**Well, it looks like Coach Kuligowski went out to California today and did exactly what he wanted – lock up D.J. Johnson. Miami had been a bit worried over the past few weeks with his flirtation with Washington, but moreso because they felt that his parents were trying to keep him closer to home. Johnson, though, I’ve been told was all Cane and his brother was pushing big time for Miami as well. Johnson just posted this tweet and just messaged me that he wants to do an interview tonight to clear up the rumors of his commitment. Stay tuned for that story.
[TWEET]803391119895777280[/TWEET]
**Some big news at the running back spot…I reported a few weeks ago that Robert Burns was working towards being able to enroll early at Miami – a Gulliver source confirmed tonight that Burns is “good to go” and will be enrolling in January. And Burns is not expected to be the only running back in this class, as Miami remains confident that Dematha Catholic (Md.) Anthony McFarland will be a Hurricane. Running backs coach Thomas Brown was up in Maryland on the first day of the contact period to in-home with McFarland, signifying how much of a priority he is for the class. There is also a reason why Mark Richt didn’t seem too upset to learn that Joseph Yearby would be declaring for the draft. I feel comfortable predicting him in the class.
**Miami is trending back in the right direction with Miramar defensive back Brian Edwards. When he decommitted from the Canes, the immediate concern was Florida, who had an offer on the table for Edwards contingent upon him committing to them on the spot. As I had posted at the time, Edwards wanted some attention from other schools, which was not going to happen with him being committed to Miami. Louisville and Colorado have been persistent in recruiting him as well, but Hurricanes coaches Ephraim Banda and Mike Rumph went in-home with Edwards tonight and are trying to seal the deal. Miami coaches view him as a potential key piece to the defensive back class – as a player who can play either cornerback or free safety. He will visit Colorado December 9th and is in the process of setting dates for Miami and Louisville. The major factor in Miami’s favor is Edwards’ mother – as a source close to Edwards put it, “She’s involved. She’s gonna have a lot to say in the end. They know that.”
**My best guess right now is that Southridge ATH Antwan Collier will be in this class for Miami. There are a handful of people within the staff who are advocating hard for Collier to receive an offer, regardless of what happens with the rest of Miami’s defensive back targets. I believe it’s only a matter of time before the Canes offer. He is being recruited as a safety and Coach Banda will be in at Southridge tomorrow to speak with him – so there could be more developments with him this week.
**Another prospect who is in a similar spot as Collier is Dillard defensive end Jordan Wright, who Mike Rumph and Ephraim Banda went to check in on today. Miami has maintained contact with Wright through the process and are keeping him in the back pocket if they decide they want to add another pass rusher in the class.
**I can confirm that Miami has not stopped recruiting Cyrus ***an, FSU safety commit. I reported very early on in the process for ***an that Miami thought he had a spectacular unofficial visit with his entire family in the spring. Ephraim Banda will get ***an and his family on campus for an official visit and we will see if he can make some magic happen.
**A bit of news on the 2018 class – UF has been recruiting Miami commit D.J. Ivey very hard, and he even visited a few weeks back for their game against South Carolina, but a source close to Ivey said he is not attracted to Gainesville and only sees himself playing in his hometown. Ivey missed this season with a fractured ankle, but look for him to be a quick riser in the offseason circuit.
[TWEET]803391119895777280[/TWEET]
**Some big news at the running back spot…I reported a few weeks ago that Robert Burns was working towards being able to enroll early at Miami – a Gulliver source confirmed tonight that Burns is “good to go” and will be enrolling in January. And Burns is not expected to be the only running back in this class, as Miami remains confident that Dematha Catholic (Md.) Anthony McFarland will be a Hurricane. Running backs coach Thomas Brown was up in Maryland on the first day of the contact period to in-home with McFarland, signifying how much of a priority he is for the class. There is also a reason why Mark Richt didn’t seem too upset to learn that Joseph Yearby would be declaring for the draft. I feel comfortable predicting him in the class.
**Miami is trending back in the right direction with Miramar defensive back Brian Edwards. When he decommitted from the Canes, the immediate concern was Florida, who had an offer on the table for Edwards contingent upon him committing to them on the spot. As I had posted at the time, Edwards wanted some attention from other schools, which was not going to happen with him being committed to Miami. Louisville and Colorado have been persistent in recruiting him as well, but Hurricanes coaches Ephraim Banda and Mike Rumph went in-home with Edwards tonight and are trying to seal the deal. Miami coaches view him as a potential key piece to the defensive back class – as a player who can play either cornerback or free safety. He will visit Colorado December 9th and is in the process of setting dates for Miami and Louisville. The major factor in Miami’s favor is Edwards’ mother – as a source close to Edwards put it, “She’s involved. She’s gonna have a lot to say in the end. They know that.”
**My best guess right now is that Southridge ATH Antwan Collier will be in this class for Miami. There are a handful of people within the staff who are advocating hard for Collier to receive an offer, regardless of what happens with the rest of Miami’s defensive back targets. I believe it’s only a matter of time before the Canes offer. He is being recruited as a safety and Coach Banda will be in at Southridge tomorrow to speak with him – so there could be more developments with him this week.
**Another prospect who is in a similar spot as Collier is Dillard defensive end Jordan Wright, who Mike Rumph and Ephraim Banda went to check in on today. Miami has maintained contact with Wright through the process and are keeping him in the back pocket if they decide they want to add another pass rusher in the class.
**I can confirm that Miami has not stopped recruiting Cyrus ***an, FSU safety commit. I reported very early on in the process for ***an that Miami thought he had a spectacular unofficial visit with his entire family in the spring. Ephraim Banda will get ***an and his family on campus for an official visit and we will see if he can make some magic happen.
**A bit of news on the 2018 class – UF has been recruiting Miami commit D.J. Ivey very hard, and he even visited a few weeks back for their game against South Carolina, but a source close to Ivey said he is not attracted to Gainesville and only sees himself playing in his hometown. Ivey missed this season with a fractured ankle, but look for him to be a quick riser in the offseason circuit.
