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The Bank (1/31)

DMoney
DMoney
3 min read
The 2026 recruiting season is in full bloom, and that means The Bank is back. Here is the latest on our board:

- Miami will continue its aggressive pursuit of CB J'Vari Flowers (Northwestern) after his reclassification to the Class of '25. His speed is elite at corner and he's an instant-impact returner. The timing of his reclassification is not ideal, as Miami just invested heavily in overhauling its secondary with transfers. But they recognize Flowers's unique talent and want him to be a Hurricane. This battle is just beginning.
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- An important part of the process is identifying the biggest priority targets. This list is not exhaustive, but I wanted to spotlight some of the names Miami will target aggressively. James Johnson (North Fort Myers) and Jaimeon Winfield (Dallas, TX via Mississippi) are two of the top targets at DT. At linebacker, the Canes love Izayia Williams (Orlando), Tyler Atkinson (Atlanta), Jordan Campbell (Carol City), Karon Maycock (Central) and Shadarius Toodle (Auburn commit from Mobile whose dad is a lifelong Canes fan). Derek Cooper (Chaminade) and Calvin Russell (Northwestern) are obviously major targets locally on offense. At cornerback, Jaelen Waters (Tampa) and Jordan Thomas (Bergen Catholic, NJ) are names to know. Chauncey Kennon (Sarasota) has not gotten a ton of Miami buzz publicly, but his mom is Sam Shields's cousin and he will be visiting officially.

- The staff loves the offensive line class and is aiming to sign the top class in the country. Some names to know include Grant Wise (Milton, FL, son of former Cane Ty Wise), Keenyi Pepe (IMG), Breck Kolojay (IMG) and Canon Pickett (Tampa).

- Everyone from the Class of 2025 except Bryce Fitzgerald (whose school doesn't allow early enrollees) is here on campus and working out. They haven't played any football yet, but in terms of strength and conditioning benchmarks in testing, this is the most advanced class Cristobal has signed. Hayden Lowe just got his fifth star and is living up to the hype in early workouts. As first reported on CanesInSight months before he flipped, the staff believes Lowe has Top 10 pick potential similar to New York Giants DE Kayvon Thibodeaux (who went to the same high school and also signed with Cristobal). Some other names identified as early standouts were Malachi Toney, Daylyn Upshaw, Kellen Wiley, Brock Schott, SJ Alofaituli and Herbert Scroggins.
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- The strength and conditioning team loves the physical tools of our defensive back transfers. Two names who have shown outstanding traits: Zechariah Poyser and Ethan O'Connor. The most impressive transfer overall from a physical standpoint might be DT David Blay.

 
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Comments (80)

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Ziggy said:
What is Flowers timeline now that he has reclassified? Spring ball usually starts in early March, is he trying to be enrolled by that time? Need to be all over this kid the next couple of months.
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Looks like the normal signing period ends April 1st, so theoretically he has up to 2 months from today (Jan 31st) do decide where he is going. I assume he would enroll for summer classes in late May.
 

last night's Canes Connection webinar gave some really awesome extended details on this stuff.


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If my high school doesn't allow early enrolling i'm out. There's gotta be another high school out there that brings something similar to the table while allowing early enrollees.
 
Jackson Cantwell is obviously another top target but that might be the biggest recruiting battle of 2026 cycle. Every big school wants him.
 
88 said:
If my high school doesn't allow early enrolling i'm out. There's gotta be another high school out there that brings something similar to the table while allowing early enrollees.
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The confusing part is Mcgahee went to Nebraska early. So how did that happen.
 
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88 said:
If my high school doesn't allow early enrolling i'm out. There's gotta be another high school out there that brings something similar to the table while allowing early enrollees.
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Exactly. I never understood this especially since these kids are all about making business decisions.

Enrolling early sometimes is the difference between significant playing time in the fall and then getting a pay raise the following year.
 
ssvir said:
He really struggled in pass protection at the all-star camp/game a few weeks ago.
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Yes he did and no way a finished product or probably worthy of his ranking. Just saying, he is a powerful dude and a great run blocker at his size. Potential through the roof.
 
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grover said:
I honestly don’t recall a year over the past decade at least where we haven’t heard the same report. That said, with high school and camp circuits becoming more and more professionalized I’m not sure it’s a lie. But it also doesn’t mean our new recruits are any more prepared than any other top program’s recruits. Rising tide lifts all boats.
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The answer might just be in the phrase, "strength and conditioning testing benchmarks in testing". Are the testing benchmarks themselves in testing? Like, are we beta testing new, experimental strength and conditioning testing benchmarks? Maybe new sports science things like "timed clapping to 10," the "handstand 10-yard dash," or "holding your breath in the pool".

If they're new testing benchmarks, that might be a logical explanation for how it's possible this year's (i.e., the first ever year) results are the best (notwithstanding the 2025 class being ranked worse than the prior two classes).
 
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JohnnyLagoon said:
is the team having meetings to go over the scheme yet? Hopeful to hear that the defensive guys are understanding Heatherman’s scheme and the portal DBs are able to line up and communicate. As you send the other day on the Wednesday pod, Guidry couldn’t have the players adjust to his scheme, so hopefully the new DBs are able to process.
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Hetherman talked about that in his opening presser. Said first priority is instilling fundamentals then scheme will be installed in Spring.
 
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