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The end of the 2013 recruiting cycle marks a new beginning for Al Golden and his staff, as he will enter his most crucial season as Miami's Head Coach. This class is filled with prospects that not only supplement a very solid roster for next season, but there is a ton of upside as well. Here are my overall thoughts on this year's class.
**Miami got arguably the centerpiece of the class in QB Kevin Olsen. Some people take his signing for granted due to the fact he was committed since the summertime, but he will ultimately be the player that defines the success of this class in my opinion.
**It looks like Alex Collins will in fact stick with Arkansas after today's craziness with him not signing at his school's ceremony. This is a tough loss for Miami, there's no way around it. Collins would have been an instant contributor in an already loaded offense. They did rebound by picking up a back that I really like in Augustus Edwards. I expect Edwards to see the field a good amount as a running back this season and then transition into more of a hybrid FB/RB role in his second season when Maurice Hagens graduates. Someone who has seen Edwards play live told me that he has very, very good speed for his size.
**Miami is quietly building an incredible receivers group. Between the veteran Allen Hurns, the breakout star Phillip Dorsett, and the developing Herb Waters, Malcolm Lewis, and Rashawn Scott, Miami already had a very solid group for next season. Today's pickup of Stacy Coley is a monster get for this staff. I do disagree with people who say he will automatically be our #1 receiver next year, though. I would say he is the most "talented" of the bunch, but he would need to do a lot to jump those other guys in front of him. I still see him getting a good amount of touches next season on both offense and special teams.
---Little note on Coley: His recruitment comes down to one thing, Donnell Bennett. It's not only the fact that Bennett wanted him at Miami, but it's the way everything went down. Going back to his junior year when Stacy was becoming a big name, Miami was not showing much interest. The 'Canes did not offer until this November and Bennett is a big part of why the 'Canes offered. Miami was concerned with grades and other off-field issues, but Bennett worked with Coley and helped him mature throughout the process, which Bennett has told me multiple times when I've spoken to him. If not for Bennett pushing Coley, we would have seen him wearing the Garnett & Gold for the next 3-4 years.
**Brennan Carroll deserves A TON of credit for the job he did with this class. He was personally responsible for Beau Sandland, Standish Dobard, and was a big part of Stacy Coley. He needed to develop a relationship in the last month with Coley and obviously did a good job of it.
**It was a solid haul on the offensive line. I really like Sonny Odogwu's upside. I've personally seen him and he is physically ready to play right now, it's scary how big he is. If Kehoe can get his physical ability to match his play on the field, Miami got a gem. Alex Gall is the future center in my opinion and has great leadership qualities needed at the position. Hunter Knighton has a very good frame and can play virtually any spot on the line.
----The one prospect that Miami fans will always remember from this class on the O-Line is Booker T. Washington's Denver Kirkland. The whole saga last week with the coaches pulling his offer and then giving it back definitely hurt Miami's chances. We will never truly know what happened with this situation, but I personal believe that Miami messed this one up.
**I have mixed opinions on what Miami did on the defensive side of the ball. They filled pass-rushing needs with Devante Bond and Alquadin Muhammad, but massively failed in the defensive tackle department. They needed to pick up at least one between Jaynard Bostwick and Keith Bryant. I didn't feel like Bryant was coming, but Bostwick stings considering Miami led for so long.
**Although Matthew Thomas to FSU was not a surprise this morning, it was still a painful one to see if you're a Miami fan. I know we've harped on it for almost a year now on this board, but Thomas is a transcendent talent at linebacker. One interesting note that a source told me prior to today was that Miami recruited him harder than anybody in Golden's three classes at Miami, so if Miami ended up losing him (which they did) then he wasn't going to come here all along. The staff put out as much effort as they possibly could into him, but in the end he still chose to head North.
**A few hours after Thomas picking FSU, Miami picked up a severely under-appreciated prospect in Jermaine Grace from Miramar. Grace reminds me a lot of Denzel Perryman out of high school as both were extremely productive against top South Florida competition for their entire HS careers. I fully expect Grace to see the field a lot next year in certain situations, as he excels in pass-coverage and can cover a lot of ground. "Country" has that "it" factor you look for in a linebacker and is always around the football. The 'Canes got a special player who will continue to grow into his frame.
**My favorite part of the last two classes has been the secondary additions. With the additions of Jamal Carter and Artie Burns, combined with the likes of Tracy Howard, Deon Bush, Rayshawn Jenkins, Ladarius Gunter, Antonio Crawford, and Nate Dortch, this group can be the best in the entire country within two years. Those are some world-class athletes in that bunch and Paul Williams does a very good job coaching them up as well.
**Overall, I would say the Miami staff did a good job with this class considering the NCAA cloud over the program's head. The 2014 class will be a real litmus test to this staff's ability, as the NCAA issues figure to be behind them.
**I also wanted to thank all of the members of CanesInSight.com, as we continue to grow and become the premier website for Miami Hurricanes recruiting coverage. We appreciate the support and look forward to sharing our 2014 class work with you all.
**Miami got arguably the centerpiece of the class in QB Kevin Olsen. Some people take his signing for granted due to the fact he was committed since the summertime, but he will ultimately be the player that defines the success of this class in my opinion.
**It looks like Alex Collins will in fact stick with Arkansas after today's craziness with him not signing at his school's ceremony. This is a tough loss for Miami, there's no way around it. Collins would have been an instant contributor in an already loaded offense. They did rebound by picking up a back that I really like in Augustus Edwards. I expect Edwards to see the field a good amount as a running back this season and then transition into more of a hybrid FB/RB role in his second season when Maurice Hagens graduates. Someone who has seen Edwards play live told me that he has very, very good speed for his size.
**Miami is quietly building an incredible receivers group. Between the veteran Allen Hurns, the breakout star Phillip Dorsett, and the developing Herb Waters, Malcolm Lewis, and Rashawn Scott, Miami already had a very solid group for next season. Today's pickup of Stacy Coley is a monster get for this staff. I do disagree with people who say he will automatically be our #1 receiver next year, though. I would say he is the most "talented" of the bunch, but he would need to do a lot to jump those other guys in front of him. I still see him getting a good amount of touches next season on both offense and special teams.
---Little note on Coley: His recruitment comes down to one thing, Donnell Bennett. It's not only the fact that Bennett wanted him at Miami, but it's the way everything went down. Going back to his junior year when Stacy was becoming a big name, Miami was not showing much interest. The 'Canes did not offer until this November and Bennett is a big part of why the 'Canes offered. Miami was concerned with grades and other off-field issues, but Bennett worked with Coley and helped him mature throughout the process, which Bennett has told me multiple times when I've spoken to him. If not for Bennett pushing Coley, we would have seen him wearing the Garnett & Gold for the next 3-4 years.
**Brennan Carroll deserves A TON of credit for the job he did with this class. He was personally responsible for Beau Sandland, Standish Dobard, and was a big part of Stacy Coley. He needed to develop a relationship in the last month with Coley and obviously did a good job of it.
**It was a solid haul on the offensive line. I really like Sonny Odogwu's upside. I've personally seen him and he is physically ready to play right now, it's scary how big he is. If Kehoe can get his physical ability to match his play on the field, Miami got a gem. Alex Gall is the future center in my opinion and has great leadership qualities needed at the position. Hunter Knighton has a very good frame and can play virtually any spot on the line.
----The one prospect that Miami fans will always remember from this class on the O-Line is Booker T. Washington's Denver Kirkland. The whole saga last week with the coaches pulling his offer and then giving it back definitely hurt Miami's chances. We will never truly know what happened with this situation, but I personal believe that Miami messed this one up.
**I have mixed opinions on what Miami did on the defensive side of the ball. They filled pass-rushing needs with Devante Bond and Alquadin Muhammad, but massively failed in the defensive tackle department. They needed to pick up at least one between Jaynard Bostwick and Keith Bryant. I didn't feel like Bryant was coming, but Bostwick stings considering Miami led for so long.
**Although Matthew Thomas to FSU was not a surprise this morning, it was still a painful one to see if you're a Miami fan. I know we've harped on it for almost a year now on this board, but Thomas is a transcendent talent at linebacker. One interesting note that a source told me prior to today was that Miami recruited him harder than anybody in Golden's three classes at Miami, so if Miami ended up losing him (which they did) then he wasn't going to come here all along. The staff put out as much effort as they possibly could into him, but in the end he still chose to head North.
**A few hours after Thomas picking FSU, Miami picked up a severely under-appreciated prospect in Jermaine Grace from Miramar. Grace reminds me a lot of Denzel Perryman out of high school as both were extremely productive against top South Florida competition for their entire HS careers. I fully expect Grace to see the field a lot next year in certain situations, as he excels in pass-coverage and can cover a lot of ground. "Country" has that "it" factor you look for in a linebacker and is always around the football. The 'Canes got a special player who will continue to grow into his frame.
**My favorite part of the last two classes has been the secondary additions. With the additions of Jamal Carter and Artie Burns, combined with the likes of Tracy Howard, Deon Bush, Rayshawn Jenkins, Ladarius Gunter, Antonio Crawford, and Nate Dortch, this group can be the best in the entire country within two years. Those are some world-class athletes in that bunch and Paul Williams does a very good job coaching them up as well.
**Overall, I would say the Miami staff did a good job with this class considering the NCAA cloud over the program's head. The 2014 class will be a real litmus test to this staff's ability, as the NCAA issues figure to be behind them.
**I also wanted to thank all of the members of CanesInSight.com, as we continue to grow and become the premier website for Miami Hurricanes recruiting coverage. We appreciate the support and look forward to sharing our 2014 class work with you all.
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