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In order to keep and add-on new talent for the future, Miami will hold its third annual Paradise Camp tomorrow, with registration beginning at 5pm. After the camp’s huge success in unearthing under the radar players and furthering bonds with top targets, Miami will expect nothing less than a spectacular event for this year’s edition. Paradise will again attract elite talent from all over from Florida and beyond, as Paradise will be filled with top-notch competition (projected attendees here) and former Hurricane stars to coach up the young prospects.
And the CIS Team will be there to cover it all. The day before the event, we came together to preview what we’ll be watching for at Paradise Camp in a roundtable format. Here were the results.
Q1: Which Miami commit are you most excited to see compete at Paradise?
Stefan Adams: It’s easily Damarius Good. Someone I’ve continually called the most interesting commit in this class, the Lake Brantley product has an exciting blend of size and speed, but almost nobody has really seen him work at cornerback, the position he is projected to play at Miami. We’ll all get that opportunity this weekend. He’s been going up against receivers at his high school in summer workouts, but Paradise Camp will be a big jump up in competition. Is he ready for that at such an early stage of his development? I’m not sure, but we’ll get a barometer of how far along Good is on Saturday, about a year before he’s projected to hit campus.
David Wilson: It has to be Damarius Good. With every other commit in the class, we have at least some sort of a real idea as to what kind of prospect they are. Good is the only exception. The 3-star athlete has mostly been a running back and quarterback in the past. This weekend, he'll work in the secondary and get individual instruction from cornerbacks coach Mike Rumph and safeties coach Ephraim Banda. No matter how he performs, Good will have plenty of room to grow before he signs with Miami, but this weekend will give us a glimpse of what the Hurricanes might have with the in-state prospect.
Matthew Suero: Everyone will be watching Jarvis Brownlee. Many people have scrutinized Coach Rumph’s work on the recruiting trail and they are under the impression we are settling for players like Brownlee. This should light a fire under Brownlee and make him eager to compete Saturday. Brownlee will have the opportunity to go up against stud receivers such as Jadon Haselwood, Mark-Antony Richards, and Marcus Rosemy. If Brownlee shows out, he will silence some of his doubters, as well as some of Rumph’s doubters.
Geo: Avery Huff is the choice for me. He didn’t go to the Miami Opening Regional as I was hoping he would, but he is expected to be on hand for Paradise Camp. I’m very confident that he is going to showcase his great length, athleticism and versatility during the camp. It has been noted a bit but Avery will be playing some safety this year for St. Thomas Aquinas aside from just linebacker. A source within St. Thomas Aquinas football program noted to me during the spring that he is a “freak athlete that could play multiple positions on defense, just raw untamed talent. Something that you just can’t coach, he has all the tools.”
Q2: Which Miami target are you most excited to see compete at Paradise?
Adams: I’ve seen most of Miami’s local top targets already at various camps, and also saw Jadon Haselwood at the Opening, so I’m going to go with an out-of-state guy that has risen a lot on Miami’s board lately. Buford (GA) DT Jalar Holley didn’t even seem like a take about a month ago, but Miami’s DT board has really cleared out. Derick Hunter is off to FSU, while it doesn’t seem like Jaquaze Sorrells or Tyler Davis will end up at UM at this point. That has made Holley much more of a priority and getting him on campus for a big event such as Paradise is certainly intriguing. I want to see if the little known 3-star from Jess Simpson’s old high school is really Miami material, as there’s a good chance he ends up a Cane if UM pushes hard for him. This camp will go a long way to determining how vigorous UM’s pursuit becomes.
Wilson: It will be interesting to see what sort of shape John Dixon is in. The 3-star cornerback has Miami in his top 5, but the Hurricanes need to get a look at how healthy the defensive back is before they decide how big a priority he should be. The Tampa native tore his right patella tendon in the winter and didn't participate in spring football. This will be the corner's big return to the field and he'll have some strong competition to test him.
Suero: I don’t care if it is this weekend or any other day of the year, I am always excited to see Mark-Antony Richards play. After all, he is one of the most exciting players in the class. Whether he lines up on offense or defense, Richards will be going up against top talent. Richards will have a chance to showcase his versatility by coving guys like Jadon Haselwood and being covered by guys like Te'Cory Couch. Also, the way Richards carries himself attracts people towards him and that translates onto the field. This makes Richards the center of attention no matter who else is on the field with him.
Geo: I think the obvious choice here for most would be Jadon Haselwood, but that’s not what I’m going to go with here. I’m going to go with one of my individual standouts I singled out from last year’s Paradise Camp as he has continued to build off what I saw last July, and that’s Marcus Rosemy. He competed at last year’s Paradise Camp and was one of my underclassmen standouts at WR, along with Marc Britt and Mark-Antony Richards. I saw him in February for the Miami Opening Regional and he was even better and more refined than at Paradise 2017 just a mere 7 months before. He followed up that performance with a dominant showing at one of Coach Mark Richt’s camps in June. He plays physical and possesses impeccable hands; he is Mr. Reliable, the definition of consistency. He has long speed to get downfield and make big plays. I think it is fair to say that nobody had a bigger off-season than Rosemy. Rising from a virtual unknown last summer to a composite 5 star this summer, I expect him to prove once again, like he has all spring and summer, why he is an elite talent at WR on Saturday.
Q3: Which Miami target or commit will most raise their stock at the event?
Adams: I’m going to go off the grid a bit and go with a 2020 guy. Rivals and 247 have been ranking the rising junior class for a few months now, but South Dade S Jaiden Francois is still completely unranked and that’s unacceptable. Francois is somebody Miami has identified early on as a player they’d love to add to Category20 and for good reason: Francois has a nose for the football and displays an impeccable football IQ. He is comfortable oscillating back and forth from the box to playing deep, but is at his best when making plays around the line of scrimmage. After Paradise, many more people will know the name.
Wilson: Cornelius Nunn is in position to keep boosting his stock. A good spring put him on the map for a number of programs and a standout spring game with at least a dozen college coaches in attendance kept boosting his profile. The 3-star athlete will get another chance in front of a big audience this weekend. With his length, Nunn fits the profile as the sort of defensive back which defensive coordinator Manny Diaz covets. If Nunn does what he's capable of against strong competition, the Syracuse commit could start hearing from Miami more often.
Suero: Sam Brooks should not be a 3-star, but since he is I can put him in at this spot. Brooks was one of the most dominant players on the field in the state of Florida the past two years before he injured his knee. If Brooks is at full health and playing rush linebacker, there is nobody at Paradise who will be able to stop him. The only questions are, will he be competing full-go and, if so, will he be rusty? The only way I see anyone at the camp outplaying Brooks is if he is rusty. On a pure talent level, Brooks blows everyone out of the water and will dominate blockers at this camp. I am not trying to trash linemen like Michael Tarquin, who is a very good football player, I am simply stressing how dominant a force a healthy Sam Brooks can be.
Geo: I’ll answer both here. I have Samuel Brooks Jr. as my Miami commitment who will raise his stock the most on Saturday. It’s very well noted and documented that Brooks is extremely underrated by recruiting ranking services from most Canes fans opinions. I agree 100% with that notion. He tests off the charts, he has elite measurables and puts up elite numbers on the field to back it up. Samuel led Dade County as a sophomore in sacks and as a junior was leading Dade County once again before having his season cut short due to an injury. I am curious to see how he looks coming off his injury but I have heard around that he has rebounded very well and is 100% ready to go and is poised for a huge senior season. While paradise likely won’t give him his much deserved bump in rankings, I believe it will firmly place no doubt that his senior season is setting up for a much needed rise in the rankings. It’s almost criminal how underrated he is in my honest opinion.
As for my choice of the target who could raise his stock the most, my choice here is Romello Brinson. This may be an unknown to most, but I have heard and seen many good things about Brinson. Brinson showed up to one of Coach Mark Richt’s camps in June and put on a show for Miami Northwestern at WR. Multiple people at that event left asking, “Who was #1 for the West?” It was Brinson. I was keeping tabs on Marcus Rosemy last summer right before last year’s Paradise Camp and he ended up as one of my standouts, so I expect the same for Brinson, who will build off his performance Saturday into a strong sophomore campaign for Miami Northwestern and into next spring’s camps. Larry Blustein had this to share about Brinson during that day in June at the camp, “#1, he is a special talent, he is going to go very far.”
Q4: Which UM target are you most interested in hearing from in an interview?
Adams: This answer would be Anthony Solomon if he brings back the blue hair again this year, but on the real, I’m going with Jadon Haselwood. One of Miami’s top targets of the cycle, I’ve been going back and forth with Haselwood trying to get him to talk for a while now, but being able to get him in person at Paradise should be one of the more anticipated conversations I’ve had so far this year. Those close to him say Miami is a very real player here and his reaction to the best recruiting event in the country will be very telling.
Wilson: Jadon Haselwood is the highest-profile prospect set to attend, so it'll be interesting to see what he has to say about the Hurricanes after visiting for the second time since the start of May. If the 5-star wide receiver wavers from his pledge to Georgia, Haselwood seems likely to choose Miami. After this weekend, we should have a better idea of just how realistic a threat the Hurricanes are to flip the Georgia native.
Suero: Braylen Ingraham has fallen off the grid lately. He has always been quiet in his recruitment, but it has been even more so over the last month. Ingraham may be the best defensive tackle in South Florida and is one of Coach Simpson’s top targets. He previously told me that he planned to make a decision in October and I want to find out if that is still the case. After no public developments in his recruitment over the past month, it will be good to hear from Ingraham and get the latest news.
Geo: While he may not be a full-on target at the moment, Nayquan Wright is who I’m looking forward to hearing from in an interview after Saturday’s Paradise Camp. Youth football standout, freshman phenom, state champion as a sophomore, and the fall that was his junior season missing the whole year with an injury. I expect him to get redemption this season and I’ve always been very fond of his talent. He had some hiccups first coming off the injury in the spring, but in summer I was told he regained his old form and was a key player for Carol City in 7-on-7 camps as a RB, WR and a S. This is the typical prospect that falls through the cracks for various reasons in South Florida year in and year out and goes on to have a great career. I have a personal opinion that it would be a mistake if Miami let him go; I expect him to impress the coaches at Paradise Camp and hopefully open up some dialogue with his recruitment with Miami going into the season. If Miami can find a way to get him in this class, they should take him. This is one prospect who I believe is a special talent and they would regret not taking him later on down the line.
And the CIS Team will be there to cover it all. The day before the event, we came together to preview what we’ll be watching for at Paradise Camp in a roundtable format. Here were the results.
Q1: Which Miami commit are you most excited to see compete at Paradise?
Stefan Adams: It’s easily Damarius Good. Someone I’ve continually called the most interesting commit in this class, the Lake Brantley product has an exciting blend of size and speed, but almost nobody has really seen him work at cornerback, the position he is projected to play at Miami. We’ll all get that opportunity this weekend. He’s been going up against receivers at his high school in summer workouts, but Paradise Camp will be a big jump up in competition. Is he ready for that at such an early stage of his development? I’m not sure, but we’ll get a barometer of how far along Good is on Saturday, about a year before he’s projected to hit campus.
David Wilson: It has to be Damarius Good. With every other commit in the class, we have at least some sort of a real idea as to what kind of prospect they are. Good is the only exception. The 3-star athlete has mostly been a running back and quarterback in the past. This weekend, he'll work in the secondary and get individual instruction from cornerbacks coach Mike Rumph and safeties coach Ephraim Banda. No matter how he performs, Good will have plenty of room to grow before he signs with Miami, but this weekend will give us a glimpse of what the Hurricanes might have with the in-state prospect.
Matthew Suero: Everyone will be watching Jarvis Brownlee. Many people have scrutinized Coach Rumph’s work on the recruiting trail and they are under the impression we are settling for players like Brownlee. This should light a fire under Brownlee and make him eager to compete Saturday. Brownlee will have the opportunity to go up against stud receivers such as Jadon Haselwood, Mark-Antony Richards, and Marcus Rosemy. If Brownlee shows out, he will silence some of his doubters, as well as some of Rumph’s doubters.
Geo: Avery Huff is the choice for me. He didn’t go to the Miami Opening Regional as I was hoping he would, but he is expected to be on hand for Paradise Camp. I’m very confident that he is going to showcase his great length, athleticism and versatility during the camp. It has been noted a bit but Avery will be playing some safety this year for St. Thomas Aquinas aside from just linebacker. A source within St. Thomas Aquinas football program noted to me during the spring that he is a “freak athlete that could play multiple positions on defense, just raw untamed talent. Something that you just can’t coach, he has all the tools.”
Q2: Which Miami target are you most excited to see compete at Paradise?
Adams: I’ve seen most of Miami’s local top targets already at various camps, and also saw Jadon Haselwood at the Opening, so I’m going to go with an out-of-state guy that has risen a lot on Miami’s board lately. Buford (GA) DT Jalar Holley didn’t even seem like a take about a month ago, but Miami’s DT board has really cleared out. Derick Hunter is off to FSU, while it doesn’t seem like Jaquaze Sorrells or Tyler Davis will end up at UM at this point. That has made Holley much more of a priority and getting him on campus for a big event such as Paradise is certainly intriguing. I want to see if the little known 3-star from Jess Simpson’s old high school is really Miami material, as there’s a good chance he ends up a Cane if UM pushes hard for him. This camp will go a long way to determining how vigorous UM’s pursuit becomes.
Wilson: It will be interesting to see what sort of shape John Dixon is in. The 3-star cornerback has Miami in his top 5, but the Hurricanes need to get a look at how healthy the defensive back is before they decide how big a priority he should be. The Tampa native tore his right patella tendon in the winter and didn't participate in spring football. This will be the corner's big return to the field and he'll have some strong competition to test him.
Suero: I don’t care if it is this weekend or any other day of the year, I am always excited to see Mark-Antony Richards play. After all, he is one of the most exciting players in the class. Whether he lines up on offense or defense, Richards will be going up against top talent. Richards will have a chance to showcase his versatility by coving guys like Jadon Haselwood and being covered by guys like Te'Cory Couch. Also, the way Richards carries himself attracts people towards him and that translates onto the field. This makes Richards the center of attention no matter who else is on the field with him.
Geo: I think the obvious choice here for most would be Jadon Haselwood, but that’s not what I’m going to go with here. I’m going to go with one of my individual standouts I singled out from last year’s Paradise Camp as he has continued to build off what I saw last July, and that’s Marcus Rosemy. He competed at last year’s Paradise Camp and was one of my underclassmen standouts at WR, along with Marc Britt and Mark-Antony Richards. I saw him in February for the Miami Opening Regional and he was even better and more refined than at Paradise 2017 just a mere 7 months before. He followed up that performance with a dominant showing at one of Coach Mark Richt’s camps in June. He plays physical and possesses impeccable hands; he is Mr. Reliable, the definition of consistency. He has long speed to get downfield and make big plays. I think it is fair to say that nobody had a bigger off-season than Rosemy. Rising from a virtual unknown last summer to a composite 5 star this summer, I expect him to prove once again, like he has all spring and summer, why he is an elite talent at WR on Saturday.
Q3: Which Miami target or commit will most raise their stock at the event?
Adams: I’m going to go off the grid a bit and go with a 2020 guy. Rivals and 247 have been ranking the rising junior class for a few months now, but South Dade S Jaiden Francois is still completely unranked and that’s unacceptable. Francois is somebody Miami has identified early on as a player they’d love to add to Category20 and for good reason: Francois has a nose for the football and displays an impeccable football IQ. He is comfortable oscillating back and forth from the box to playing deep, but is at his best when making plays around the line of scrimmage. After Paradise, many more people will know the name.
Wilson: Cornelius Nunn is in position to keep boosting his stock. A good spring put him on the map for a number of programs and a standout spring game with at least a dozen college coaches in attendance kept boosting his profile. The 3-star athlete will get another chance in front of a big audience this weekend. With his length, Nunn fits the profile as the sort of defensive back which defensive coordinator Manny Diaz covets. If Nunn does what he's capable of against strong competition, the Syracuse commit could start hearing from Miami more often.
Suero: Sam Brooks should not be a 3-star, but since he is I can put him in at this spot. Brooks was one of the most dominant players on the field in the state of Florida the past two years before he injured his knee. If Brooks is at full health and playing rush linebacker, there is nobody at Paradise who will be able to stop him. The only questions are, will he be competing full-go and, if so, will he be rusty? The only way I see anyone at the camp outplaying Brooks is if he is rusty. On a pure talent level, Brooks blows everyone out of the water and will dominate blockers at this camp. I am not trying to trash linemen like Michael Tarquin, who is a very good football player, I am simply stressing how dominant a force a healthy Sam Brooks can be.
Geo: I’ll answer both here. I have Samuel Brooks Jr. as my Miami commitment who will raise his stock the most on Saturday. It’s very well noted and documented that Brooks is extremely underrated by recruiting ranking services from most Canes fans opinions. I agree 100% with that notion. He tests off the charts, he has elite measurables and puts up elite numbers on the field to back it up. Samuel led Dade County as a sophomore in sacks and as a junior was leading Dade County once again before having his season cut short due to an injury. I am curious to see how he looks coming off his injury but I have heard around that he has rebounded very well and is 100% ready to go and is poised for a huge senior season. While paradise likely won’t give him his much deserved bump in rankings, I believe it will firmly place no doubt that his senior season is setting up for a much needed rise in the rankings. It’s almost criminal how underrated he is in my honest opinion.
As for my choice of the target who could raise his stock the most, my choice here is Romello Brinson. This may be an unknown to most, but I have heard and seen many good things about Brinson. Brinson showed up to one of Coach Mark Richt’s camps in June and put on a show for Miami Northwestern at WR. Multiple people at that event left asking, “Who was #1 for the West?” It was Brinson. I was keeping tabs on Marcus Rosemy last summer right before last year’s Paradise Camp and he ended up as one of my standouts, so I expect the same for Brinson, who will build off his performance Saturday into a strong sophomore campaign for Miami Northwestern and into next spring’s camps. Larry Blustein had this to share about Brinson during that day in June at the camp, “#1, he is a special talent, he is going to go very far.”
Q4: Which UM target are you most interested in hearing from in an interview?
Adams: This answer would be Anthony Solomon if he brings back the blue hair again this year, but on the real, I’m going with Jadon Haselwood. One of Miami’s top targets of the cycle, I’ve been going back and forth with Haselwood trying to get him to talk for a while now, but being able to get him in person at Paradise should be one of the more anticipated conversations I’ve had so far this year. Those close to him say Miami is a very real player here and his reaction to the best recruiting event in the country will be very telling.
Wilson: Jadon Haselwood is the highest-profile prospect set to attend, so it'll be interesting to see what he has to say about the Hurricanes after visiting for the second time since the start of May. If the 5-star wide receiver wavers from his pledge to Georgia, Haselwood seems likely to choose Miami. After this weekend, we should have a better idea of just how realistic a threat the Hurricanes are to flip the Georgia native.
Suero: Braylen Ingraham has fallen off the grid lately. He has always been quiet in his recruitment, but it has been even more so over the last month. Ingraham may be the best defensive tackle in South Florida and is one of Coach Simpson’s top targets. He previously told me that he planned to make a decision in October and I want to find out if that is still the case. After no public developments in his recruitment over the past month, it will be good to hear from Ingraham and get the latest news.
Geo: While he may not be a full-on target at the moment, Nayquan Wright is who I’m looking forward to hearing from in an interview after Saturday’s Paradise Camp. Youth football standout, freshman phenom, state champion as a sophomore, and the fall that was his junior season missing the whole year with an injury. I expect him to get redemption this season and I’ve always been very fond of his talent. He had some hiccups first coming off the injury in the spring, but in summer I was told he regained his old form and was a key player for Carol City in 7-on-7 camps as a RB, WR and a S. This is the typical prospect that falls through the cracks for various reasons in South Florida year in and year out and goes on to have a great career. I have a personal opinion that it would be a mistake if Miami let him go; I expect him to impress the coaches at Paradise Camp and hopefully open up some dialogue with his recruitment with Miami going into the season. If Miami can find a way to get him in this class, they should take him. This is one prospect who I believe is a special talent and they would regret not taking him later on down the line.
