At the most important position on the field and with so much turnover, it’s essential to take one QB every cycle. While the Canes currently have nine early commitments for the 2020 class, none of them is a signal-caller. Miami has a few offers out to the sophomore class, but one that the coaches have been keeping an eye on is Fletcher QB Devon Lingle, and he was an invited recruit for Miami’s Junior Day event a few weeks back.
“It went really well. I loved being on campus and the coaching staff really makes you feel at home,” said Lingle on his UM visit. “Especially being a 2020 guy, as young as I am and at the beginning of my recruiting process, it really means a lot. I’d 100% take an official visit there, no doubt in my mind.”
In what was just his second trip to campus, Lingle was still learning new things about the program at Miami. One aspect he noticed while watching practice was the caliber of QB Mark Richt is bringing in at The U.
“What I learned was the depth at the position, the skillset that they need,” Lingle said. “All the quarterbacks are physical specimens basically, it’s crazy, they’re pretty big. They like to throw a lot, which is one of my favorite things to do, but they also run a lot, so you kind of have to be an athlete to play there.”
As the Miami coaches continue their search to secure a 2020 QB, what stands out about Lingle is his accuracy and football IQ, among other attributes.
“They like my style of play, my arm, and my accuracy, and my ability to put a ball in a hole,” Lingle said of the Miami coaches. “I add a little bit of touch to it, I can usually put it where it’s supposed to go. Not only that, but my QB coach Ryan Walker has really helped me not only develop the physical part of the game, but also mental. Making the right reads, taking the right steps. Why are you throwing the ball in that spot, instead of just throwing it there. I feel I have it, both mental and physical; I’m 100% sure that when they put me on the board, they’re gonna be impressed.”
Even so, Lingle is still waiting on an offer from the Canes. He says the staff is waiting to do an in-person evaluation on him before they make that decision, which could come soon: UM coaches will be at Fletcher sometime this spring.
“The difference with me is that I didn’t go to a summer camp (Paradise) there, so they want to evaluate me in person,” Lingle said. “They’re also going to take a trip down (to my school) this spring, so hopefully they offer me then so I can start sorting through things because I want to early enroll my senior year. I want to commit somewhere between my end of sophomore year and beginning of junior year so I can get my feet on the ground.”
And if he did get that Miami offer?
“They'd be at the top,” Lingle said of the Canes. “Like I said, I really like the coaching staff, but I really like their style of play too: fast, tempo, slinging the ball a lot.”
The Canes had a huge season in Mark Richt’s second year at the helm, winning the Coastal Division for the first time and making the trip to Charlotte for the ACC Championship. However, one successful season on the field won’t do much to sway Lingle and doesn’t appear to be much of a factor for him in choosing a program.
“Really with college football, it’s not necessarily hit and miss, but one college can not do so well one year, and then just blow up the next year,” Lingle said. “So a winning season one year, especially three years before I’d step on campus, really doesn’t mean a whole lot.”
So, what exactly is Lingle looking for in a school that will make them stand out? He says, at least in Miami’s case, it will be the upfront nature of the coaching staff.
“I kind of think it’s hard to say right now since it’s so early in my recruiting process. I’ve been to a few schools, but I feel like I need to expand my reach a little bit, expand my mind in that sense,” Lingle said. “I will say the one thing that stood out to me that made Miami feel like home is they were authentic. I’ve been around a lot of coaches and they’ll give you that pony show and tell you what you want to hear. But, I can tell with Miami it's not like that, especially when they told me, ‘Hey, we’re not gonna offer you, but we’re gonna come down and watch you throw’. Most coaches will dance around that subject and say, ‘We’ll keep in touch’ or ‘It’s in the works’. No, they were upfront about it and they told me everything that I needed to do to make things happen instead of what they were gonna do. So, just that upfront and authentic feel really stood out to me.”
In terms of other interested parties for Lingle’s services, it’s mostly Group of 5 teams. Central Michigan, East Carolina, and USF have already offered the 6’2” 195 pounder, but bigger Power 5 schools like North Carolina, Auburn, and Wake Forest have shown interest.
“Well, I took a trip up to East Carolina and North Carolina already,” Lingle said. “Also, Wake Forest has been asking me to take a visit there. And I’ll probably visit Auburn too, they’ve been interested.”
Lingle spent last season quarterbacking Ponte Vedra, and it was his big season on the field that started getting the attention of college coaches. For this upcoming year, Lingle has made the transfer to Fletcher in Neptunte Beach, where he hopes to team with Miami WR commit Jeremiah Payton to lead the Senators to new heights.
“I don’t know my stats off the top of my head since I transferred, but a little stat would be in a four game stretch last year, I threw for over 1,000 yards,” Lingle said of his sophomore year. “I’m super excited for the new season to start, I’m one of the youngest kids to be named captain there (at Fletcher). I’m ready to step on the field and show what I got.”
“It went really well. I loved being on campus and the coaching staff really makes you feel at home,” said Lingle on his UM visit. “Especially being a 2020 guy, as young as I am and at the beginning of my recruiting process, it really means a lot. I’d 100% take an official visit there, no doubt in my mind.”
In what was just his second trip to campus, Lingle was still learning new things about the program at Miami. One aspect he noticed while watching practice was the caliber of QB Mark Richt is bringing in at The U.
“What I learned was the depth at the position, the skillset that they need,” Lingle said. “All the quarterbacks are physical specimens basically, it’s crazy, they’re pretty big. They like to throw a lot, which is one of my favorite things to do, but they also run a lot, so you kind of have to be an athlete to play there.”
As the Miami coaches continue their search to secure a 2020 QB, what stands out about Lingle is his accuracy and football IQ, among other attributes.
“They like my style of play, my arm, and my accuracy, and my ability to put a ball in a hole,” Lingle said of the Miami coaches. “I add a little bit of touch to it, I can usually put it where it’s supposed to go. Not only that, but my QB coach Ryan Walker has really helped me not only develop the physical part of the game, but also mental. Making the right reads, taking the right steps. Why are you throwing the ball in that spot, instead of just throwing it there. I feel I have it, both mental and physical; I’m 100% sure that when they put me on the board, they’re gonna be impressed.”
Even so, Lingle is still waiting on an offer from the Canes. He says the staff is waiting to do an in-person evaluation on him before they make that decision, which could come soon: UM coaches will be at Fletcher sometime this spring.
“The difference with me is that I didn’t go to a summer camp (Paradise) there, so they want to evaluate me in person,” Lingle said. “They’re also going to take a trip down (to my school) this spring, so hopefully they offer me then so I can start sorting through things because I want to early enroll my senior year. I want to commit somewhere between my end of sophomore year and beginning of junior year so I can get my feet on the ground.”
And if he did get that Miami offer?
“They'd be at the top,” Lingle said of the Canes. “Like I said, I really like the coaching staff, but I really like their style of play too: fast, tempo, slinging the ball a lot.”
The Canes had a huge season in Mark Richt’s second year at the helm, winning the Coastal Division for the first time and making the trip to Charlotte for the ACC Championship. However, one successful season on the field won’t do much to sway Lingle and doesn’t appear to be much of a factor for him in choosing a program.
“Really with college football, it’s not necessarily hit and miss, but one college can not do so well one year, and then just blow up the next year,” Lingle said. “So a winning season one year, especially three years before I’d step on campus, really doesn’t mean a whole lot.”
So, what exactly is Lingle looking for in a school that will make them stand out? He says, at least in Miami’s case, it will be the upfront nature of the coaching staff.
“I kind of think it’s hard to say right now since it’s so early in my recruiting process. I’ve been to a few schools, but I feel like I need to expand my reach a little bit, expand my mind in that sense,” Lingle said. “I will say the one thing that stood out to me that made Miami feel like home is they were authentic. I’ve been around a lot of coaches and they’ll give you that pony show and tell you what you want to hear. But, I can tell with Miami it's not like that, especially when they told me, ‘Hey, we’re not gonna offer you, but we’re gonna come down and watch you throw’. Most coaches will dance around that subject and say, ‘We’ll keep in touch’ or ‘It’s in the works’. No, they were upfront about it and they told me everything that I needed to do to make things happen instead of what they were gonna do. So, just that upfront and authentic feel really stood out to me.”
In terms of other interested parties for Lingle’s services, it’s mostly Group of 5 teams. Central Michigan, East Carolina, and USF have already offered the 6’2” 195 pounder, but bigger Power 5 schools like North Carolina, Auburn, and Wake Forest have shown interest.
“Well, I took a trip up to East Carolina and North Carolina already,” Lingle said. “Also, Wake Forest has been asking me to take a visit there. And I’ll probably visit Auburn too, they’ve been interested.”
Lingle spent last season quarterbacking Ponte Vedra, and it was his big season on the field that started getting the attention of college coaches. For this upcoming year, Lingle has made the transfer to Fletcher in Neptunte Beach, where he hopes to team with Miami WR commit Jeremiah Payton to lead the Senators to new heights.
“I don’t know my stats off the top of my head since I transferred, but a little stat would be in a four game stretch last year, I threw for over 1,000 yards,” Lingle said of his sophomore year. “I’m super excited for the new season to start, I’m one of the youngest kids to be named captain there (at Fletcher). I’m ready to step on the field and show what I got.”
