Back in February of 2020, life was different for 2022 Dillard (FL) 3-star DE Nyjalik Kelly, who had a few D-I offers to his name but was looking for a game-changer in his recruitment. Enter the local Miami Hurricanes, who extended a bid to Kelly nearly one year ago, an experience Kelly still remembers.
“It was just exciting, it was a humbling experience,” Kelly said. “It was my first big offer, so it made me feel like I was good and made me want to get more offers and keep working, never stop working.”
Back then, Miami’s DL coach was Todd Stroud, but after Stroud moved into an off the field role this offseason, UM went out and brought in Jess Simpson last month to coach the trenches. Although it’s early in the 2022 recruiting cycle, it seems Kelly is a priority for Simpson thus far.
“It’s been good with him, he’s a cool dude,” Kelly said of Simpson. “He basically tells me the ups of being a Hurricane and what I can do here, that I can possibly start first year if I work hard enough.”
As for what has him interested in the Miami program, Kelly pointed to both the staff and the defense at UM.
“It’s close to home and the relationships are good between me and the coaches,” Kelly said of UM. “I like the scheme, it fits me good and I can play just like #15 from this year (Jaelan Phillips).”
To land Kelly, however, Simpson and the rest of the Miami staff will have to pull the Dillard star away from the rival Florida State Seminoles, as Kelly committed to FSU last August.
“I’m still committed, but I’m open to if I feel a better opportunity comes,” Kelly said of FSU. “Like I didn’t know coach Simpson before I committed there, so things can change.”
The Noles went 3-6 in head coach Mike Norvell’s debut season in Tallahassee last year, but that alone hasn’t softened Kelly’s commitment to FSU.
“Teams have down years, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to be like that every year,” Kelly said. “[FSU] is a dream school of mine, I like their scheme, and Brian Burns told me I could be great like him there.”
What will it take for Miami or any other school to sway Kelly from his FSU commitment?
“Build a good relationship with me and show me how they coach,” Kelly said. “Do they coach better than coach JP (FSU DE coach John Papuchis), am I going to get better? I want to go to their practices and see how they coach, I want to see if they are putting players in the NFL. Rather than just sitting there being the same person all year, I’m trying to get better every year.”
Aside from Miami and FSU, Kelly cites schools such as Arizona State, Penn State, and Georgia Tech as programs that are in constant contact with him, while LSU recently extended an offer to the 6’4” 235 pound prospect as well. Kelly also says he hopes to visit all of those schools sometime this spring and summer.
As a junior in 2020, Kelly helped Dillard to a 6-0 record during their limited season and felt he improved his game.
“I grew on my pass rush, my run stop, and my get-off,” Kelly said of his junior year.
