For this past 2015 class, UM suffered one decommitment after another, with 11 coming between mid-August and signing day.
Top Miami decommits for 2015 class and where they ended up:
RB Jordan Scarlett, ESPN 300, Florida
RB Dexter Williams, ESPN 300, Notre Dame
WR Terrell Chatman, ESPN 300, Arizona State
QB Dwayne Lawson, ESPN 300, Virginia Tech
TE Bowman Archibald, ESPN 300, Wake Forest
WR Emonee Spence 4 star, Louisville
RB Jordan Cronkrite 4 star, Florida
OT Kevin Feder, 3 star, Ohio State
WR Therrell Gosier, 3 star, Kentucky
OL Geron Christian, 3 star, Louisville
LB Claude George, 3 star, Texas A&M
OL Leeward Brown, 3 star, Tulane
But in June, Miami had been rolling on the crootin' trail with the No. 10th best class in the country, with commitments from five ESPN 300 players. In the end, Miami ended up with the No. 23 class in the country and six ESPN 300 prospects. But of the ESPN 300 players pledged to the Canes in June, only one signed: linebacker Charles Perry. Gerry Hamilton to tab Miami the biggest disappointment in the ACC.
Why? Hamilton writes:
"While Miami finished No. 23, including getting area running back Mark Walton and a pair of talented ESPN 300 offensive linemen, the class ended with a whimper after a promising start. Only two of the 11 targeted prospects in the ESPN 300 from Dade and Broward counties ended up signing with the Hurricanes, the same number that inked with Alabama, Florida State, Florida and Texas."
Ouch. In all, Miami signed 20 players -- only seven came from the South Florida area.
Losing big in South Florida simply cannot happen for the flagship program in the area. Not when it built its reputation and tradition with players in the So. Florida area. Al Golden had an explanation waiting when reporters asked him on signing day about why there were not as many South Florida kids in the class. He said the numbers were misleading because [SUB]Miami had to go after offensive linemen[/SUB]n, and the best linemen were outside the area.
As for the rash of decommits, Golden was not as specific, saying, "It's a variety reasons and they're individually based. It's tough to just sit up here and paint a brush and say why it happened."
Miami has moved on, of course. But what happened in this recruiting cycle could be instructive moving forward. Miami has gotten a terrific jump on the class of 2016, with eight commitments already from the ESPN Junior 300. That's more than Florida State and Clemson combined. Six of those players are from the South Florida area. But there is one year to go before the next signing day so the logical question to ask is this: Will Miami be able to hold onto these players?
There remains so much uncertainty in Coral Gables. Miami went an unacceptable 6-7 a year ago, raising the negativity surrounding the program. Some believe Golden is on the hot seat because his teams have produced mostly mediocre results. If Miami stumbles again, how many of the guys who have given a verbal pledge will stick around? Recruits are so fickle. Committing, decommitting, flipping and flopping have become the norm.
The commitments in the fold for 2016 are only a start. But the staff knows it must continue to work on keeping these guys in the fold, while bringing in its best class yet. Nobody will have any answers about the 2016 group until next February.
The bottom line that Miami has the highest ranked class of elite recruits for 2016. Being included in this 2016 class automatically places a bounty of every recruit and the world of college Football recruiters know where to find this top talent. Recruits have been said of wanting to be included in the early segment of the 2016 class because they know that being associated with UM while being the highest ranked class will garner them the maximum attention from all the powerhouse programs in college Football.
Can the hot seat Al Golden hang on? Can Al Golden win enough games to keep the Canes in the top spot for these top recruits? How long could Al Golden keep his job if the season tanks, and the recruits begin to stutter about UM?
Should the powers that be at UM, whether it be the new Prez, the BOT, or Flake Blake, develop contingency plans to quickly hire a new coach, a la Butch Davis, in a focus order to secure the class rather than having said class flail in the way of UiF and new coach McElwain?
Top Miami decommits for 2015 class and where they ended up:
RB Jordan Scarlett, ESPN 300, Florida
RB Dexter Williams, ESPN 300, Notre Dame
WR Terrell Chatman, ESPN 300, Arizona State
QB Dwayne Lawson, ESPN 300, Virginia Tech
TE Bowman Archibald, ESPN 300, Wake Forest
WR Emonee Spence 4 star, Louisville
RB Jordan Cronkrite 4 star, Florida
OT Kevin Feder, 3 star, Ohio State
WR Therrell Gosier, 3 star, Kentucky
OL Geron Christian, 3 star, Louisville
LB Claude George, 3 star, Texas A&M
OL Leeward Brown, 3 star, Tulane
But in June, Miami had been rolling on the crootin' trail with the No. 10th best class in the country, with commitments from five ESPN 300 players. In the end, Miami ended up with the No. 23 class in the country and six ESPN 300 prospects. But of the ESPN 300 players pledged to the Canes in June, only one signed: linebacker Charles Perry. Gerry Hamilton to tab Miami the biggest disappointment in the ACC.
Why? Hamilton writes:
"While Miami finished No. 23, including getting area running back Mark Walton and a pair of talented ESPN 300 offensive linemen, the class ended with a whimper after a promising start. Only two of the 11 targeted prospects in the ESPN 300 from Dade and Broward counties ended up signing with the Hurricanes, the same number that inked with Alabama, Florida State, Florida and Texas."
Ouch. In all, Miami signed 20 players -- only seven came from the South Florida area.
Losing big in South Florida simply cannot happen for the flagship program in the area. Not when it built its reputation and tradition with players in the So. Florida area. Al Golden had an explanation waiting when reporters asked him on signing day about why there were not as many South Florida kids in the class. He said the numbers were misleading because [SUB]Miami had to go after offensive linemen[/SUB]n, and the best linemen were outside the area.
As for the rash of decommits, Golden was not as specific, saying, "It's a variety reasons and they're individually based. It's tough to just sit up here and paint a brush and say why it happened."
Miami has moved on, of course. But what happened in this recruiting cycle could be instructive moving forward. Miami has gotten a terrific jump on the class of 2016, with eight commitments already from the ESPN Junior 300. That's more than Florida State and Clemson combined. Six of those players are from the South Florida area. But there is one year to go before the next signing day so the logical question to ask is this: Will Miami be able to hold onto these players?
There remains so much uncertainty in Coral Gables. Miami went an unacceptable 6-7 a year ago, raising the negativity surrounding the program. Some believe Golden is on the hot seat because his teams have produced mostly mediocre results. If Miami stumbles again, how many of the guys who have given a verbal pledge will stick around? Recruits are so fickle. Committing, decommitting, flipping and flopping have become the norm.
The commitments in the fold for 2016 are only a start. But the staff knows it must continue to work on keeping these guys in the fold, while bringing in its best class yet. Nobody will have any answers about the 2016 group until next February.
The bottom line that Miami has the highest ranked class of elite recruits for 2016. Being included in this 2016 class automatically places a bounty of every recruit and the world of college Football recruiters know where to find this top talent. Recruits have been said of wanting to be included in the early segment of the 2016 class because they know that being associated with UM while being the highest ranked class will garner them the maximum attention from all the powerhouse programs in college Football.
Can the hot seat Al Golden hang on? Can Al Golden win enough games to keep the Canes in the top spot for these top recruits? How long could Al Golden keep his job if the season tanks, and the recruits begin to stutter about UM?
Should the powers that be at UM, whether it be the new Prez, the BOT, or Flake Blake, develop contingency plans to quickly hire a new coach, a la Butch Davis, in a focus order to secure the class rather than having said class flail in the way of UiF and new coach McElwain?