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2021 Columbus (FL) 3-star OL Ryan Rodriguez was out at the Under Armour Miami Camp this past Sunday and had a strong performance against what was a pretty deep defensive line field at the event.
“I went out, competed against the best, and proved I’m the best,” Rodriguez said. “I think I showed what I was capable of today.”
Earlier in the week, Rodriguez took another short trip to Coral Gables, which was his second visit to see the Miami Hurricanes in a little over a month and a half. As opposed to Junior Day, though, this visit saw Rodriguez get a little bit more individual attention, including a one-on-one talk with head coach Manny Diaz.
“It went really well,” Rodriguez said. “They re-did everything over there - the new indoor facility is beautiful, the weight room is nice. They added a whole new facility on the second floor for new meeting rooms, new decorations and everything. It’s really nice.”
After watching UM’s Thursday spring practice, which was the first in pads, the 6-3 280 pound center prospect came away with a very positive impression of Rhett Lashlee’s new offense and Houston QB transfer D’Eriq King.
“They look like this might be the year they come out and make a bang,” Rodriguez said. “The offense looks very simple. King is forced to make a quick decision and if he can make the right decision, make the right play, it’s going to be very successful, because it’s all about letting athletes go and be athletes.”
Rodriguez also got to experience the coaching style of OL coach Garin Justice for the first time and appreciated how he communicated what he wanted out of his players.
“He’s not going to go out there and yell for no reason. He’s going to get everyone on the same page, get their technique down, make sure they know what they’re doing,” Rodriguez said of Justice. “So, when you go out there, you can just go out there and play - the new offense makes things easier. The O-Line just blocks, whether it be a double team or a one-on-one, get your hands underneath - that’s what he teaches - and dominate the man in front of you.”
With the new scheme and coaching additions at Miami, Rodriguez feels the Canes are primed for a big season in Diaz’s second year at the helm, and he sees that success bleeding over into the recruiting world as well.
“It wouldn’t just influence a decision by me, it would influence the decision of all South Florida recruits, a lot of other players tell me the same thing,” Rodriguez said of what a big year on the field would mean for UM. “Once Miami’s back to where it should be, everybody’s going to start going there and staying in South Florida. They haven’t been winning lately, and once the winning happens, stuff will change.”
In terms of other schools involved here, Rodriguez has only visited FAU and USF aside from Miami, but he plans to expand that list later this month to include Louisville (March 21st) and Wake Forest (March 28th).
“Louisville, coach (Frank) Ponce has been reaching out to me a lot,” Rodriguez said. “They’ve made a good connection with me and I like what they have going on over there. They have a history of winning.
“Wake Forest just has great academics. I like the coaches there - they’re very straight up, they’re not going to mess around. I can go there, get my grades right, play football, and graduate with a good degree.”
After those trips, Rodriguez said he wants to get back to Miami again with his father, who was out of town for the earlier visit. Following that, he's going to sit down with his family and discuss the pros and cons of each of his options in preparation for a late spring, early summer decision timeline.
“It’s just whatever feels best for me,” Rodriguez said. “After spring football ends for me, I’ll start narrowing it down and start coming up with a decision. Probably May or June.”
“I went out, competed against the best, and proved I’m the best,” Rodriguez said. “I think I showed what I was capable of today.”
Earlier in the week, Rodriguez took another short trip to Coral Gables, which was his second visit to see the Miami Hurricanes in a little over a month and a half. As opposed to Junior Day, though, this visit saw Rodriguez get a little bit more individual attention, including a one-on-one talk with head coach Manny Diaz.
“It went really well,” Rodriguez said. “They re-did everything over there - the new indoor facility is beautiful, the weight room is nice. They added a whole new facility on the second floor for new meeting rooms, new decorations and everything. It’s really nice.”
After watching UM’s Thursday spring practice, which was the first in pads, the 6-3 280 pound center prospect came away with a very positive impression of Rhett Lashlee’s new offense and Houston QB transfer D’Eriq King.
“They look like this might be the year they come out and make a bang,” Rodriguez said. “The offense looks very simple. King is forced to make a quick decision and if he can make the right decision, make the right play, it’s going to be very successful, because it’s all about letting athletes go and be athletes.”
Rodriguez also got to experience the coaching style of OL coach Garin Justice for the first time and appreciated how he communicated what he wanted out of his players.
“He’s not going to go out there and yell for no reason. He’s going to get everyone on the same page, get their technique down, make sure they know what they’re doing,” Rodriguez said of Justice. “So, when you go out there, you can just go out there and play - the new offense makes things easier. The O-Line just blocks, whether it be a double team or a one-on-one, get your hands underneath - that’s what he teaches - and dominate the man in front of you.”
With the new scheme and coaching additions at Miami, Rodriguez feels the Canes are primed for a big season in Diaz’s second year at the helm, and he sees that success bleeding over into the recruiting world as well.
“It wouldn’t just influence a decision by me, it would influence the decision of all South Florida recruits, a lot of other players tell me the same thing,” Rodriguez said of what a big year on the field would mean for UM. “Once Miami’s back to where it should be, everybody’s going to start going there and staying in South Florida. They haven’t been winning lately, and once the winning happens, stuff will change.”
In terms of other schools involved here, Rodriguez has only visited FAU and USF aside from Miami, but he plans to expand that list later this month to include Louisville (March 21st) and Wake Forest (March 28th).
“Louisville, coach (Frank) Ponce has been reaching out to me a lot,” Rodriguez said. “They’ve made a good connection with me and I like what they have going on over there. They have a history of winning.
“Wake Forest just has great academics. I like the coaches there - they’re very straight up, they’re not going to mess around. I can go there, get my grades right, play football, and graduate with a good degree.”
After those trips, Rodriguez said he wants to get back to Miami again with his father, who was out of town for the earlier visit. Following that, he's going to sit down with his family and discuss the pros and cons of each of his options in preparation for a late spring, early summer decision timeline.
“It’s just whatever feels best for me,” Rodriguez said. “After spring football ends for me, I’ll start narrowing it down and start coming up with a decision. Probably May or June.”
