I'm not going to spin this into a win. Mario's stated goal is a Top 5 class, and his expectation is a Top 10 class. He believes in recruiting rankings, recruiting rankings are better than ever, and the scoreboard says 14th in the nation.
The timing also hurts. We had a devastating loss on Saturday, and Mario is supposed to make his name in recruiting. I've been told reliably that we will go hard in the Portal. This finish puts a lot of pressure on executing that plan and crushing the Class of 2026.
But there are still good players signing up to be Miami Hurricanes. Big picture, this class reminds me of the season. I love our our offensive class, our defensive class is shaky, and we have big holes in the Back 7.
I believe three things hurt us. First, the new calendar has kids taking visits and committing before the season. That means the prior season (7-6 in our case) has more impact than the current season. Second, our defensive performance was uninspiring to those who were uncommitted or looking around. Finally, the staff just didn't recruit well enough in some spots.
On the positive side, this class has a lot of highly productive players who come from winning programs. That's no guarantee of success (see 2008), but I think we got smarter and tougher with this class.
Below are my thoughts on each position group:
QB- Luke Nickel (Alpharetta, GA) is the best quarterback we've signed in the Cristobal Era. He reminds me of Sam Howell: thick-bodied, quick processor, with functional athleticism and the ability to drop the ball in a bucket. In pads, he's a champion with big stats (10K total yards, 112 TDs). In shorts, he's an Elite 11 finalist and a deadly 7on7 player. The tools aren't special, but he has no hole in his game and has an extremely high floor. I think he's our backup this year.
RB- Even though he's a consensus Top 10 player at his position, I believe Girard Pringle (Seffner, FL) is underrated on here. This is an instant-impact guy with the ability to change games. He has legit track speed (10.8 laser, 10.5 hand) and, more importantly, combines that speed with efficient cuts and quickness. It's like a power hitter in baseball. A guy may hit it 500+ feet, but if he can't make contact he can't get to his power. Pringle has the lateral movement and balance to get to his pullaway speed. Plus, he's tough. I made the Jahmyr Gibbs comparison on the pod, and Mario echoed that in his presser. I think Pringle competes with Chris Johnson, Jr. to play right away.
WR- This is a very good class. We could've used a truly dynamic guy with the ball in his hands (there's nobody like that on the roster), but these guys have the key WR traits. First, all three are very productive. Josh Moore (West Broward) had two 1K seasons facing double teams. He would've had three straight if not for an injury as a junior. Daylyn Upshaw (Phenix City, AL) and Malachi Toney (American Heritage) are both 1K receivers against elite competition. Production correlates to success at the WR position.
Second, they are football players. All three got snaps at safety this year and made plays to win games. When Toney's QB went down, he took over and led his team to victory (as Xavier Restrepo did at Deerfield Beach when Michael Pratt got hurt). These are not 7on7 guys.
Finally, they all have ball skills and play strength. This is where Mark Pope, Dee Wiggins and Romello Brinson struggled. All three of our signees have the ability to pluck the ball and finish through contact. Athletically, Toney and Upshaw are short-area demons, while Moore has incredible springiness (check his post-TD backflips). Pure speed is the only weakness of the class, but it's also a slightly overvalued trait at WR (see how many elite NFL pass-catchers ran 4.5 or worse).
OL- Love the interior line class. To build a championship roster, you need 3-4 high impact guys every year. These are the guys that go high in the draft and win awards. SJ Alofaituli (Las Vegas) is the safest best in this class to be a star. He combines elite, verified short-area quicks with power, weight-room strength, flexibility and intangibles. He could start Year 1. Max Buchanan (Sanford, FL) brings a needed edge to a thin roster of guards, with the feet to play tackle in a pinch.
The tackles are more of a projection. This class could've used a high-end guy here, given Mirabal's ability to recruit those types in the past. Jaden Wilkerson and Demetrius Campbell are pretty similar: big, Orlando-area basketball converts with limited experience against big-time competition. Both have the athleticism to pass protect, but are much more comfortable as road graders right now. Wilkerson is more powerful, and Campbell is nastier. It all comes down to how they develop as pass blockers.
TEs- This is a good group. Brock Schott (Leo, IN) is a high-intensity, two-way football player with straight-line speed. He's more linear and narrow than Elija Lofton, but he can play a similar role as a versatile piece. Luka Gilbert (Cincinnati, OH) projects as a high-end inline blocker. While he doesn't separate like a pure receiving TE, he is a fluid mover (basketball player) who catches the ball with his hands. His willingness to block, his elite size (6'7, 250) and his high school role should have him ready to play early.
DE- The defensive class is weak overall, but this group is excellent. Hayden Lowe (Los Angeles, CA) combines the size of a base-end (6'4, 250) with very good athleticism. The staff believes he has first round tools. Herbert Scroggins III (Savannah, GA) is a standup end who can bend and get off blocks with long arms and good technique.
What I love about these two is their production. Like WR, pass rusher is a production position. Scroggins is setting sack records in Georgia, and Lowe had a monster senior year (16 sacks). They both play with exceptionally high motors.
DT- This position is like OT in that you are counting entirely on projection. Mykah Newton (Newberry, FL) is boom or bust only because of his weight. His film shows outstanding suddenness and movement, but he needs about 30-40 pounds. Donta Simpson (Chaminade) has a Jon Ford-type body type and is young for his grade. He also had the fastest 3-cone drill of all the OL/DL nationally at the Under Armour Camps. This includes edge rushers who weigh 100 pounds less than him. The tape has strong flashes but inconsistency, so he will need development.
LB- Kellen Wiley (Seffner, FL) saved this position from disaster. He's an outstanding athlete (triple jump, long jump, javelin throw) with rare size for a high school, off-ball backer (6'4, 225). His senior film is electric. Ezekiel Marcelin (Central) is a highly productive player with solid quickness but otherwise average tools. The loss of Gavin Nix hurts bad- we really need to add a high IQ tackling machine in the Portal.
DB- This is the biggest disappointment of the class. The two best players are hurt. Assuming he comes back 100% from injury (and I've heard nothing otherwise), Jaboree Antoine (New Iberia, LA) brings much needed length and athleticism to the room. He's also reputed to be a high-character, low-maintenance kid. Amari Wallace (Central) is the type of instinctive, aggressive tone-setter we've lacked since the departure of Jaquan Johnson.
Chris Ewald (Chaminade) is solid and well-schooled, but I don't know if he has the athleticism to be a front-line guy. I like CBs who play both ways and/or play multiple sports in high school. Bryce Fitzgerald (Columbus) is a supreme athlete and playmaker who has shown zero physicality. He'll get a shot at CB, but I'd bet on him settling in as a WR and returner (where he is exceptional). We'll need to go Portal-heavy here, and I hope we prioritize pure athleticism at CB and IQ/physicality at safety.
All in all, I'm excited to watch these guys play. The path to the playoff is through the ACC and we're still recruiting the best in the conference. It's time to break through.
The timing also hurts. We had a devastating loss on Saturday, and Mario is supposed to make his name in recruiting. I've been told reliably that we will go hard in the Portal. This finish puts a lot of pressure on executing that plan and crushing the Class of 2026.
But there are still good players signing up to be Miami Hurricanes. Big picture, this class reminds me of the season. I love our our offensive class, our defensive class is shaky, and we have big holes in the Back 7.
I believe three things hurt us. First, the new calendar has kids taking visits and committing before the season. That means the prior season (7-6 in our case) has more impact than the current season. Second, our defensive performance was uninspiring to those who were uncommitted or looking around. Finally, the staff just didn't recruit well enough in some spots.
On the positive side, this class has a lot of highly productive players who come from winning programs. That's no guarantee of success (see 2008), but I think we got smarter and tougher with this class.
Below are my thoughts on each position group:
QB- Luke Nickel (Alpharetta, GA) is the best quarterback we've signed in the Cristobal Era. He reminds me of Sam Howell: thick-bodied, quick processor, with functional athleticism and the ability to drop the ball in a bucket. In pads, he's a champion with big stats (10K total yards, 112 TDs). In shorts, he's an Elite 11 finalist and a deadly 7on7 player. The tools aren't special, but he has no hole in his game and has an extremely high floor. I think he's our backup this year.
RB- Even though he's a consensus Top 10 player at his position, I believe Girard Pringle (Seffner, FL) is underrated on here. This is an instant-impact guy with the ability to change games. He has legit track speed (10.8 laser, 10.5 hand) and, more importantly, combines that speed with efficient cuts and quickness. It's like a power hitter in baseball. A guy may hit it 500+ feet, but if he can't make contact he can't get to his power. Pringle has the lateral movement and balance to get to his pullaway speed. Plus, he's tough. I made the Jahmyr Gibbs comparison on the pod, and Mario echoed that in his presser. I think Pringle competes with Chris Johnson, Jr. to play right away.
WR- This is a very good class. We could've used a truly dynamic guy with the ball in his hands (there's nobody like that on the roster), but these guys have the key WR traits. First, all three are very productive. Josh Moore (West Broward) had two 1K seasons facing double teams. He would've had three straight if not for an injury as a junior. Daylyn Upshaw (Phenix City, AL) and Malachi Toney (American Heritage) are both 1K receivers against elite competition. Production correlates to success at the WR position.
Second, they are football players. All three got snaps at safety this year and made plays to win games. When Toney's QB went down, he took over and led his team to victory (as Xavier Restrepo did at Deerfield Beach when Michael Pratt got hurt). These are not 7on7 guys.
Finally, they all have ball skills and play strength. This is where Mark Pope, Dee Wiggins and Romello Brinson struggled. All three of our signees have the ability to pluck the ball and finish through contact. Athletically, Toney and Upshaw are short-area demons, while Moore has incredible springiness (check his post-TD backflips). Pure speed is the only weakness of the class, but it's also a slightly overvalued trait at WR (see how many elite NFL pass-catchers ran 4.5 or worse).
OL- Love the interior line class. To build a championship roster, you need 3-4 high impact guys every year. These are the guys that go high in the draft and win awards. SJ Alofaituli (Las Vegas) is the safest best in this class to be a star. He combines elite, verified short-area quicks with power, weight-room strength, flexibility and intangibles. He could start Year 1. Max Buchanan (Sanford, FL) brings a needed edge to a thin roster of guards, with the feet to play tackle in a pinch.
The tackles are more of a projection. This class could've used a high-end guy here, given Mirabal's ability to recruit those types in the past. Jaden Wilkerson and Demetrius Campbell are pretty similar: big, Orlando-area basketball converts with limited experience against big-time competition. Both have the athleticism to pass protect, but are much more comfortable as road graders right now. Wilkerson is more powerful, and Campbell is nastier. It all comes down to how they develop as pass blockers.
TEs- This is a good group. Brock Schott (Leo, IN) is a high-intensity, two-way football player with straight-line speed. He's more linear and narrow than Elija Lofton, but he can play a similar role as a versatile piece. Luka Gilbert (Cincinnati, OH) projects as a high-end inline blocker. While he doesn't separate like a pure receiving TE, he is a fluid mover (basketball player) who catches the ball with his hands. His willingness to block, his elite size (6'7, 250) and his high school role should have him ready to play early.
DE- The defensive class is weak overall, but this group is excellent. Hayden Lowe (Los Angeles, CA) combines the size of a base-end (6'4, 250) with very good athleticism. The staff believes he has first round tools. Herbert Scroggins III (Savannah, GA) is a standup end who can bend and get off blocks with long arms and good technique.
What I love about these two is their production. Like WR, pass rusher is a production position. Scroggins is setting sack records in Georgia, and Lowe had a monster senior year (16 sacks). They both play with exceptionally high motors.
DT- This position is like OT in that you are counting entirely on projection. Mykah Newton (Newberry, FL) is boom or bust only because of his weight. His film shows outstanding suddenness and movement, but he needs about 30-40 pounds. Donta Simpson (Chaminade) has a Jon Ford-type body type and is young for his grade. He also had the fastest 3-cone drill of all the OL/DL nationally at the Under Armour Camps. This includes edge rushers who weigh 100 pounds less than him. The tape has strong flashes but inconsistency, so he will need development.
LB- Kellen Wiley (Seffner, FL) saved this position from disaster. He's an outstanding athlete (triple jump, long jump, javelin throw) with rare size for a high school, off-ball backer (6'4, 225). His senior film is electric. Ezekiel Marcelin (Central) is a highly productive player with solid quickness but otherwise average tools. The loss of Gavin Nix hurts bad- we really need to add a high IQ tackling machine in the Portal.
DB- This is the biggest disappointment of the class. The two best players are hurt. Assuming he comes back 100% from injury (and I've heard nothing otherwise), Jaboree Antoine (New Iberia, LA) brings much needed length and athleticism to the room. He's also reputed to be a high-character, low-maintenance kid. Amari Wallace (Central) is the type of instinctive, aggressive tone-setter we've lacked since the departure of Jaquan Johnson.
Chris Ewald (Chaminade) is solid and well-schooled, but I don't know if he has the athleticism to be a front-line guy. I like CBs who play both ways and/or play multiple sports in high school. Bryce Fitzgerald (Columbus) is a supreme athlete and playmaker who has shown zero physicality. He'll get a shot at CB, but I'd bet on him settling in as a WR and returner (where he is exceptional). We'll need to go Portal-heavy here, and I hope we prioritize pure athleticism at CB and IQ/physicality at safety.
All in all, I'm excited to watch these guys play. The path to the playoff is through the ACC and we're still recruiting the best in the conference. It's time to break through.
