cliff notes:
There’s no bigger priority than four-star Miami Monsignor Pace defensive end Shemar Stewart, rated the No. 3 player in the country by ESPN and No. 38 by Rivals. UM, Texas A&M and Georgia are his finalists, and he reportedly will make a decision on Feb. 2.
Miami has a decent chance to land four-star Ft. Lauderdale Gibbons defensive tackle Ahmad Moten, a 6-4, 290-pound prospect whose brother Anthony played at UM. Moten has visited Iowa State and plans to visit UM and Tennessee. Four-star Las Vegas based defensive end Cyrus Moss originally planned to sign with a school last Friday (among UM, Alabama, Southern Cal, Oregon, Arizona State) and not disclose it until Jan. 8. But he reportedly decided not to sign with anyone until February.
And four-star San Diego based defensive end Gracen Halton, an Oregon commitment since January, will visit UM next month, per Canesport. On the transfer portal front, defensive tackle Jayson Jones, a former Oregon starter, remains a Canes target.
Four of UM’s nine signees are defensive backs, but the Canes want to add at least one more. They’re pursuing four-star San Diego-based cornerback Jahlil Florence and have kept in contact with three-star Ocala based cornerback Jammarien Burt, a former Gators commitment. Florence was an Oregon commitment before Cristobal left for Miami.
UM also continues to explore the portal for a veteran cornerback. The Hurricanes tried to lure Alabama Crimson Tide cornerback Marcus Banks, but he committed to Mississippi State on Monday.
Wide receiver: The Canes already have one signed and are vigorously pursuing St. Louis-based four star receiver Kevin Coleman, rated by Rivals as the No. 9 receiver and No. 61 overall player in this class. He’s choosing among UM, FSU and Southern California. An announcement is expected around Jan. 8. UM also is in the mix for Clemson and former South Dade High receiver Frank Ladson, who’s in the transfer portal.
A top target is Seattle-based tackle Josh Conerly Jr., rated by Rivals as the 58th best player in this class and the seventh best tackle. He told Canesport that he plans to visit UM; Michigan is formidable competition.
Another top target: Four-star Washington-based guard Dave Iuli, an Oregon commitment who has a good relationship with Cristobal and offensive line Alex Mirabal, who will leave the Ducks’ staff after their bowl game to join Cristobal’s staff. So Miami has a chance here. Rivals ranks Iuli as the No. 9 guard and the 186th best player in this 2022 class.
A few other names worth monitoring: three-star St. John’s, Florida-based tackle Matthew McCoy and three-star California-based tackle Jackson Brown, a player pursued by Manny Diaz before his dismissal.
UM, if it chooses, could pursue Oregon guard Jonathan Denis, a South Dade High alum who’s in the transfer portal. He was Rivals’ No. 6 guard in the 2020 class. Denis was getting some first-team reps in camp last August but then sustained an injury that kept him out awhile. Other positions:
UM might add a running back and veteran edge player in the portal.
they all lurk around CIS and take notes
