How about we let Skinner say what flipped him to Miami:
Skinner went through the timeline on Thursday of his Miami Hurricanes recruitment. The relationship with Cristobal and Skinner predated his hire at Miami. It has often been said that recruiting is about relationships. The decision by Skinner to flip from Alabama to Miami happened when everything came together.
“The number one thing was Steve Field. Because he’s been on me since the day…Because remember earlier last year I committed to Alabama. Coach Fields was the first person to call me after I committed. He was the first person to call me. Nobody from (the) Alabama staff called me.
He was the first…The number two thing was them the hire coach Cristobal. I was the first recruit he came to see after he got the job when I was at IMG. That meant a lot to me that show how much…I meant to him because me and him already had a really strong relationship coming into it.
After he got a job here that helped seal the deal…The number the three thing, the third thing would be my family’s comfortability here because that was one big thing with me if I’m comfortable here and my family’s comfortable here I know I can be successful here.”
So it appears Field was the one who recruited & continued to recruit him, but b/c of the prior relationship w/ Mario at UO, it solidified the flip b/c it added another level of comfort.