I know Miami is working
Malik Nabers ... I surprised many last week when I put a UM forecast in on the 247Sports Crystal Ball for the Top247 wide receiver out of Lafayette (La.) Comex, but there was a reason why I did that and that’s because multiple people in Coral Gables believe that things are trending in the right direction. The Hurricanes are trying to sell Nabers not only on the idea of catching a ton of balls in Rhett Lashlee’s new offense, but also on the idea of getting coached up by Rob Likens, who has developed a pair of recent first-round NFL Draft picks in Brandon Aiyuk and N'keal Harry. The competition for Nabers is only getting more fierce as both Texas and Notre Dame offered over the weekend, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Miami tried to get him and his parents on campus in June for an official visit in hopes of securing a commitment. I’ll add that I know Opelousas Catholic School Top247 wide receiver
Keon Coleman is another Louisiana native the staff is chasing.
I know multiple tight ends are in play … Many are wondering what the plan is at tight end after Satellite Beach three-star tight end
Gunnar Greenwald committed to USF last week and Henderson (NV) Liberty Top247 tight end
Moliki Matavaopretty much eliminated the Hurricanes on Sunday. After checking in with some sources, I’m under the impression that five names are on the board and should be considered targets moving forward: Independence C.C.’s
Quentin Moore, Seffner Christian Academy’s
Michael Trigg, Frisco (Texas) Independence’s
Elijah Arroyo, Douglasville (Ga.) South Paulding’s
Miles Campbell and Venice’s
Weston Wolff. Moore is a Washington native that Stephen Field has known since his days at Oregon. Trigg has spoken highly of Miami in the past, but has never visited. Arroyo has some family ties to South Florida. Campbell and Wolff, on the other hand, were offered last month. It will be interesting to see if any of the five visit in June assuming of course the NCAA doesn’t extend the temporary dead period
I know
Christopher Thomas is a prospect to watch … The Hurricanes are going to have to take multiple interior defensive linemen this cycle. That’s why it was important to land a commitment from Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna Prep three-star tackle
Allan Haye last week. While Haye has plenty of upside, many believe that Miami Palmetto four-star tackle
Savion Collins will eventually flip to Florida. That means that the defensive staff will need to likely find two more interior linemen to pair with Haye in the class. One prospect that Miami is keeping tabs on is Thomas. The three-star tackle out of Fort Myers Dunbar is currently committed to UF, but was at UM for a Junior Day back in January. He has said the right things about the Gators, but is someone the Hurricanes are probably going to try and flip at some point down the line.
I think
Ryan Rodriguez would be a big get for Miami … The Miami Columbus three-star offensive lineman is set to make an announcement around 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday. I still like my green and orange forecast on the 247Sports’ Crystal Ball for Rodriguez, but just want to point out that he should be considered a pretty big win for the Hurricanes if he does indeed pick Miami. Sure, he might not have a ton of other Power 5 offers, but he’s the type of local offensive lineman that UM needs to land if the offensive staff is going to make that unit better. Rodriguez reminds me in some ways of Corey Gaynor coming out of high school given his nasty style of play and desire to finish blocks, but honestly he moves much better than Miami's current starting center and is a little more polished at this stage in his development. That’s promising. The Hurricanes also need to get some more recruits committed that are actually going to recruit for the program on social media. Rodriguez could in theory do that.
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I think
Jaden Alexis is a lot like KJ Osborn … After not showing up in any final seven-round mock drafts, Osborn was picked by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round Saturday. It isn’t all that surprising that a NFL front office wanted to roll the dice on Osborn as he’s viewed by many inside the football community as a hard worker and a team leader that’s going to do what it takes to get the job done. I believe Alexis has a very similar personality and mindset which is probably why the three-star wide receiver out of Pompano Beach Monarch is so high on the Hurricanes' board. For those unaware, Alexis not only holds a 4.3 weighted GPA, but is also the student body president at his school and a team captain. He hasn’t officially named a top group of schools, but UM is believed to be right in the thick of things. Same with Georgia and Notre Dame.
I think it’s notable Blake Baker had two defensive backs drafted … I already mentioned how Rob Likens had a former player go in the first-round of the NFL Draft in Aiyuk and many are well aware that Lashlee helped seventh-round pick James Proche perfect his craft at SMU, but what a lot of people don’t know is that Baker had two of his former recruits drafted over the weekend when the Louisiana Tech defensive back duo of L’Jarius Sneed and Amik Robertson heard their names called in the fourth round. Baker helped identify both three-star recruits while in Ruston. The thing both have in common? Speed. Snead was a 4.53 kid in the 40-yard dash on the lasers coming out of high school. Robertson was a state qualifier with a 10.81 in the 100-meter dash.
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