Golden Nuggets

In the annual college recruitment of high school football players, head coaches have to sift through a lot of sand to find just a few golden nuggets. And unfortunately, if you are University of Miami head coach Al Golden, you have to learn to do it with one hand tied behind your back.

With the negative attacks used by opposing coaches from the seemingly never ending saga of looming NCAA sanctions and a self imposed reduction of both scholarships that could be awarded in addition to a restriction placed on the number of in-home visits that he could conduct, there is no doubt that Golden has had the odds stacked squarely against him during the last two full recruiting cycles.

Nonetheless, the Miami Hurricanes' head coach announced Wednesday the signing of 16 highly valuable Golden nuggets to National Letters of Intent to play football at ‘The U’. Miami’s 16 signees feature 13 high school standouts, five January enrollees and three junior college transfers.  

Miami’s 2013 signing class is ranked No. 17 by 247Sports.com and No. 21 in the ESPN Top 40. 

Among the 2013 signees are six ESPN 150 recruits – WR Stacy Coley (Pompano Beach, Fla.), DE Al-Quadin Muhammad (Irvington, N.J.), CB Artie Burns (Miami, Fla.), QB Kevin Olsen (Wayne, N.J.), TE Standish Dobard (Belle Chasse, La.) and LB Jermaine Grace (Miramar, Fla.).

Coley is the nation’s No. 4-rated WR according to ESPN, while Muhammad is the nation’s No. 7-rated DE. Burns, considered to be the nation’s best prep hurdler from Miami’s Northwestern HS, is the nation’s 10th-best CB, according to ESPN. 

Dobard (seen above holding trophy), a January enrollee, is listed one of the nation’s Top 10 tight end prospects by ESPN,  247Sports.com and Scout.com. Grace is ranked as the 11th-best LB nationally by ESPN and No. 17 by Rivals.com. He played at the same high school as current Miami Hurricanes standouts Tracy Howard, Malcolm Lewis and Ryan Williams. 

Miami’s signing class also features nine signees on offense and seven more on defense. The Canes signed five from the state of Florida and inked recruits from 10 different states. 

Dobard, Sandland, LB Alex Figueroa (Stafford, Va.), OL Hunter Knighton (Pottstown, Pa.) and OL  Sunny Odogwu (Baltimore, Md.) are enrolled in classes at the University of Miami and will compete in spring drills. 

For complete bios on each of Miami’s 16 signees, visit gocan.es/WelcomeToTheU.

Comments

[Ohio_Cane]

POW!

[Ohio_Cane]

DEON BUSH!

[Ohio_Cane]

TRACY HOWARD!

[Terrance Sullivan]

Let's go Canes. Looking forward to hanging with u peeps at the Spring Game and throughout the season.

[Ohio_Cane]

2013 DT Tevin Lawson (6'4, 280) is an option Golden could steal from LSU. They want him to Gray shirt.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/nevadaprepreport/football/recruiting/player-Tevin-Lawson-135952

[86Cane]

86, I went on a little rant on twitter. Feel free to delete if U want. Nothing bad, just a rant about Golden's recruiting and how he has to defend himself.

Posted by: Ohio_Cane | February 07, 2013 at 10:15 AM

MUST BE CAREFUL YOUNG DANIELSON!

Have not read it, was out for a while, but I will check it later. NBD, I've had my moments on Twitter also. People forget about it in 30 minutes over there after 1,000 new tweets post. Still better to be safe then sorry.

[Hassan]

fif

[raizecane]

Spring ball can't get hear fast enough. Can't wait to see the raising canes video surrounding recruiting day. I can see Golden with a bottle of peptol in his right hand.

[86Cane]

THE EAGLE HAS LANDED! THANK U!

Posted by: Ohio_Cane | February 07, 2013 at 12:45 PM

Glad U got your package today even if it was one day late. Did U find both Canespace shirts along with the other UM goodies?

[laquinton]

jeff stoutland to leave bama for the eagles

[86Cane]

I can see Golden with a bottle of peptol in his right hand.

Posted by: raizecane | February 07, 2013 at 03:45 PM

Insider report is that he prefers Maalox?

http://www.maaloxus.com/index.shtml?maxLiquid

[raizecane]

Collins dad signs letter.....

[CaneRock]

Some stories you just can’t make up.

Like the tale of how a little-known tight end from a small, private school in Miami became the nation’s most dominant defensive end and a big-time university’s highest-ever draft pick.

Try all you want, but you simply can’t embellish the remarkable story of how Andre Wadsworth came to be one of the most celebrated athletes to ever play football at Florida State University.
Scene 1: Miami. Early winter, 1993.

Wadsworth realizes his football career may be coming to a quick end following his senior year at a tiny school called Florida Christian. Though he’s tall at 6-foot-4 and carries enough weight on his 210-pound frame to look the part, no college recruiters chased him.

He was a non-prospect in talent-rich Dade County, where the big-school kids were the prize for colleges all over the country.

But then-FSU defensive line coach Chuck Amato got a tip about Wadsworth during a recruiting trip. Amato knew he couldn’t possibly offer a scholarship, but he also heard enough to know he should at least make contact.

Wadsworth said he was pretty sure he was going to attend a large university — possibly even Miami — and be a regular student until Amato encouraged him to fill out a recruiting questionnaire and explained the term “recruited walk-on” to him.

Encouraged by the attention Amato showed, Wadsworth took a gamble. He drove to Tallahassee when the walk-ons were allowed to report, arriving at least two weeks behind the scholarship players.

http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20130203/FSU03/302030040/Lamar-column-Wadsworth-s-story-has-Hollywood-flavor?nclick_check=1

[WWIN]

86,

I need you to go to Pembroke and get my client that Swag hat that Coley wore yesterday, or better yet get him Coley's actual hat and have him autograph it.

[CaneRock]

Collins dad signs letter.....

Posted by: raizecane | February 07, 2013 at 03:48 PM

SCRATCH EM' IN THE FACE!

[j.w.]

Collins dad signs letter.....

Posted by: raizecane | February 07, 2013 at 03:48 PM

SCRATCH EM' IN THE FACE!

Posted by: CaneRock | February 07, 2013 at 03:56 PM
Taht's why Cochrane firm was hired. :) I didn't know they had any experience in family law, though, which would be the only thing that could hold up the NOI (and that is if a custody decree could be interpreted as allowing mom to sign all legal documents).

[86Cane]

BEST POST IN A LONG TIME BY VfB_Cane:

NSD has come and gone...Some Cane fans came away with the impression that FSU and UF gor far more talent than we did. Really?

I did a little number crunching, based on three recruiting sites, and tried to eliminate the size factor for better comparison.

Rivals
Overall ranking: UF #4, FSU #9, UM #44
Ranking based on average grade:
UF 3.67 (#7),FSU 3.57 (#10), UM Avg. 3.40 (#12)

Scout:
Overall ranking: UF #8, FSU #16, UM #28
Ranking based on average grade:
UF 3.63 (#8), FSU 3.41 (#13), UM 3.29 (#18)

247:
Overall ranking: UF #4, FSU #8, UM #17
Ranking based on average grade:
UF 91.21 (#4), FSU 89.19 (#9), UM 88.80 (#12)

My take:
(1) Eliminating the size factor, UF's signing class was top 5-10, FSU top 10-15, UM top 15-20.
(2) Given that grading recruits is an inexact sciece at best, the difference between UM's class and what FSU got is negligible (basically, it's one 5* signing with us instead of going to Tallyville)
(3) UF is the last of the Florida schools to win a NC and is in the SEC. In today's recruiting world, this will work wonders for you (not necssarily on the field - we'll find out).
(4) No need to hit the panic button. While Golden&Co. didn't set the world on fire yesterday, the talent gap between FSU und us is small enough so that in can be made up by proper talent development. Neither FSU nor UM have excelled in that area for quite some time now.

Posted by: VfB_Cane | February 07, 2013 at 01:10 PM

[Hassan]

http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/02/06/3220329/miami-chamber-raise-hotel-taxes.html

[thirstybuzzardcane]

Collins dad signs letter.....

Posted by: raizecane | February 07, 2013 at 03:48 PM

I thought he didn't have a father and that's why he was living with his coach

What a bizzare story!!!!.....I feel bad for the kid. He seemed like a well spoken person.

[Schweaty Balls]

Holy Crap! A blizzard warning has just been posted for NYC. Anyone who lives in FL, just be glad you are not here.

[HawaiiCane]

Per ESPN...

'Decked out in camouflage overalls and flanked by his father, Johnny Collins, his aunt Loretta Collins and his grandmother Beverly Collins, Alex Collins (Plantation, Fla./South Plantation) signed the letter at BOKAMPER'S SPORTS BAR.'

... Who signs their LOI at a sports bar?!?! Apparently AC and his father. Maybe, he will be better off at Arky!

[Ohio_Cane]

Did U find both Canespace shirts along with the other UM goodies?

Posted by: 86Cane | February 07, 2013 at 03:45 PM
--------------------------------------------

Yep, thanks again!

PS - I didn't do anything unsafe on twitter, IMO. Not cursing rant or anything. Just facts and opinions.

[86Cane]

Ohio...I read your rant on Twitter and it was fine. And completely called for. Be calm and carry on.

[Canezitis]

I love that the coach from Edison basically shut sileo up. I listen to that show from the Internet since I live in Cali just to see how big of a douche he'll be. I love how he calls out others for their hypocrisy, then claims he basically bleeds orange and green and at every turn wants to bash the program for one reason or another. It's one thing to point out some faults, but its another to totally disregard the truth. But this is guy that's close to Luke. Now I agree with him in that we need 70% fla kids, but like the Edison coach said, the kids don't trust that everything is going to be ok with the sanctions and that's why they can't trust the coaches. I hope he does take sileo to the inner cities like he said he would, then maybe he'll shut his mouth about golden and the way he does things. Just my rant for the day.
Go Canes

[Ohio_Cane]

Lol, guy on twitter trying to convince me Arkansas has better academics than UM.

Can't. Stop. LOL'ing

[Mcginns Ale House]

ohio can you not cut and paste a pictre to a post?if so how?

[Mcginns Ale House]

anybody?

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000117339359]

After listening to Sileo and Luke....LoL...Luke is on point about shutting down the State of Miami but as far as not trying to get these kids he named maybe one kid that was over 5'10" its like come on Luke look at the size of these kids you are babbling about nobodies lying its called evaluating and knowing Honestly...I TRUST U AL GOLDEN...I dont see all the racial undertone that everyone is grabbing ahold of, I mean he did say that daU isnt targeting all the inner city kids and SO WHAT if they arent alot of kids smoke, steal, thug, and do other things that jus wont fly at ANY University my take Let Florida have em....Now as far as the downing kids and not sending em to daU not much hearing that either but hey opinions are like a-holes right...

anyway

RCCF12%dontstopgetitgetitLoL

[86Cane]

LOL, guy on twitter trying to convince me Arkansas has better academics than UM.

Posted by: Ohio_Cane | February 07, 2013 at 04:59 PM

Go back and read what I posted. I just finished your arguement with FACTS and shut them down completely. LMAO

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000117339359]

and the Trevor Harris interview puts me in the mindframe of the back n forths that take place right here all the time all these ppl hung up on how things were done in the 80's GET OVER IT things change NOTHING STAYS THE SAME...thank you Trevor Harris for saying what REAL DIE HARD FANS Not Only Say but KNOW...

Haters Hate and daU is GREAT

RCCF12%keeptellnemdaUwillgetthedeathpenaltyHaters

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000117339359]

Like how Trevor Harris also threw out there that coaches in HS are playn dirty ball too they tryn to blackball daU....LoL so is AL GOLDEN still a bad guy is AL still not ready/Sileo Admitting Grease Palms...

#LetMeKnwWhnUWannaHaveLunch....and When was the Last Time FSU won the Championship....ok wht about daU....@shutup Sileo

CLASSIC.....Great to Be A Miami Hurricane

RCCF12%BrickByBrick

[BigWindyCane1]

"There's going to be a lot of people who didn't stand with us who are going to be remembered for not standing with us," Golden said.

Think he means Ice Harris? lol

Posted by: UMike | February 07, 2013 at 03:02 PM

When the Canes blow out FSU this year and win the ACC, then where what influence will "Ice" Harris have? All his players will want to go to the U and there will be nothing he can do about it.

The days of recruiting 6 or 7 players from one school are gone. Although I admit 6 was pretty good, there has not been one BTW player that has been dominant in at UM. As for the MNW class of 2008, the best player was never recruited by Shannon - Levonte David. David registered 139 tackles as a rookie for the Bucs last year.

Ice's boy Shannon never won the ACC coastal and all Shannon recruited was BTW and MNW football players. AG won the coastal with the threat of sanctions and a bunch of freshmen and sophomores carrying the team. There is no doubt who the better coach is.

There is a lot of animus toward AG, and it is unjustified. I believe Thomas never intended to go to UM, and Ice Harris knew it. I also believe that they wanted to get a Scholly for Kirkland, but DK is an average OL who needs a lot of work.

I am happy with this class, and I think Golden will return UM to glory very soon.

[VfB_Cane]

BEST POST IN A LONG TIME BY VfB_Cane:

Posted by: 86Cane | February 07, 2013 at 04:06 PM

Thanks for your kind words & for the all the great work you guys do to keep us Canes fans around the world up to date. Stand by the U!

[laquinton]

nole on nole violence ?

http://www.sbnation.com/2013/2/7/3965380/darnell-dockett-chris-rix-fight-tweets

[CaneRock]

When the Canes blow out FSU this year and win the ACC, then where what influence will "Ice" Harris have? All his players will want to go to the U and there will be nothing he can do about it.

Posted by: BigWindyCane1 | February 07, 2013 at 06:13 PM

I agree that the recruiting will be better next year, but blowing out FSU...ehhhhhh, I just can't go there with you.

But here's the difference between []_ _[]S, and FSU...Based on what they did last season, FSU has to prove a HELLUVA! lot more than we do.

[Sarasota 'cane]

Hey CaneRock, we have enough talent to beat UF, FSU, and Win the ACC! I truly believe that. And we do not require any recruits to do it. We match up well against the ACC and UF next season in my opinion.

Go 'canes!

[Ohio_Cane]

Check out what my daughter made me for my birthday!

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s291/wes02/D76ECB61-36B4-4B35-8872-AB676033AD2F-1651-000001B97420B56A.jpg

How AWESOME is that??

[Terrance Sullivan]

Yes sir Sarasota, also when the Arkansas Razorbacks have another losing season recruits that left South Florida to go to Fayetteville gonna have the Gas Face.

[Mcginns Ale House]

Can anyone tell me the name of a good player we have had from Jacksonville?I know
we must have had some,just could not think of any when asked.

[kenyon19ypr]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1520776-miami-football-the-good-and-the-bad-of-national-signing-day

[Mcginns Ale House]

Sarasota, I think you are right about beating fsu and uf.We catch uf early and at home and a new oc, I believe. With a bad offense already, but a really good defense they may be favored, but not by much.
fsu away but new coaching staff and a midget qb could be just the medicine we need.

[Tonycane]

First Shannon. Now Golden. Somehow I think if Jimmy Johnson himself were to step out of a time machine and become coach of Miami, he would be hated by certain Miami coaches.

[Ohio_Cane]

Maybe the Pens can trade Vokoun back to the Caps mid-game so they have a chance?

Lol, Pens > Caps

[Mcginns Ale House]

These high school football coaches in dade remind of the LL baseball coaches.You Know the ones that dont want there kids playing for the junior high or high school because they are the only ones that ever coached them.They feel they own the kids and feel some type of debt owed to them and are affraid of somebody else getting some credit. The good they do goes away when they do not know when to step back and be a spectator again.

[Mcginns Ale House]

Not a lot of faith in Coach Dno, but that is a good looking defense we have coming back.If a couple of the 9 or 10 def lineman we have stup up...you never know??

[CaneRock]

Can anyone tell me the name of a good player we have had from Jacksonville?I know
we must have had some,just could not think of any when asked.

Posted by: Mcginns Ale House | February 07, 2013 at 08:12 PM

Clinton Portis is the closest to that area that I know of. I'm pretty sure we've had a few, but He's the only one that comes to mind...

[Mcginns Ale House]

thanks cr

[CaneRock]

Check out what my daughter made me for my birthday!

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s291/wes02/D76ECB61-36B4-4B35-8872-AB676033AD2F-1651-000001B97420B56A.jpg

How AWESOME is that??

Posted by: Ohio_Cane | February 07, 2013 at 07:10 PM

AWESOME! indeed.

[Ohio_Cane]

#1 Indiana down! Syracuse buzzer beater

Canes looking better and better!

[CaneRock]

National Signing Day has morphed into shallow display

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/02/07/3222713/national-signing-day-has-morphed.html#morer#storylink=cpy