UM head coach Mark Richt concluded his first full year of recruiting with a very successful class of new talented players that are signed, sealed and delivered to "The U".
Every year on NSD there are some hits and misses and this recruiting cycle was no different. Miami scored well on the recruiting trail except at DB and RB. The Hurricanes did best by shoring up their OL with several excellent propects.
Here is a list from www.hurricanesports.com of the new names and faces coming to campus in Coral Gables:
Today's Signees
Trajan Bandy | Jhavonte Dean | Zach Feagles | Jonathan Ford |Corey Gaynor | Mike Harley | Kai-Leon Herbert | Zalon’tae Hillery |D.J. Johnson | Evidence Njoku | N'Kosi Perry | Derrick Smith | Jeff Thomas | De'Andre Wilder
Trajan Bandy (Miami, Fla.) – Defensive Back – Columbus High School
Consensus four-star prospect by 247Sports, ESPN, Rivals and Scout…Rated as the 30th –best cornerback by 247Sports…Earned a No. 33 ranking in the state of Florida by 247Sports… Rated as the 267th prospect nationwide on ESPN300…Participated in The Opening in 2016…Earned a Top 300 PrepStar All-America ranking…Named First Team All-Dade by the Miami Herald…Totaled a pair of returns for touchdowns as a senior…Coached by Chris Merritt at Columbus High School…Chose Miami over offers from Alabama, Auburn, Cincinnati, Clemson, Oklahoma and Colorado.
Jhavonte Dean (Homestead, Fla.) – Defensive Back – Blinn College – South Dade High School
Consensus four-star prospect by 247Sports, ESPN, Rivals and Scout…Ranked No. 12 in the 247Sports composite rankings…Rated as the second-best cornerback by 247Sports…Listed as the nation’s No. 1 junior college cornerback…Played two seasons for Keith Thomas at Blinn College…Played for Nathaniel Hudson at South Dade High School…Comes to Miami with three years to play two seasons…Chose Miami over offers from Alabama, Arizona State, Cincinnati and Kentucky.
Zach Feagles (Glen Rock, N.J.) – Punter – Ridgewood High School
Earned a three-star rating from ESPN and Scout…Listed as a two-star recruit by 247Sports and Rivals…Participated in the 2017 Under Armour All-America Game…Rated No. 7 among punters nationally by Kohl’s Kicking…Averaged 36.1 yards per punt during his high school career…Dropped seven punts inside the 20-yard-line as a senior…His longest punt of 57 yards came during his junior season…Chose Miami over offers from Rutgers and North Carolina…Son of 22-year NFL veteran and Miami alum Jeff Feagles.
Jonathan Ford (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) – Defensive Line – Dillard High School
Consensus three-star defensive line prospect by from 247Sports, Scout and ESPN…Rated as the 27th-best defensive tackle by 247Sports…Ranked as the 52nd- best prospect in the state of Florida according to 247Sports…Selected Sun-Sentinel First Team All-County…Coached by Lorenzo Davis at Dillard High School…Chose Miami over offers from Kentucky, Tennessee, USC, Auburn, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma and West Virginia.
Corey Gaynor (Parkland, Fla.) – Offensive Line – Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Listed as a three-star prospect by 247Sports, Scout and ESPN…Rated as the 20th-ranked offensive guard out of the South according to Scout… Named Miami Herald First Team All-Broward…Selected Sun-Sentinel First Team All-County…Recorded 97 pancake blocks as a senior…Versatile offensive lineman, who has seen action at center and guard…Coached by Willis May at Marjory Stoneman Douglass…Chose Miami over offers from Arizona, Houston, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, UCF and West Virginia.
Mike Harley (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) – Wide Receiver – St. Thomas Aquinas High School
Consensus four-star wide receiver prospect by 247Sports, ESPN, Rivals and Scout…Took part in the U.S. Army All-American Game…Ranked as the 24th-best player in the state of Florida according to Rivals…Ranked as the 40th–best player in the state of Florida by 247Sports…Named Miami Herald First Team All-Broward…Selected Sun-Sentinel First Team All-County…Helped guide St. Thomas Aquinas to a 12-2 record and the 7A Florida State High School Championship during his senior season…Caught three touchdown passes in the state championship game…Coached by Roger Harriott at St. Thomas Aquinas…Chose Miami over offers from Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Kai-Leon Herbert (Plantation, Fla.) – Offensive Line – American Heritage School
Consensus four-star offensive line prospect by 247Sports, ESPN, Rivals and Scout…Rated as the 28th–best offensive tackle in the class of 2017 by 247Sports…Ranked No. 99 regardless of position on the ESPN300 rankings…Participated in The Opening in 2016… Selected to 2017 Under Armour All-America Game…Earned a Top 300 PrepStar All-America ranking…Named Miami Herald First Team All-Broward… Selected First Team Sun-Sentinel All-County…Helped anchor an offensive line that posted over 4,700 total yards…Spent his senior season playing for former Miami Dolphin Patrick Surtain at American Heritage High School…Played three seasons for cornerbacks UM coach Mike Rumph at American Heritage High School…Chose Miami over offers Michigan, Auburn, Florida, California, Colorado, Georgia and LSU.
Zalon’tae Hillery (Brunswick, Ga.) – Offensive Line – Glynn Academy
Earned a three-star ranking from 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals…Rated as the 49th-best player at his position by ESPN…Ranked as the 50th–best player in the state of Georgia by 247Sports…Coached by Rocky Hidalgo at Gylnn Academy…Helped guide Glynn Academy to an 11-2 record during his senior season…Chose Miami over offers from Florida, Kentucky, Alabama and Clemson.
D.J. Johnson (Sacramento Calif.) – Defensive Line – Luther Burbank High School
Consensus four-star defensive lineman by 247Sports, ESPN, Rivals and Scout…Rated as the 72nd–best prospect in the country according to 247Sports…Selected as the ninth-best player in the state of California by 247Sports…Ranked No. 62 in the final ESPN300 rankings…Rated as the No. 5 position prospect by ESPN…Ranked No. 34 on the PrepStar Top 150 Dream Team…Totaled 85 tackles (47 solo), 14.5 sacks and 31 tackles for loss during his senior season…Took part in the 2017 Under Armour All-America Bowl…Coached by John Heffernan at Luther Burbank High School…Had offers from 100 schools...Chose Miami over Washington, USC, Ohio State and Alabama.
Evidence Njoku (Cedar Grove, N.J.) – Wide Receiver – Wayne Hills High School
Consensus three-star prospect by 247Sports, ESPN, Rivals and Scout...One of the top recruits in the state of New Jersey, ranking No. 10 according to ESPN...Spent three season at Cedar Grove High School before transferring to Wayne Hills as a senior...Caught 18 pass for 306 yards and five touchdowns as a junior at Cedar Grove...Also excelled on kickoff returns Cedar Grove as he accumulated 350 yards and four additional touchdowns during his junior season... Finished his senior season with over 400 yards receiving and eight touchdowns...Coached by Wayne Demikoff at Wayne Hills...Young brother of former Hurricane wide receiver David Njoku...Chose Miami over offers from Boston College, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, Oregon and Penn State among others.
N'Kosi Perry (Ocala, Fla.) – Quarterback – Vanguard High School
Widely regarded as one of the most dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation…Consensus four-star quarterback by 247Sports, ESPN, Rivals and Scout…Rated as the sixth-best quarterback at his position according to 247Sports…Comes to Miami ranked No. 29 in the state of Florida by 247Sports…Ranked No. 84 in the final ESPN300 rankings…Earned a Top 300 PrepStar All-America ranking…Received FHSAA 6A Player of the Year honors...Helped guide Vanguard to an impressive 10-2 overall record during his senior season…Totaled 24 touchdowns and completed 64 percent of his passes during his senior season…Scored 43 total touchdowns with 11 coming on the ground during his junior season…Threw for over 2,000 yards during his junior campaign…Coached by Edwin Farmer at Vanguard High School…Chose Miami over offers from Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida State and West Virginia.
Derrick Smith (Jacksonville, Fla.) – Defensive Back – Trinity Christian Academy
Consensus three-star prospect by 247Sports, ESPN, Rivals and Scout…Listed as the 76th-best prospect at his position by ESPN…Listed as the 124th-best recruit in the state of Florida by 247Sports…Helped guide Trinity Christian Academy to an 11-3 record…Coached by Verlon Dorminey at Trinity Christian Academy…Chose Miami over offers from USC, Mississippi State, North Carolina, Kentucky and Cincinnati.
Jeff Thomas (East St. Louis, Ill.) – Wide Receiver – East St. Louis
Consensus four-star wide receiver prospect by 247Sports, ESPN, Rivals and Scout...Rated as the No. 1 player in the state of Illinois…Listed as the sixth-rated wide receiver and the No. 2 player in the state of Illinois by 247Sports…Ranked No. 55 in the final ESPN300 rankings… Took part in The Opening in 2016…Starred in the 2017 Under Armour All-America Game and posted game records of 148 yards receiving and two touchdowns…Selected to the Top 150 PrepStar All-America Dream Team…Was a three-year starter in high school…Finished his career with 177 receptions for 3,532 yards and 41 touchdowns…Helped guide East Saint Louis High School to a perfect 14-0 season and its first Illinois State Championship in eight years…Hauled in a pair of touchdowns in the state championship…Caught 50 passes for 1,101 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior…Coached by Darren Sunkett at East Saint Louis High School…Chose Miami over offers from Louisville, Oregon, Illinois, Michigan and Alabama among others.
De'Andre Wilder (Opa Locka, Fla.) – Linebacker – Miami Carol City Senior High School
Earned a four-star ranking by ESPN…Listed as the 22nd–best prospect at his position by ESPN…Ranked as the 51st–best player in the state of Florida by ESPN…Rated as four star prospect by Rivals…Listed as the 26th-best linebacker and 40th-best prospect in the state by Rivals…Earned a three-star rating from 247Sports…Named Miami Herald Second Team All-Dade…Helped guide Carol City to the 6A Florida State High School Championship…Coached by Aubrey Hill at Carol City…Choose Miami over offers from Georgia, USF, Florida, LSU, Louisville and Alabama.
I'd rather have elite coaching with #15 class, then Shitty coaching with #5 class.
Posted by: 1mg Of epi | February 02, 2017 at 04:16 PM
And when you get a top 5 class AND elite coaching then you get Bama.
Posted by: 86Cane | February 02, 2017 at 04:37 PM
Good info Soup.thanks
Posted by: Old Skool | February 02, 2017 at 04:37 PM
Here is a simple question for the "star naysayers" (and anyone else who wants to render an informed opinion):
Would you rather have a top 5 recruiting class or a top 15 recruiting class (and why)?
Posted by: nemo2002 | February 02, 2017 at 03:20 PM
Stars matter. A lot. But here's an answer to a slightly different question .
I'd rather have elite coaching with #15 class, then Shitty coaching with #5 class.
Posted by: 1mg Of epi | February 02, 2017 at 04:16 PM
It's a dang good glass. No two ways about it and a guy like Thomas should have been a five star and a guy like Garvin should have been a high four star. But that's rankings, sometimes there more accurate then others. I think we were only two players away from an elite class in McFarland and Henderson. And one of those guys away from being a top ten class as we were only two points away from number ten. But hey we finished at number 12 per ESPN and we can make those two misses right next year by getting the DBs we're expected to get and getting lingard who from a few people I know that have talked to him loves the Canes. Either way we filled our needs with top/elite talent which a lot of them will be playing on Sundays in the future.
Posted by: NicKane | February 02, 2017 at 04:08 PM
Posted by: WWIN | February 02, 2017 at 03:43 PM
💯
Posted by: Go Canes! | February 02, 2017 at 03:57 PM
Would you rather have a top 5 recruiting class or a top 15 recruiting class (and why)?
Posted by: nemo2002 | February 02, 2017 at 03:20 PM
You don't get it!
Nobody's goal is to try to finish 15th instead of 5th...but if you like the class you got and fulfilled your needs with the players you wanted...why be mad about finishing 15th? Take Jerry Jeudy and Jeff Thomas...ranked #1 and #8 respectively...Give me Jeff Thomas all day and twice on Saturday!
Bama's class might not work at UM and vice versa! Does this class fit us? YES! I don't care what the rank is!
Posted by: WWIN | February 02, 2017 at 03:43 PM
Not 1 but 4.....nice article very informative. I think we need to get these guys going so they can make contributions immediately. Play the kids, welcome young men!
Posted by: VA Cane | February 02, 2017 at 03:33 PM
Not 1
Posted by: 1mg Of epi | February 02, 2017 at 03:31 PM
The University of Miami baseball team will host its annual Fan Fest & Alumni Game on Saturday, Feb. 11 at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field.
Festivities are set to begin at 4 p.m., and admission to the event is free. The team autograph session is set for 4-5 p.m. The concession stands, including the famous Mark Light Shake stand, will be open, while representatives from the bookstore will be on hand selling the newest baseball apparel.
Posted by: 86Cane | February 02, 2017 at 03:25 PM
1
Posted by: 30CINCO | February 02, 2017 at 03:23 PM