on the outside think Bruce's decision will come down to Ohio State vs. Miami, but Harriott says Internet rumors should be ignored for the most part when it comes to the Buckeyes and Bruce.
Asked about the perception that Bruce's decision will come down to the two schools, Harriott says, "I wouldn't say that. I think Sam has a substantial amount of respect for coach (Mark) Richt, coach (Urban) Meyer, but he also is very fond of coach (Will) Muschamp and South Carolina."
Meyer was at the school yesterday to spend time with Bruce.
The bottom line?
Perhaps Harriott sums it up best with a simple sentence.
"This recruiting process can go anywhere," he said.
* St. Thomas is loaded with talent, and coaches flood the offices there every day. Today, for instance, Harriott says 15 coaches were there when UM was talking with Bruce.
* Michael Irvin is a solid Cane commitment.
"He's 100 percent solid with Miami, is not wavering in any way, shape or form," Harriott said.