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Out at the Opening Finals in Texas, one of the top performers of day one had to be 2020 IMG Academy (FL) 4-star WR Michael Redding. Redding was hard for DB’s to handle in the 1-on-1 drills, and also tested very well in the combine.
“I felt really, really good, I felt really, really confident,” Redding said of his performance. “Went out there, 1-on-1’s, was smooth, did everything I was supposed to do, dominated. I felt I should’ve done better on the 40-yard dash, I ran a 4.5, still want to get faster. The vert, of course, I always do good on that, jumped a 40 inch vert. Basically everything else I really did well in. I’m proud of myself because I went out in the 1-on-1’s and dominated.”
Were there any DB’s that stood out to him as a tough matchup?
“Not necessarily, I wasn’t really focused on the DB’s, it was more of a competition with myself,” Redding said. “So, I wasn’t really focused on who I was going against, I was just focused on what I needed to do to get open and get the ball.”
Of course, Redding has been making waves off the field recently as well. Right after the check-in for the event yesterday, he talked to the Miami coaches and decided to commit to the Hurricanes. He said he’s had his mind made up for about a week or so, but was unsure when he was going to make it official with the staff.
“It was a surprise for me too, I didn’t plan to do it yesterday,” Redding said. “I was talking to coach Stubbs, and then I ended up talking to coach Diaz, then I made it happen.”
Redding made his first visit to Miami in early June, and the Canes won him over on the trip. Two big deciding factors for him were that Miami was a private school and has great academics, as well as the feeling that WR coach Taylor Stubblefield is a very technical coach that can develop him for the next level.
“The visit was amazing, especially talking with coach Stubbs, working out with him and seeing how he coaches,” Redding said. “He told me a lot of things about Miami and all the things that he told me of course were all good things. And they didn’t really have any negatives. There was nothing like ‘Ah, that’s a deal-breaker.’ No, they had everything. Them being a private school and the academics being good and then coach Stubbs being a very technical coach. The offense that they have, spread mixed with a little pro too. Everything was lining up, everything was kind of perfect in a sense.”
Being from the Pensacola area, many figured that the Florida State Seminoles led for Redding and that it was a matter of time before he ended up in Tallahassee. However, according to Redding, his reported interest in FSU was over-blown.
“I was a lot more open than most people thought. Since FSU is close to my home, that was the school I could visit the most,” Redding said. “But yeah, I was a lot more open than what people thought. Purdue was even still in the mix, people were sleeping on Purdue. My WR coach at IMG (Desmond Tardy) used to play at Purdue and my dad has a friend that works up there, they’re a great school over there. Notre Dame too.”
Right now, the Hurricanes are working with a top 10 2020 class regardless of which recruiting service you prefer, and Category20 is growing by the day.
“It’s looking smooth - I saw somebody just committed today (Romello Height),” Redding said of the 2020 class. “It looks like we’re just going up from here. Even though we had a few decommits, from now on we’ll just be moving up.”
The 6-1 195 pound receiver also spent some time today chopping it up with his future QB at Miami, Tyler Van Dyke.
“I was talking trash to him, telling him, ‘You better be out there throwing dimes’,” Redding said. “He’s actually not on my 7-on-7 team, so I’m not going to be able to get no balls from him. I was trying to see him throw but I was really more focused on my own thing today.”
While Redding doesn’t rule out making future visits to other schools, he says he is glad he has his commitment out of the way and wants to concentrate on taking his game to the next level during his final season of high school at IMG more than recruiting.
“Actually, I don’t have a plan (on visits). I’m going keep it honest with you, I’m just focusing on myself and how I can get better,” Redding said. “So there’s really no plan right now. I’m glad that I’m committed and now I can focus more on myself and how I can get better.”
And, finally, what are Redding’s plans for his Hurricane career?
“Kind of just going in there with that dog mentality, that work hard mentality, just getting better,” Redding said. “I’m just going in to dominate, make a statement, learn from the older guys, learn from the veterans, and continue to improve at Miami.”
“I felt really, really good, I felt really, really confident,” Redding said of his performance. “Went out there, 1-on-1’s, was smooth, did everything I was supposed to do, dominated. I felt I should’ve done better on the 40-yard dash, I ran a 4.5, still want to get faster. The vert, of course, I always do good on that, jumped a 40 inch vert. Basically everything else I really did well in. I’m proud of myself because I went out in the 1-on-1’s and dominated.”
Were there any DB’s that stood out to him as a tough matchup?
“Not necessarily, I wasn’t really focused on the DB’s, it was more of a competition with myself,” Redding said. “So, I wasn’t really focused on who I was going against, I was just focused on what I needed to do to get open and get the ball.”
Of course, Redding has been making waves off the field recently as well. Right after the check-in for the event yesterday, he talked to the Miami coaches and decided to commit to the Hurricanes. He said he’s had his mind made up for about a week or so, but was unsure when he was going to make it official with the staff.
“It was a surprise for me too, I didn’t plan to do it yesterday,” Redding said. “I was talking to coach Stubbs, and then I ended up talking to coach Diaz, then I made it happen.”
Redding made his first visit to Miami in early June, and the Canes won him over on the trip. Two big deciding factors for him were that Miami was a private school and has great academics, as well as the feeling that WR coach Taylor Stubblefield is a very technical coach that can develop him for the next level.
“The visit was amazing, especially talking with coach Stubbs, working out with him and seeing how he coaches,” Redding said. “He told me a lot of things about Miami and all the things that he told me of course were all good things. And they didn’t really have any negatives. There was nothing like ‘Ah, that’s a deal-breaker.’ No, they had everything. Them being a private school and the academics being good and then coach Stubbs being a very technical coach. The offense that they have, spread mixed with a little pro too. Everything was lining up, everything was kind of perfect in a sense.”
Being from the Pensacola area, many figured that the Florida State Seminoles led for Redding and that it was a matter of time before he ended up in Tallahassee. However, according to Redding, his reported interest in FSU was over-blown.
“I was a lot more open than most people thought. Since FSU is close to my home, that was the school I could visit the most,” Redding said. “But yeah, I was a lot more open than what people thought. Purdue was even still in the mix, people were sleeping on Purdue. My WR coach at IMG (Desmond Tardy) used to play at Purdue and my dad has a friend that works up there, they’re a great school over there. Notre Dame too.”
Right now, the Hurricanes are working with a top 10 2020 class regardless of which recruiting service you prefer, and Category20 is growing by the day.
“It’s looking smooth - I saw somebody just committed today (Romello Height),” Redding said of the 2020 class. “It looks like we’re just going up from here. Even though we had a few decommits, from now on we’ll just be moving up.”
The 6-1 195 pound receiver also spent some time today chopping it up with his future QB at Miami, Tyler Van Dyke.
“I was talking trash to him, telling him, ‘You better be out there throwing dimes’,” Redding said. “He’s actually not on my 7-on-7 team, so I’m not going to be able to get no balls from him. I was trying to see him throw but I was really more focused on my own thing today.”
While Redding doesn’t rule out making future visits to other schools, he says he is glad he has his commitment out of the way and wants to concentrate on taking his game to the next level during his final season of high school at IMG more than recruiting.
“Actually, I don’t have a plan (on visits). I’m going keep it honest with you, I’m just focusing on myself and how I can get better,” Redding said. “So there’s really no plan right now. I’m glad that I’m committed and now I can focus more on myself and how I can get better.”
And, finally, what are Redding’s plans for his Hurricane career?
“Kind of just going in there with that dog mentality, that work hard mentality, just getting better,” Redding said. “I’m just going in to dominate, make a statement, learn from the older guys, learn from the veterans, and continue to improve at Miami.”
