If all goes well this weekend, the Miami Hurricanes could potentially lock up their biggest cornerback commitment in a decade and, frankly,
Khamauri Rogers can’t believe it.
“I never thought Miami would be one of the schools I would be considering,” said Rogers, who was in Coral Gables for the Hurricanes’ “First Day Out” cookout June 1.“But when coach [Travaris Robinson] came they really blew me away.”
In a little more than six months, Robinson and cornerbacks coach DeMarcus Van Dyke have helped push Miami firmly into the mix for the elite cornerback from Holmes County in Lexington, Mississippi. Rogers put the Hurricanes in his top six in March — along with Mississippi, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Michigan and Notre Dame. And the Hurricanes will be his first official visit this weekend.
Rogers is one of at nine players scheduled to officially visit Miami this weekend and, as the No. 61 overall prospect in the 247Sports.com composite rankings for the Class of 2022, the highest-rated of the group.
While Rogers has another official visit scheduled with Tennessee for next weekend and one with Ole Miss for July, the Hurricanes are in position to potentially lock up the four-star cornerback this weekend — even if he doesn’t make a public commitment.
We just have a good relationship,” Rogers said of Van Dyke. “We can talk about anything, really, and I like our relationship, how we can talk about anything. He is very energetic and he’s been in my shoes before, so he knows what I’m going through. We always talk about that, how we’re built the same. ... We’re both skinny and he’s not worried about my weight. He knows I’ll gain some more weight when I get to college.”
If Rogers ultimately signs with Miami,
he’s on track to be the Hurricanes’ highest-ranked cornerback commit since Miramar’s Tracy Howard in the Class of 2012.
Rogers, who spent more than a year committed to LSU before backing off his pledge in late 2020, said he will “probably commit in July” after a new dead period begins.
The Hurricanes’ first two weekends of official visits after a long dead period haven’t resulted in any nonbinding commitments, but several of the top prospects who visited emerged with Miami very much in the mix.
Besides Rogers, here’s who else is scheduled to visit UM this weekend:
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Wesley Bissainthe: The four-star Miami Central standout, rated by Rivals as the No. 10 outside linebacker and 88th-best overall player in the 2022 class, is a top UM priority, but the competition is stiff.
He visited West Virginia and Penn State during the first two weekends in June. And he granted FSU’s request to move his Tallahassee visit from June to during the season so the Seminoles can try to make a final, lasting impression on him.
He has said he has no favorite. UM has at least a decent chance for a player at a position that must be upgraded.
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Markeith Williams: The four-star safety from Orlando Boone is near the top of the Hurricanes’ board at that position and will visit Miami for the second time this month. He also attended the UM cookout on June 1.
The 6-foot-1, 170-pound defensive back took an official visit with the Nebraska Cornhuskers last weekend and is slated for an official with Ohio State next weekend. Alabama and Florida were also in a top three he announced in January; UM and Nebraska were not.
Teammate
Leyton Nelson also took an official visit with the Hurricanes last weekend and is one of Miami’s top targets at offensive tackle. Outside linebackers coach Ishmael Aristide, a Boone alumnus, is leading Miami’s recruitment of Williams.
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Keahnist Thompson: The three-star Lakeland defensive lineman is a late addition to the Hurricanes’ official visit list, telling 247Sports on Wednesday he
plans to make his way down to South Florida this weekend.
The 6-foot-3, 255-pound defensive end took an official visit with UCF last weekend and is set for one with the Texas Longhorns next weekend. This recruitment is pretty much wide open, with the Miami and Texas visits just scheduled this week.
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Landon Ibieta: The three-star receiver from Mandeville, Louisiana, is one of the more under-the-radar prospects visiting, and UM’s level of interest is somewhat unclear.
The 6-foot receiver is smart, shifty and a skilled route runner but doesn’t have many major offers; Virginia, UM and Wake Forest were his only Power 5 offers as of early May.
Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman had this to say about Ibieta after he impressed at an LSU camp earlier this month:
“Ibieta continued to impress as he has throughout the offseason and drew attention from all in attendance with a blistering afternoon session. He’s smooth in and out of his breaks with reliable hands and the ability to stretch the field from the slot. Ibieta is both quick and fast and offers big-play potential.”
“Tulane and Louisiana Tech are two in-state schools in a strong spot with Ibieta and LSU is continuing to evaluate. Ibieta will see Miami and Wake Forest for official visits and also camp at Mississippi State and Ole Miss.”
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Andrew Chamblee: The three-star offensive tackle from Arkansas is an Arkansas commitment but told Canesport that he’s visiting UM because “it’s a great place, a great environment. And I really like the coaching staff. I’ve been talking to coach [Garin] Justice. He’s been recruiting me for a little while, said I would be a great fit for Miami as a long, athletic tackle.”
He visited Oklahoma State earlier this month and plans to visit Michigan State and Mississippi later this month.
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Ja’Corey Thomas: The four-star safety from Boone High has a busy June schedule with visits to UM, Iowa State, Nebraska and FSU, plus an unofficial visit to UCF.
The Canes would use him at striker. He also attended the June 1 UM barbecue.
Per Rivals, Thomas told UF safeties coach (and former UM defensive backs coach) Wesley McGriff that “I’ll play anything. I’ll drop a few pounds and play corner; I’ll drop game pounds and play linebacker; I’ll play anything on the field.”
FSU might be the team to beat here.
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Anthony Lucas The four-star defensive end from Scottsdale, Arizona, grew up a Canes fan and lived in Miami until he was 11, per Canesport. He still has family in Fort Lauderdale.
He’s rated by Rivals as the nation’s 12th-best Class of 2022 defensive end prospect and 149th-best prospect overall.
He has visited Notre Dame and Oregon and plans to visit FSU, LSU and Alabama.
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Nick Cull: The four-star athlete from Donalsonville, Georgia, can play both safety and cornerback. He visited UF, Alabama and Mississippi and will visit South Carolina the week after his Miami visit. Rivals calls Alabama the front-runner.