- The first of those guys is Top247 tight end
Jaleel Skinner, who made him IMG Academy debut. While he didn’t see a lot of action come his way on Friday night, his 6-foot-5, 210-pound frame makes it easy to see why he’s so highly coveted by programs like Miami, Florida State, Alabama, Texas and Clemson.
247Sports’ Andrew Ivins caught up with Skinner recently, but I was able to dive deeper into his thoughts about the Hurricanes. By all accounts, his official visit to Miami was a success. He said all the players knew who he was and felt like those guys on the roster were his brothers. The nation’s No. 1 tight end really enjoyed Paradise Camp, specifically his conversations with
David Njoku and Michael Irvin. Stephen Field is a person he really enjoys communicating with and the two have built a strong connection.
He also spent a lot of time around freshman quarterback
Jake Garcia on that visit. The city of Miami, he admitted, can distract you but Skinner maintained that he knows it would be football before anything else and he feels like he could come down here and focus on ball. He also noted the Hurricanes' success with name, image, and likeness throughout their roster. He wants to see how his five finalists perform in 2021 before making a decision.
- The other Ascender Miami would love to add to their roster is five-star safety
Kamari Wilson. He admitted to a group of reporters that the Hurricanes will in fact get one of his five allotted official visits, which is big news coming from the Fort Pierce native. The nation’s No. 1 safety admitted that if the Hurricanes were to take out Alabama in week one, that would put them in a very good spot with him.
Travaris Robinson is a guy he is extremely familiar with and is high on. Wilson went as far as to say that UM bringing in T-Rob pushed Miami up in his recruitment. He’s also gotten to know
Demarcus Van Dyke and believes in what those two are going to do for Miami’s defense this fall. After visiting the program, the senior said he felt the family type of atmosphere. It sounds like Georgia will definitely be getting an official visit. Texas A&M is in line to receive one as well.
- 2023 Top247 running back
Mark Fletcherwas the workhorse for the Heritage offense on Friday night and he showed that he’s up to the task of trying to get past anyone that’s in front of him. The IMG defensive line featured multiple Power 5 prospects and Fletcher found a way to get through them on multiple occasions tonight.
At this point, the Hurricanes appear to be in a very good spot. The 6-foot-3, 225-pounder said that Eric Hickson has become a father figure type to him, and that’s what brought him back to Miami at various points this summer.
Georgia Tech is probably the dark horse right now. He really enjoyed his time in Atlanta, and the fact that he has family in the 404 makes the Yellow Jackets an intriguing option for him. Fletcher will be in attendance for the Miami-Alabama game and hopes to see the Hurricanes compete. He compared the matchup to the one he played in on Friday night against an IMG team that was extremely talented.
- I’m also going to throw in a 247Sports Crystal Ball for 2023 five-star
Brandon Inniss to Oklahoma. He was excellent tonight, doing everything that he could for the Patriot’s offense, including catching a touchdown and playing quarterback for a time. I fully expect the pick to be the Sooners on Sunday.
- Not related to the game, but a source with knowledge of Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas Top247 offensive lineman
Julian Armella's recruitment told me that Miami will not make the cut once the senior drops his top four. I’ll do more digging as to why that is the case, but I wouldn’t count on Miami being on his list of finalists.