**To say it has been an exciting two days would be an understatement. First, the NCAA announces there was "improper conduct" in their investigation of Miami, then the basketball team beat Duke by 27, and then of course the hiring of James Coley became official today. Not only will the hire pay dividends for Miami over the next couple years, but this will help immediately as well.
**I've spoken to five local coaches about the hire and they are all ecstatic about the possibilities as far as recruiting. One of them questioned this current staff's ability to develop talent, but admitted only time will tell. A prominent coach also told me, "Miami got their big fish."
**It was an electric atmosphere at the basketball game last night and there were plenty of top targets in attendance, including Matthew Thomas, Alex Collins, Jermaine Grace, Stacy Coley, Jamal Carter, and 2014 commit Travis Rudolph.
Thomas: "6" is obviously the #1 target on the board for Miami at this point, and it was huge that he was on campus for the game. Denzel Perryman was with him for a good part of the night, and he was seen with LB Coach Micheal Barrow and Golden as well. After today's news of James Coley joining the staff as well as another piece of information I received, I would put the percentage of him choosing Miami at 75%, and that's being conservative.
Collins: Last night helped with Collins more than anybody. He was with Duke Johnson for a majority of the night, and his mother, who is pushing Miami, was there as well. Collins stood and threw up the "U" as students chanted his name and he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the experience. He was seen on campus with his mother well after the game was over. At this point, I would be very surprised to see him anywhere other than Miami. Something to also factor in here is the fact that he was concerned about the NCAA issues, which the coaches can now downplay with the recent news.
Coley: As seen in tonight's update with Coley's Head Coach, Donnell Bennett, Stacy seemed to really enjoy himself at last night's game. It was a rare appearance by Coley, who hasn't been known to go to many recruiting-related activities in the past, so this was a huge positive to get him there. James Coley has not really been involved with him in the process, but I expect that to change quickly. FSU WR Lawrence Dawsey has been handling Coley's recruitment ever since Eddie Gran left to Cincinnati and the two have formed a good relationship. Brennan Carroll has also done a very good job in the short period he has had to recruit Stacy. It's no secret that Bennett prefers him at Miami and I think that will play a part in his ultimate decision.
**James Coley won't have any effect on the recruitment of Keith Bryant. FSU DL Coach Odell Haggins has been the one handling Bryant's recruitment for a couple years now and I still expect Bryant to pick the 'Noles come signing day. Mark D'Onofrio visited Bryant today at school and Miami isn't giving up without a fight.
**Despite the talk of Jermaine Grace and Louisville, I would still be extremely surprised if he didn't wind up at Miami. He will announce on National Signing Day on ESPN at 2 o'clock.
**Watch out for RB target Augustus Edwards. I mentioned him last week and he will still be visiting on February 1st. He was an FSU lean before today's news, but Coach Coley was his recruiter so this is a very interesting development. I thought Miami would take both him and Collins before Coley's hiring, but now I see it as a distinct possibility. Edwards would fit in the Lonnie Pryor mold that Coley had at Florida State.
