- Expect to see a lot of Crystal Balls flipping in the NIL era. Players have NIL agents, some of whom represent multiple targets at once, and these situations are even more fluid than in the past. The NIL agents are also the sources for many recruiting writers, which explains a lot of the back and forth. This is a big week for Miami and each battle is ongoing.
- The name I feel best about is LB Malik Bryant (Orlando). He wants to be in Miami. Not a done deal but we are in good shape. Edgerrin James is a mentor for Bryant and is involved in the recruitment.
- As I mentioned last week, Ohio State is making a major run at S Jayden Bonsu (Hillside, NJ). We felt good last week, probably closer to 50/50 now. My sources believe he is slightly leaning to Miami all things being equal but it is an ongoing process with multiple factors.
- We are still alive for OL Olaus Alinen (Finland). Last week, the word out of his camp was Miami. The tone has shifted to Alabama but the battle is raging and he is still engaged.
- Don't close the door on OL Payton Kirkland (Orlando). There is a lot of mutual interest. I continue to expect Tommy Kinsler (Ocala) in this class. The optimism at OL remains very strong.
- Miami continues to have positive conversations with WR Hykeem Williams (Stranahan). That's a battle and we have some momentum. At the same time, WR William Fowles (Dade Christian) is really picking up steam with every strong off-season performance. He has size, speed, plucks the ball and has a great attitude. I wonder if he's this years Santonio Holmes or TY Hilton- local guy who badly wants to be part of a big WR class. I expect our class to finish with 2/3 of Williams, Fowles and Andy Jean.
- My sources have never had a great feeling about S Joenel Aguero (Lynn, MA), but he is admittedly hard to read.
- RB Chris Johnson Jr. (Dillard) is leaning hard to the Canes but his dad wants him to go through the process, which is understandable. We need to keep the social media love going there. He is a huge target with big national programs in pursuit.
- Aside from the announcements, we are in a calm before the storm. Many folks are on vacation. The July 30th cookout will be huge in identifying the realistic targets for a close. That should kick off the next sprint of commitments.
- The Gators are feeling desperate with their class and making reckless, naive moves in South Florida. Many are skeptical of Florida's staff and their occasionally amateurish approach.
- I've mentioned these names before, but the smoke remains very real with '24 CB Desmond Ricks (IMG), WR JoJo Trader (Chaminade) and WR Jeremiah Smith (Chaminade). If we are able to lock them up early, we could be looking at a Big 3 that builds momentum for a #1 overall type class. All three of those guys are top 10 overall talents in their class, and another Top 10 player (LB TJ Capers) is from Cristobal's alma mater and has already been on campus multiple times.
- The internal buzz on Tyler Van Dyke is off the charts. He is insanely competitive and has been smoking people in offseason drills while letting them know about it. He is more vocal than QB D'Eriq King, who was a great leader in his own right. He's exactly the kind of tone setter we need in the Cristobal era. A source on the offensive side of the ball said that QB Jacurri Brown has "special gifts and the right mindset." The key for him, like many QBs with the gift of speed, is going through his progressions and taking easy completions on time.
