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The Miami Hurricanes hosted a 5-star visitor on Monday.
Allen (Tex.) High School DE
David Hicks, Jr.,and his father, David, Sr., were on campus and watched practice before touring UM and spending time with coaches.
The overall takeaway from the day?
“It went well - we watched practice, after that we went around the campus, learned about some of the story,” Hicks told CaneSport Monday evening. “Then we came back and did a photo shoot. And we met with coaches - talked to coach (Mario) Cristobal and all the staff. They were just telling me that they need me to come to the school, come up for the spring game and get a feel for Miami.”
Hicks says he’s “not sure” if he’ll make it back for the spring game. But he certainly has a high interest level in UM - this visit wasn’t about taking a vacation. He paid his own way here “only to visit Miami, see it, the coaches.”
Hicks previously visited for Paradise Camp last year, and this was his first chance to get around the new Cane staff at Miami.
They impressed him. Also of note: Hicks picked up a re-offer from Cristobal soon after he took the job in December.
“I saw Jason Taylor, had a quick conversation with him, coach (Joe) Salave’a said how he’d use me in the defense, different stuff I need to work on,” Hicks said.
A wildcard here that could work in Miami’s favor is new DE coach Rod Wright. Wright has a personal connection to Hicks’ father, David Sr.
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DAVID
HICKS JR.
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6'4" | 255 LBS | SDE | 2023
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ALLEN, TX
Dad coached defensive line at Morton Ranch High School in Katy, Tex., and Wright recruited a lot of players out of that school to UTSA.
“Me and him have a great relationship,” Hicks said. “He’s a great coach.”
David, Sr. adds “I’ve known him for a long time. He’s a great coach, great mentor. He coached a couple of guys I coached. We have a longstanding relationship. We’ve been sending players to him for a long time.”
That includes one of Hicks Sr.’s former high school players that Wright grabbed out of the transfer portal.
“That was a guy I was really close to, and coach Wright took him to UTSA out of the portal,” Hicks, Sr. said. “That player just talked very highly of him, how great a coach and person he is. So when you think about those qualities, it’s what you’re looking for in a coach, someone that’s an extension of yourself.”
Did the time on campus help the Canes?
“Yes, sir, it did,” the 5-star said. “It just helped to be able to learn everything about the school.”
Hicks plans to wait until the Under Armour All-American game to announce a decision, so there’s a long wait here.
And he has another big visit coming up next: He’ll be at Oklahoma on Wednesday.
“I don’t have other visits planned (for the spring),” Hicks said.
He says he’ll name a top 5 “in the summer, close to the end of this school year.”
The chance UM makes the cut?
“As of right now pretty high,” Hicks says.
CaneSport’s take
Miami’s putting in the work with Hicks, and Cristobal is no stranger to landing five-star talent. In 2019 at Oregon he landed 5-star DE Kayvon Thibodeaux, and in the Class of 2020 he picked up a pair of 5-stars in linebackers Justin Flowe and Noah Sewell. Now it’s on to trying to land some 5-stars like Hicks at UM. It goes without saying that adding Wright to the equation could really help tip the balance here, too. But there’s going to be a long wait to find out where Hicks will wind up.
to Shemar LOL
