2021 Columbus (FL) DE Jabari Ishmael signed with the Miami Hurricanes today.
The 6-5 210 pounder is currently a consensus 4-star recruit in the national rankings. According to the 247Sports Composite, Ishmael is the #239 player nationally, #17 WDE in the country, and the #33 player in the Sunshine State.
Recruiting Story
Ishmael put himself on the map after he flashed during his freshman season in 2017, and UM became the first to offer the rising star that following spring of 2018. Despite receiving Power 5 attention before his sophomore season, his only known visits throughout the entire process were to the local Hurricanes; Ishmael seemingly disliked the recruiting process altogether, which included essentially no offseason camp appearances, no top group announcements, and zero media access to the Columbus star. This was probably the quietest recruitment I can remember for a local talent with Ishmael’s offer pedigree; he picked UM in July 2020 over other bids from Florida, Notre Dame, Oregon, Michigan, and Texas A&M among others. With that being said, I’m sure Canes fans certainly don’t mind the lack of drama displayed by a South Florida recruit in this rare case. An interesting part of Ishmael’s story includes his father Victor being a longtime S&C assistant at Miami.
Evaluation
On film, Ishmael rushes in with good lean and dip to propel himself around the edge; the quickness and movement skills at his size give a glimpse of his long-term upside. Impressive first step. Long and lanky frame that’s dripping with athleticism, but still getting comfortable and growing into his body. Great length and knows how to instinctively use his reach at times to create space for himself to make a play. For technique purposes, he is lacking at this stage; a small improvement in his handwork at the point of attack, his footwork, and his body positioning would lead to much more productivity with his physical gifts. Can get washed out of the play if he doesn’t win his rep off the snap and needs more functional strength.
To give you an idea of how athletic he is, at 6-5 210, Ishmael played a good amount of traditional linebacker for Columbus, both outside and inside, in 2019 and didn’t look out of place working in space. Showed he could play side-to-side and also read his keys, react quickly, and get downhill to stop the ballcarrier. Demonstrates he can stack and shed blocks to make plays at the line in the run game. Ultimately, Ishmael is a developmental prospect that is an All-ACC and first round pick type of talent if he can reach his ceiling.
The Team
Ishmael joins Lowndes (GA) 3-star Thomas Davis as Miami’s two DE signees in the class. UM’s 2020 starting ends in Jaelen Phillips and Quincy Roche are candidates to leave for the NFL Draft, potentially leaving UM with four true defensive ends in 2021, none of which have started a game at the college level. Jahfari Harvey showed enough ability this year to make you confident he can make the leap from quality depth to starter, while both Cam and Chantz Williams have flashed upside but remain inconsistent. Patrick Joyner has bounced back and forth between LB and DE and seems likely to have a quiet college career at this point. Quentin Williams and Jason Blissett have spent time at both defensive tackle and defensive end and could potentially move to DE again this offseason depending on depth needs.
Redshirt Probability: 8/10
While UM could theoretically have a ton of open playing time if Phillips and Roche make the jump, you are more likely to see them grab a transfer DE in the portal than you are to see Ishmael getting significant time in 2021. He still has a ton of developing to do both physically and technique-wise, and he won’t have the benefit of enrolling early to help speed up that process. Still, Ishmael could make a case for highest upside DE on the roster from the moment he steps on campus, and that always counts for something.
The 6-5 210 pounder is currently a consensus 4-star recruit in the national rankings. According to the 247Sports Composite, Ishmael is the #239 player nationally, #17 WDE in the country, and the #33 player in the Sunshine State.
Recruiting Story
Ishmael put himself on the map after he flashed during his freshman season in 2017, and UM became the first to offer the rising star that following spring of 2018. Despite receiving Power 5 attention before his sophomore season, his only known visits throughout the entire process were to the local Hurricanes; Ishmael seemingly disliked the recruiting process altogether, which included essentially no offseason camp appearances, no top group announcements, and zero media access to the Columbus star. This was probably the quietest recruitment I can remember for a local talent with Ishmael’s offer pedigree; he picked UM in July 2020 over other bids from Florida, Notre Dame, Oregon, Michigan, and Texas A&M among others. With that being said, I’m sure Canes fans certainly don’t mind the lack of drama displayed by a South Florida recruit in this rare case. An interesting part of Ishmael’s story includes his father Victor being a longtime S&C assistant at Miami.
Evaluation
On film, Ishmael rushes in with good lean and dip to propel himself around the edge; the quickness and movement skills at his size give a glimpse of his long-term upside. Impressive first step. Long and lanky frame that’s dripping with athleticism, but still getting comfortable and growing into his body. Great length and knows how to instinctively use his reach at times to create space for himself to make a play. For technique purposes, he is lacking at this stage; a small improvement in his handwork at the point of attack, his footwork, and his body positioning would lead to much more productivity with his physical gifts. Can get washed out of the play if he doesn’t win his rep off the snap and needs more functional strength.
To give you an idea of how athletic he is, at 6-5 210, Ishmael played a good amount of traditional linebacker for Columbus, both outside and inside, in 2019 and didn’t look out of place working in space. Showed he could play side-to-side and also read his keys, react quickly, and get downhill to stop the ballcarrier. Demonstrates he can stack and shed blocks to make plays at the line in the run game. Ultimately, Ishmael is a developmental prospect that is an All-ACC and first round pick type of talent if he can reach his ceiling.
The Team
Ishmael joins Lowndes (GA) 3-star Thomas Davis as Miami’s two DE signees in the class. UM’s 2020 starting ends in Jaelen Phillips and Quincy Roche are candidates to leave for the NFL Draft, potentially leaving UM with four true defensive ends in 2021, none of which have started a game at the college level. Jahfari Harvey showed enough ability this year to make you confident he can make the leap from quality depth to starter, while both Cam and Chantz Williams have flashed upside but remain inconsistent. Patrick Joyner has bounced back and forth between LB and DE and seems likely to have a quiet college career at this point. Quentin Williams and Jason Blissett have spent time at both defensive tackle and defensive end and could potentially move to DE again this offseason depending on depth needs.
Redshirt Probability: 8/10
While UM could theoretically have a ton of open playing time if Phillips and Roche make the jump, you are more likely to see them grab a transfer DE in the portal than you are to see Ishmael getting significant time in 2021. He still has a ton of developing to do both physically and technique-wise, and he won’t have the benefit of enrolling early to help speed up that process. Still, Ishmael could make a case for highest upside DE on the roster from the moment he steps on campus, and that always counts for something.
