VIA Canesport "Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy TE Isaac Nauta is the No. 1 rated recruit at his position.
Everyone around the country is clamoring for him to be part of their class, and he'd narrowed it to a final five of Georgia, Alabama, Michigan, Oklahoma State and Mississippi.
Until today.
Nauta took an unofficial visit to UM's campus and says he loved it. Now the early enrollee's got a top six.
The how and why of the visit is something that, if Nauta winds up a Cane, might seem arbitrary.
Last week his friend, Jacksonville Raines High School QB Augie DeBiase, said they should take an unofficial visit to Miami together. So Nauta set it up for them.
"I came down but I wasn't really taking it seriously," Nauta said. "I wasn't really considering Miami. But I had the day free and my friend wanted to go visit, so I said, `Alright, let's go visit.'
"And I went down and liked it."
Nauta says he joked with new Cane coach Mark Richt today about how he didn't really think he'd be taking Miami into consideration but how, after this time on campus, he could wind up at UM.
"It's really a great place," Nauta said. "I ended up liking it a lot. I'd say they're close to the top now."
He's not putting anyone in front of the other publicly out of his top six. He will wait to announce a decision at the Army All-American game.
So what did he see today that he liked so much?
"Well, I've always liked Miami a ton," Nauta said. "I've always liked coach Richt a lot. I just like the plans he has for the future. It's a final six now."
Even Nauta's father, Jay, didn't know Isaac was on UM's campus today until he saw reports about it in the media.
"I'm not sure what's going on," Jay told CaneSport. "But I know he was with coach (Mark) Richt - I saw about that on the Internet."
And what about DeBiase?
He told CaneSport he's hoping to land a Miami offer and that UM could easily be his destination if that happens.
"I can see it definitely happening down the road; it didn't happen today," he said.
The pair were personally escorted onto Greentree for practice by Richt this morning. They were on campus from 9 a.m. till 1 p.m.
"I did a campus tour, watched practice, sat down with coach Richt," Nauta said. "That was the bulk of it."
Nauta adds "I like coach Richt. He's been recruiting me since he was at Georgia. He looks like he's having a lot of fun, enjoying himself here. He's been one of my favorite coaches for a while. He's staying out of it till they finish the bowl game, but he's got big plans."
Nauta also says QB Brad Kaaya "came over and hollered at me at practice, said `What's up?'"
Nauta also has several former IMG teammates at UM: Scott Patchan, Ryan Fines and Tyree St. Louis.
"They love it there," Nauta said.
Way back when Nauta was a high school freshman he landed a Cane offer - it was his seventh scholarship at the time. He was playing in Buford, Ga., at the time.
Even back then he said that "I really like Miami. They're in the ACC, produce tight ends. I know the tight ends they've put out - (Greg) Olsen, (Kellen) Winslow, (Jeremy) Shockey. I know they have a good tradition of tight ends going there.""