2022 Duncan U. Fletcher (FL) DE Aaron Hester earned an offer from the Miami Hurricanes last week when his position coach got in touch with defensive coordinator Blake Baker and area recruiter Rob Likens to gauge their interest in the rising junior.
“Well my D-Line coach, coach Gordy Raulerson, he sent my film over to coach Likens and coach Baker and they loved it and said ‘We have to give that kid an offer’,” Hester said. “After that, I got in touch with coach Likens and he told me I had the offer, I was really excited.”
With the UM offer now in hand, Hester says the Canes will certainly be a factor in his recruitment going forward.
“I love the winning tradition there, and plus we just had a kid from Fletcher go to the U, Jeremiah Payton, so it’d be comfortable for me there,” Hester said. “Especially with the school being in Coral Gables, there’s nowhere really better to be.”
With Payton being a 2019 recruit and Hester in the 2022 class, there is an age gap between the pair, but that hasn’t prevented them from building a relationship over the years.
“Me and Jeremiah talk just about every week,” Hester said. “I was a freshman and he was a senior, so I didn’t have that long with him, but he was amazing when he was here. He loves it at the U, he loves the new coaches, he loves the environment. He says there’s no place he’d rather be and he feels like he made the right decision.
“He also told me he likes coach Likens and Jeremiah seems really happy with him so far. Jeremiah tells me to keep my head on straight with the recruiting process, but he loves Miami, so I think he’s steering me there.”
Two summers ago, Hester made his first trip to UM, and he is looking to make a return trip to Coral Gables in the near future.
“I went to a Mark Richt summer camp in 9th grade,” Hester said. “I got to see the dining hall, the indoor field that was almost done, all of that. It was great, I loved it. I really want to take some visits when this whole cornonavirus gets cleared up, and one of the places I’m going is Miami, definitely.”
Hester plays both linebacker and defensive end for the Senators, but he profiles as an edge rusher at the next level with his 6-3 220 pound frame that is still growing.
“A 3-4 outside linebacker is mostly what I’m being recruited as, Wake Forest likes me there and a couple of others,” Hester said. “Miami likes me as a defensive end, though, but I switch back and forth between linebacker and DE [in high school], we have different packages. Especially now, we have a lot of seniors that just left in our 2020 class at Fletcher, so I’m going to have to do both roles now. I don’t really mind, I can do both roles with ease, I’m confident with both.”
After receiving his first offer just last month, Hester now has 11 total offers, including from Florida State, Maryland, Wake Forest, Iowa State, and Kansas in the Power 5 in addition to Miami. With the sudden increase in attention, Hester says he’ll move through the process slowly so he can properly evaluate all his options.
“I’m just taking it easy right now,” Hester said. “I’ve been in touch with all the schools that have offered me. I’ll make a top group before I make a decision, but that will be sometime next spring, and then commit sometime after.”
What will he be looking for in a program when he is ready to make a decision?
“A great education, a nice place to stay, and then honestly just a program I fit in at, somewhere I’ve developed a good relationship with the coaches,” Hester said.
Hester was part of a 6-4 Senators team during his sophomore season in 2019 where he recorded 105 tackles, 9 sacks, and 4 PBU, and he says he is hard at work to make improvements for his upcoming junior year to ensure a stronger result for his team.
“I’ll say I take a little from Kenneth Murray, K’Lavon Chaisson, and Khalil Mack and incorporate it into my game,” Hester said. “I’m working on my explosion and my dip around the pocket to get that reach back to the quarterback and get his back arm. Also, just my quickness and my stance, I realized how much that effected my get-off, so I’m working on that. Just trying to improve my speed overall.”
“Well my D-Line coach, coach Gordy Raulerson, he sent my film over to coach Likens and coach Baker and they loved it and said ‘We have to give that kid an offer’,” Hester said. “After that, I got in touch with coach Likens and he told me I had the offer, I was really excited.”
With the UM offer now in hand, Hester says the Canes will certainly be a factor in his recruitment going forward.
“I love the winning tradition there, and plus we just had a kid from Fletcher go to the U, Jeremiah Payton, so it’d be comfortable for me there,” Hester said. “Especially with the school being in Coral Gables, there’s nowhere really better to be.”
With Payton being a 2019 recruit and Hester in the 2022 class, there is an age gap between the pair, but that hasn’t prevented them from building a relationship over the years.
“Me and Jeremiah talk just about every week,” Hester said. “I was a freshman and he was a senior, so I didn’t have that long with him, but he was amazing when he was here. He loves it at the U, he loves the new coaches, he loves the environment. He says there’s no place he’d rather be and he feels like he made the right decision.
“He also told me he likes coach Likens and Jeremiah seems really happy with him so far. Jeremiah tells me to keep my head on straight with the recruiting process, but he loves Miami, so I think he’s steering me there.”
Two summers ago, Hester made his first trip to UM, and he is looking to make a return trip to Coral Gables in the near future.
“I went to a Mark Richt summer camp in 9th grade,” Hester said. “I got to see the dining hall, the indoor field that was almost done, all of that. It was great, I loved it. I really want to take some visits when this whole cornonavirus gets cleared up, and one of the places I’m going is Miami, definitely.”
Hester plays both linebacker and defensive end for the Senators, but he profiles as an edge rusher at the next level with his 6-3 220 pound frame that is still growing.
“A 3-4 outside linebacker is mostly what I’m being recruited as, Wake Forest likes me there and a couple of others,” Hester said. “Miami likes me as a defensive end, though, but I switch back and forth between linebacker and DE [in high school], we have different packages. Especially now, we have a lot of seniors that just left in our 2020 class at Fletcher, so I’m going to have to do both roles now. I don’t really mind, I can do both roles with ease, I’m confident with both.”
After receiving his first offer just last month, Hester now has 11 total offers, including from Florida State, Maryland, Wake Forest, Iowa State, and Kansas in the Power 5 in addition to Miami. With the sudden increase in attention, Hester says he’ll move through the process slowly so he can properly evaluate all his options.
“I’m just taking it easy right now,” Hester said. “I’ve been in touch with all the schools that have offered me. I’ll make a top group before I make a decision, but that will be sometime next spring, and then commit sometime after.”
What will he be looking for in a program when he is ready to make a decision?
“A great education, a nice place to stay, and then honestly just a program I fit in at, somewhere I’ve developed a good relationship with the coaches,” Hester said.
Hester was part of a 6-4 Senators team during his sophomore season in 2019 where he recorded 105 tackles, 9 sacks, and 4 PBU, and he says he is hard at work to make improvements for his upcoming junior year to ensure a stronger result for his team.
“I’ll say I take a little from Kenneth Murray, K’Lavon Chaisson, and Khalil Mack and incorporate it into my game,” Hester said. “I’m working on my explosion and my dip around the pocket to get that reach back to the quarterback and get his back arm. Also, just my quickness and my stance, I realized how much that effected my get-off, so I’m working on that. Just trying to improve my speed overall.”
