Here's what I know on Mark Matthews...

[TRick72]

It means they're looking for a reason to **** and moan and be negative. Like my ex wife without the ****.

 

[TexasCane90]

If we land him, great. I wish him the best in life

If we don't land him, that sucks. He becomes an immediate afterthought.

Simple stuff for me.

This is where I’m at…

We’ve shown we are back to being a national championship contending team.

We have proven elite development to the league in your exact position no less.

We have top NIL money.

The excuses are up if the kid doesn’t like those three then he legit just wants to go away from home lol good luck kid it’s your life not mad at you for making the decisions you think are best.

 

[nickster]

We’ve missed tons of recruits over the years because we were *** on the field, recruited like ****, and/or took the cheap route

We are none of those things anymore so yeah of course landing this kids is the way to go, but if we miss these days it’s not for lack of effort or investment

Very good and valid points

 

[AUcane]

The "bad look" comments are so ignorant lol.

Whats the bad look? We reached a national title, heavily invested and recruited the player, sent a player to the first round of the draft at the position this year, offered just as much NIL as anyone else and the player still wants to go suck the ****s of *** cheerleaders?

Thats a bad look for sure, just not on the coaches. South florida will always have major **** riders who want to leave town. It is what it is. Its not like this staff isnt recruiting them to the fullest.

You haven't heard the universal rule that if you don't get a top 5 recruiting class following a great season that your program is doomed?

In todays NIL game, let's face it - we probably won't have a top 5 class most years. BFD.

 

[HurricaneU]

Someone should have given Cignetti the memo on recruiting rankings rules.

247 Composite

• 2026: 32nd Overall (9th Big Ten)
• 2025: 46th Overall (14th Big Ten)
• 2024: 65th Overall (16th Big Ten)

 

[Trav]

You haven't heard the universal rule that if you don't get a top 5 recruiting class following a great season that your program is doomed?

In todays NIL game, let's face it - we probably won't have a top 5 class most years. BFD.

I care less and less about contemporaneous rankings. 2015 was like 14, and we've already hit on 4 stars in Mali, Bryce, Pringle, Moore, and others like Wiley and Upshaw are ready to bust out. Last year was like 9? That's gonna end up being a lot better. I think evals are doing very well. And then with the portal being what it is, the high school classes just aren't as crucial to building a champion. Ask Indiana.

 

[Hoyacane1620]

If you are an elite OL guys RT or LT you will get drafted high and get paid. So that whole RT LT cope is just that cope. Its a narrative fans can use to give the staff an excuse as to why they lost a player. Just be dead *** and say we lost out and TAMU did a better job building the relationship with the player and parents. Its that simple, but people like to cap for coaches. Idk why they do it but they do it, people still cap for Manny till this very day.

Or, the kid justs wants to go to texas.

Stop with the better relationship nonsense. The kid just wants another experience

 

[Hoyacane1620]

Exactly, thats why I dont understand the bad look comments. Ppl expecting Mario to kidnap the kid and forge his signature on signing day or some ****.

We lost a recruiting battle? Sure. Bad look? Not even close.

Kid just wanted something else. You've said it well multiple times.

So many ridiculous and unrealistic comments when a kid chooses to go elsewhere.

 

[Handsome Squidbum]

Someone should have given Cignetti the memo on recruiting rankings rules.

247 Composite

• 2026: 32nd Overall (9th Big Ten)
• 2025: 46th Overall (14th Big Ten)
• 2024: 65th Overall (16th Big Ten)

View attachment 362280

Take the money set aside for Matthews and do what Indiana did (uh… I mean allegedly of course). Build a proprietary AI model where you can feed in game film and get a prediction of opponent plays and the presnap formations. Makes practices much more efficient when you know what the calls are going to be.

 

[Dwinstitles]

Or, the kid justs wants to go to texas.

Stop with the better relationship nonsense. The kid just wants another experience

you dont think it could be he cool with someone? It is possible not impossible, if my son says I like this coach better than thats where he will go. That is entirely possible, maybe he wants to go to Texas but the relationship thing is possible

 

[BigDikDaddyFromCincinnati]

It means they're looking for a reason to **** and moan and be negative. Like my ex wife without the ****.

Oh I think some of these "dudes" have ****.....

Excellent analogy though.

 

[BigDikDaddyFromCincinnati]

Someone should have given Cignetti the memo on recruiting rankings rules.

247 Composite

• 2026: 32nd Overall (9th Big Ten)
• 2025: 46th Overall (14th Big Ten)
• 2024: 65th Overall (16th Big Ten)

View attachment 362280

They did - they put it on the cloud that he hacks and then deciphers the code with AI written by Mark Cuban and his team of gooners.

 

[Problem2]

Loy

 

[BigDikDaddyFromCincinnati]

Take the money set aside for Matthews and do what Indiana did (uh… I mean allegedly of course). Build a proprietary AI model where you can feed in game film and get a prediction of opponent plays and the presnap formations. Makes practices much more efficient when you know what the calls are going to be.

I have no proof. I am not a cyber sleuth. I have no evidence. However, no one has ever done what Cig did. Not even close.
That dude is dirty..... I'm conviced it'll come out eventually.

 

[Calinative]

The "bad look" comments are so ignorant lol.

Whats the bad look? We reached a national title, heavily invested and recruited the player, sent a player to the first round of the draft at the position this year, offered just as much NIL as anyone else and the player still wants to go suck the ****s of *** cheerleaders?

Thats a bad look for sure, just not on the coaches. South florida will always have major **** riders who want to leave town. It is what it is. Its not like this staff isnt recruiting them to the fullest.

I mean also the question is looks bad to who, and has what ACTUAL negative impact?

Seems entirely a negative MEDIA or Fan look. Not actual tangible impact. Like us missing on Mathews is impacting us landing other top recruits? I doubt it. In fact it's more arguable it makes it more likely we land other top recruits because we are gonna spend what we're gonna spend and hopefully that money just results in us landing top dlineman instead.

And like other recruits are gonna be like "wow y'all missed on Mathews I don't wanna go there?"... Uh **** no lol.

Itd entirely he a Media/Fan "Look bad" thing. You think the players on this team or that will be on this team are going to actually be negatively impacted? No.

Its a bad look only because we wanted him, expect he could have been a high impact player with a high ceiling, and now we don't have him. That's the only actual impact.

So yeah the bad look stuff is mostly bs in terms of recruiting misses. Any 1 player isn't the be all end all.

Like if we land a great DLine class and many of our other top targets it won't be a bad look to have a top 5 recruiting class lol

 

[nycane]

Dead *** though, how many are just jags? Crazy numbers

I bet this Gourdine DB we got plays like a 6 star. He not getting the respect he deserves, when you see his film the only reason he ain’t a 5 star is cause he ain’t 30 feet tall.

@Coach Macho is typically right. When everyone was downplaying Bryce, he said he thought he was the best athlete in so Fla.

 

[aelmiami]

View attachment 362283

Loy

Took them awhile, but these writers have finally started adding the Miami back door in the event things don’t go the expected way. Write ups like this give me even less confidence Mario pulls a stunner at closing time. Just my .02.

 

[OrangeBowlMagic]

I mean also the question is looks bad to who, and has what ACTUAL negative impact?

Seems entirely a negative MEDIA or Fan look. Not actual tangible impact. Like us missing on Mathews is impacting us landing other top recruits? I doubt it. In fact it's more arguable it makes it more likely we land other top recruits because we are gonna spend what we're gonna spend and hopefully that money just results in us landing top dlineman instead.

And like other recruits are gonna be like "wow y'all missed on Mathews I don't wanna go there?"... Uh **** no lol.

Itd entirely he a Media/Fan "Look bad" thing. You think the players on this team or that will be on this team are going to actually be negatively impacted? No.

Its a bad look only because we wanted him, expect he could have been a high impact player with a high ceiling, and now we don't have him. That's the only actual impact.

So yeah the bad look stuff is mostly bs in terms of recruiting misses. Any 1 player isn't the be all end all.

Like if we land a great DLine class and many of our other top targets it won't be a bad look to have a top 5 recruiting class lol

If you’re looking for something tangible, it’s just a (small) crack in the armor that coaches will use to negatively recruit.

How tangible is this? Likely not much, but I’m answering your question. It’s not entirely a twitter trolling situation.

There are coaches, 100.0%, who will tell other recruits Miami can’t even keep their homegrown stars home, something’s wrong, blah blah blah.

It also impacts future recruits. Again, albeit in a very small capacity, but it is a data point. LSU gets **** near every single kid they want from Louisiana. Why? Because it’s drilled into every kid’s head from birth. You’re a baller? You go to Baton Rouge like *waves hand at 500 elite local players*. It’s not realistic to get every single SFL kid we want, but the more we do get, the more kids in future classes see that and it’s hammered home over and over that your best option is to stay home.

Getting this worked up over one kid at the one position we trust our staff to produce is peak CIS. Get ahold of yourselves. We’re more than fine.

But there are actual real-life impacts. They’re just not exactly crippling, like most people here want to portray. Go the **** on to College Station. Enjoy yelling at midnight. We’re just fine over here.

 

[TwentySix]

I care less and less about contemporaneous rankings

 

[Big O Cane]

The kid has never played LT in HS from what I’ve read and if I’m wrong then I apologize so I’d think he needs to be taught to play the position no matter where he goes

He plays day 1 here or there doesn't matter imo, and in year 3 you move him to LT. I think TAMU has just done a better job building a relationship. Tbh we are the best offer on the table and he knows that he will play day 1 as well. Just got to give TAMU credit for getting it done unless he shocks everyone and chooses us.

He’s not playing day 1 here.