In classic Miami fashion, alarmingly repulsive showings in consecutive weeks has completely undermined several months of work on the recruiting trail. Ironically enough, we seem to be in an eerily similar position as 2022. With the classic “1st year HC, it’s not my roster” excuse already dried up, Mario is staring down the barrel of yet another lackluster and underachieving on-field product with remotely anything tangible to sell.
CIS is a cesspool of mouth-breathing individuals from both sides of the slurper/mope spectrum, but I’m pretty sure everyone can agree that the only chance of ever being a serious program under Mario is by acquiring more talent than everyone else. Despite the 5-7 showing last class, I think we can all agree that Mario exceeded all expectations with both high school and portal recruiting. However, kids aren’t stupid. As much as you want to believe every kid wants to be a Hurricane deep down in your orange and green plums, it doesn’t work like that. 5-7 didn’t affect the 2023 class, but it certainly has affected 2024, and while we stare at another season of underwhelming, uninspiring play on the field, I do question the direction this class ends up going.
Let’s get the hard part of the way: which coaches (in my opinion) that after 18 games in Miami gear, don’t deserve a third chance to retain their on-coaching position. Two very clear, obvious candidates that I will argue til I’m blue in the face: Jahmile Addae, and Joe Salve’a.
DB’s
Many of us were surprised when Addae was retained following a poor coaching and recruiting effort in 2022. This has continued into 2023. Our corners are still small, slow, and don’t know how to properly read a ball in the air to save their lives. Recruiting was a disaster back there until Mario swooped in and delivered Damari Brown. The portal additions have overall, been a bust - Davonte Brown doesn’t see the field, Richard doesn’t see the field, and Jaden Davis’s lack of speed was repeatedly exposed last night. For a room that desperately needed instant-impact guys, we failed to address this. Is this also on Mario and da Gawd Zo for eval season not panning out? Maybe. But all in all, Addae gets the blame.
So, we didn’t recruit exceptionally well in 2023 to change the room. The coaching in the secondary hasn’t gotten much better. Looking at our 2024 class…yeah, DB recruiting is bad. All projects, all similar guys that absolutely will not compete for playing time. It’s looking like another go at the portal here…and I’m not sure why many of you are so nonchalant about what’s going on in this room.
DT’s
What’s going to make this thread really fun is yup - I’m bringing up Big Joe. The untouchable Joe, the one who’s Samoan sorcery has even some of the sharpest football minds on here in an absolutely bewildering trance regarding his coaching and recruiting. The guy gets more passes than any Miami coach I’ve seen (besides Cristobal, sorry I couldn’t resist).
I just haven’t seen a sizable improvement along the DL to justify overriding the recruiting. Leonard Taylor is an absolute JAG. “oh he’s getting double teamed! You don’t know ball” Uhh…if he’s getting doubled, how is the other interior DL not getting any pressure? Jayden Wayne has more tackles than both LT and Deen. Gore is too small to play against power five offensive line, considering UNC’s OL is one of the worst in the ACC. Moten isn’t ready to contribute in Year 2.
I’ll give JHH credit as the only guy that’s improved under Joe. Imagine if he had transferred…woof.
Ok, so the coaching at the position isn’t great. Recruiting…lol. They said it was personal this time around. They said we’d be in contention for the best D-line class in the nation. Then the whiffs started coming and the deflectors said “this is what happens with big boy recruiting”. Ok…so what do you call this?
Justin Scott. Breland. Stone. Franklin. Jayden Jackson. Cunningham. Lindsey. Nicholas. Tunmise Adeleye, Malone, M’ba, Keivie Rose…I’m not even counting guys that we were certainly interested in this cycle like Liam Andrews and Jericho Johnson, nor am I going back to the ‘23 class and counting the whiffs there. We have consistently struggled to recruit DT’s both out of high school, and in the portal. We were fortunate enough to flip Horton and Collins at the very last minute, again thanks to Mario. The excuse-making for Joe’s two poly additions is one of the more absurd spins for an assistant coach I have ever seen on CIS. It absolutely does not equate to double-digit whiffs at DT, nor does it cancel out mediocre production on the field.
I’m looking at our current class…as we currently sit 13th in the nation with a higher likelihood that we trend outside the Top 15 than into the Top 10. McCray is going to FSU. Artavius Jones flipping FSU is growing more likely with each passing day. We have a ‘25 stud committed at DT, except it’s been very quiet on what once was a brazen confidence he could reclassify with no problem. Even then, he’s a 17-year old kid and yet expected to be the crown jewel of this “historic” DL class? Daylen Russell has two sacks and five QB pressures this season…I see projects at DB, I see nothing to justify keeping any of these coaches.
Mario is going to have to work a miracle both on the field and with recruits in order to secure a Top 12 class imo. We haven’t even discussed guys like Riley or Lightfoot being highly sought-after. Hold on tight ladies and gentlemen, it’s about to get rocky on here.
to top of recruiting class, year in year out. Y’all need a stiff drink today or you won’t make it to Clemson.
