Hurricanes succeeding recruiting South Florida high-school powerhouses
Despite a disappointing 5-7 season last year, Mario Cristobal and the Hurricanes have had plenty of success off the field.
Miami’s 2023 recruiting class ranked seventh in the 247Sports composite rankings. After what appeared to be a slow start to the 2024 recruiting cycle, this year’s class has surged into the national top 15.
“One of the guys that we’re recruiting mentioned it yesterday,” Cristobal said on the Joe Rose Show on WQAM during the ACC Football Kickoff. “It’s like it’s all coming together.”
The Hurricanes went on a roll in June and July, securing commitments from five-star wide receiver Joshisa “JoJo” Trader, four-star running back Kevin Riley and four-star defensive linemen Artavius Jones and Marquise Lightfoot, among others.
The Hurricanes have also found success locally. Eight of the 26 members of UM’s 2023 class came from Miami-Dade or Broward County schools. Out of the 18 commits in the 2024 class, seven are from Broward or Miami-Dade.
“When you start seeing names like Kam Kinchens and James Williams, who were there already with Leonard Taylor, but then all of a sudden, Wesley Bissainthe comes on board and Nyjalik Kelly and Rueben Bain and Mark Fletcher and Damari Brown — these local, top-shelf players are all coming together,” Cristobal said. “We’ve all seen what happens when that’s a reality. Miami becomes Miami again.”
Cristobal and his staff have been particularly successful recruiting at some of South Florida’s powerhouse high school programs in this class.
Trader plays for Chaminade-Madonna, which has won five state titles since 2016. Three prospects — four-star wide receiver Chance Robinson and three-star defensive backs Romanas Frederique and Ryan Mack — play at St. Thomas Aquinas, which has won more state titles (14) than any program in the state and has won four straight championships. Three-star linebacker Vincent Shavers’ Miami Central has won nine state championships and has also won four straight titles. Three-star defensive lineman Daylen Russell won a state championship with Miami Columbus (Cristobal’s alma mater) last season.
“I think schools in general and top schools, they’ve wanted this to happen,” Cristobal said. “They’ve wanted this blueprint back in South Florida. And they understand that — you know what — it’s got to be worked into existence.”
Those players bring those high school experiences and rivalries to the college ranks. Kinchens, a Miami Northwestern alumnus, says he jokes about his alma mater with Cristobal.
“I wish I could play Columbus again,” Kinchens said on the Joe Rose Show. “He literally gets on me every day. … He’ll come over (and say), ‘I never saw you beat Columbus before.’ And every time, I’ve just got to be quiet.”
