Thoughts

Maybe, just maybe Miami will be beter thatn we think? A wise man said men lie, women lie, but numbers don't.

Maybe 10 wins is not out of the realm of possibility if key players (Van Dyke, Mesidor, Taylor, Kinchens, Williams, Mauigoa - both, Lee, Rivers) stay healthy all year.

Mario Cristobal said that Tyler Van Dyke is practicing at full speed. "He's 100 percent and has been practicing with our team."

OC Shannon Dawson: "We don't have a 100 percent reception guy coming back. so we need to find out who our dudes are."

DC Lance Guidry said that it's still the same five guys at cornerback, the Brown brothers, Darryl Porter Jr., Jadais Richard and Jaden Davis. Mentioned that TeCory Couch has been playing at the nickel

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any truth to TVD hurting his throwing hand ring finger

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Thoughts?

The latest in this week's Recruiting Rumor Mill:

But I would love for Miami to take Miami Norland ‘25 QB Ennio Yapoor as a second guy to be the dual-threat competition for Nickel.

I hate the idea of putting all your eggs in one basket & Miami doesn’t have the QB depth to be worrying about taking two guys. This is a kid who will break every single passing record in Miami-Dade County history - potentially by the end of this season - and already has a 1000 yard rushing season under his belt.

Against a good Lakeland team, IN LAKELAND, he put up six touchdowns and had some absolute Superman-type plays. Multiple times, he fought off several tacklers to make clutch throws that took his offense out of a horrible situation or ended up a score. He totaled around 500 yards according to that staff & anyone who watched the game was absolutely in awe of the performance.

This is a kid who took his team to the state championship game as a freshman, transferred to Norland and gave them their best record since Duke Johnson was there & now has them in title contention with powerhouse Miami Central.

He’s already a top 10 dual-threat passer in the class & is likely to move up into the blue-chip ranks before the end of the season. You simply don’t miss on those guys and let them go out of state with a chip on their shoulder.

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I think Ryan Mack is easily the better player between him and Romanas Frederique right now. I think Frederique is going to have to develop early on, likely punting on his true freshman season, to truly get ready to play the cornerback position.

He has freaky athletic traits and huge potential thanks to his ball skills and length, but you can tell there is an adjustment going from a lowly Deerfield Beach team to the bright lights of St. Thomas Aquinas. I really think he might be a better fit for a Nickel role or turn into a safety. He has the size, physicality & versatility to make the move.

Mack is really underrated for me. I know fans see him more of a lightning Rod prospect that is helping bring in fellow teammates and Purple Machone products, but with his sun-11 speed, patience in coverage & solid hand placement mixed with a willingness to come up and play the run shows me he could fight for a depth role early on. He’s physically filled out now, too. Love this pick up and I think he could be a riser in the rankings, potentially back into the blue-chip ranks by the end of season.

Against a usually nationally ranked opponent, 2026 WR commit Malachi Toney put on a show. He made a contested chunk play reception over two defenders, which was also a solid ball from Miami offered 2026 QB Dia Bell.

He followed that up with an early score in the redzone where he absolutely routed up a DB in one-on-one coverage. He was the focal point of the defense, routinely demanding double coverage that eliminated the opportunity for an in-breaking short to intermediate routes.

His route running prowess is so advanced for a prospect for his age and you can tell, despite being a sophomore, he is truly a leader for this top 20 ranked American Heritage squad.

Also, hit entire family was in the stands and rocking Canes gear. I know people don’t usually trust the process from a commit so early, but everyone seems completely bought in to his decision. Have to love that.

Five star Miami target David Stone drops six contenders, and announcement date of August 26th.

Miami, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Michigan State, Oregon, and Florida make up the six.

Currently an Oklahoma lean but would be a massive win if Miami can win out for the DL.

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Zaquan Patterson made an early statement with a ferocious hit on a kick returner. He was constantly applying pressure on the quarterback and was bending really well, getting the edge. He played very close to the line for most of the entire game. His play is very similar to James Williams in high school, but perhaps with better ball skills. He was as impressive as anyone tackling. He unofficially had five solo tackles and assisted on several others. He also blocked an extra point which adds to several in his career.

Joshisa Trader didn't necessarily help his chances to stay as a five-star athlete. The passes he caught were short routes and he had two catches for ten yards as his highs.

The top athlete in the country was playing as a boundary corner toward the end of the second half. He was beaten deep on an inside post and failed to reroute the receiver. St. Frances scored a touchdown over Trader on a short fade to the corner of the end zone. He was also beat on an inside slant for a two-point conversion.

Trader was injured in the second half which what appeared to be shoulder injury. It seems it could be a torn labrum or a sprain. His arm was in a sling for the second half.

On Joshisa Trader recruiting him:

JoJo wanted me to play with him all along. I feel like this decision was based on me and nobody else.

On taking OVs:

Wherever she's going to go, we can take an OV for sure. I know we'll definitely take one to Michigan and Auburn.

On Miami defensive backs coach Jahmile Addae:

Ever since Coach DVD left and went to FIU, Coach Addae stepped up picked where DVD left it.

On how close it came with the other schools:

This was a split decision I feel everybody did a great job in recruiting me.

Patterson said that he would also visit Florida State.

Head Coach Dameon Jones on Patterson making his decision:

"I'm happy for him just to get it over with because he was stressed about it. If you really paid attention, his first half to the second half it was done, it was over with and he was able to play football.

On Patterson's ability to tackle:

He's just a dog man. He's a football player just proud of him man. He's been with me three and a half years. I've seen him grow into a heck of young man and a hell of a football player.

On Miami commit JoJo Trader's injury:

We think it's an AC sprain to his shoulder. Nothing official yet, we'll see.

On playing Trader at DB this season:

"It all depends on the situation. We are going to put the best players on the field to win the game.

This is not a done deal yet, despite what is being said by FSU ‘insiders’. This is still a Miami race to lose & even with heavy push from FSU - in all ways - this will be about seeing the field early and a plan in place to win.

Trusting the staff will be the ultimate factor & Mario Cristobal has done an incredible job recruiting the five-star safety. DC Lance Guidry, who coaches the safeties at Miami, has done a better job recruiting Patterson than any coach on the FSU defensive staff. Still love Miami’s chances at keeping him home.

You guys on here if you want more people posting you need to get on the ball. Don't understand why you have this site. Some nice stories but very little up to the minute news and discussion.

Cristobal has talked a lot about progress, but will it equate to success?

What is progress for this program? 6 wins? 7 wins? 8 wins? 9 wins?

Best backer of all time. I think one player is an easy choice based on his professional career but who is your favorite as a Hurricane

I thought the kid looked good and did well considering the wet muddy playing conditions.

He sometimes throws off his back foot or is off-balanced but still manages to connect with his receivers. His receivers didn't do him a lot of favors, dropping balls and giving up on routes. His deep ball accuracy is most impressive when the ball falls into the receiver's hands. He also does well with short passes, throwing catchable balls. He can also run well enough to get first downs. Never seemed rattled when things weren't going his way and tried to motivate his teammates that seemed disinterested. Completely outplayed 2024 Virginia Tech QB commit Davi Belfort of Western High School.

Overall, I was impressed with him, considering he has two more years of high school remaining. Miami has a potential superstar in waiting.

In the interview, he was poised as he was in the pocket. He seemed very genuine in his answers and feelings about Miami and the coaching staff.

While FSU is in the race, do not believe everything you hear. The staff is pumping information to the media that is not true. FSU is not the leader right now and there is still work for each staff to do over the next six days.

Auburn is a real player and so is Miami. This will not be over until Saturday.

Norland four-star Larry Tarver is committed to Maryland, but that may not be where he ends up. Texas A&M, Louisville and plenty others are trying to flip the elite cover corner and I am hearing Miami is one of the teams tapping in to see what the situation is. Tarver is considered by many as the best cornerback in South Florida this year, but just never got the attention due to playing at TRU Prep, an independent program in Miami, over the last three years.

He had seven interceptions last year and had standout performances against Nathaniel Joseph and Edison plus annual state championship contender Jacksonville Bolles. He is now on a major stage as part of a loaded Norland defense and a repeat of last year my force Miami's hand. He did hold an offer from when Manny Diaz was here and DeMarcus Van Dyke was the cornerbacks coach. He has 10.6 speed and ran at the New Balance Track and Field National Championships this summer, plus is now hovering around that six-foot mark.

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Here's what we are hearing from what happened in fall camp this week.

Quarterbacks

Tyler Van Dyke is looking increasingly comfortable with the offense, and this should very well be a return to excellence for TVD.

Much of the success will be dependent of the health of the Miami starting quarterback and his effectiveness in the red zone and third down.

The backup quarterbacks still seem not ready to take over the reins as full-time college quarterbacks. Williams seems to be the more accurate quarterback to this point, and Brown is clearly the more athletic signal-caller, but decision-making needs to improve for both QBs.

I fear that an early injury to TVD would yield a similar result to 2022.

Running Backs

The competition is still fierce here, which bodes well for Miami. Allen and Fletcher have stood out, but veterans Parrish and Chaney are all competing at a high level.

Wide Receivers

Jacolby George is the most complete wide receiver on the football team regarding route running, hands, and yards after the catch. Wide receivers coach Kevin Beard is still working with Colbie Young to use his body to shield off defenders so he can be that complete receiver. George and Xavier Restrepo have been better at the fade routes than Young. Tyler Harrell is getting open out there but has been having a case of drops sometimes. The same can be said with Nathaniel Joseph and Robby Washington. They get open and make plays with the football, but there is an occasional drop here and there. Some of the screens have been hitting for big gains. Brashard Smith is WR4 at this point and has had a good camp. Harrell, Redding, Ladson, and Horton are battling for WR5 and WR6. Redding and Ladson look much improved in the new system.

Offensive Line

Matt Lee is a significant upgrade at center. However, The offensive line is another position group to be concerned with regarding injuries. If Lee goes down, Jalen Rivers will very likely assume the center position and Matthew McCoy or freshman Samson Okunlola is the next in line as the next men up on the offensive line. Javion Cohen has taken it to another level since spring and is another valuable piece that can't be lost to injury. Francis Mauigoa is becoming one of the best recruits to commit to the University of Miami. His size, speed, and intelligence are off the charts. Anez Cooper might be the best run-blocking offensive lineman on the team, but he still needs to improve in pass pro.

What is concerning is the backup offensive linemen. Logan Sagapolu will be one of the next men up that could plug a hole if needed, but I'm not overly confident that he can be consistent all year. Jonathan Denis does not seem the same since his injury. Concerned with how effective he would be if needed. Zion Nelson will have to endure pain tolerance if he ever returns to the field. From what I've been told it's a bone-on-bone situation, and he may never return to his NFL draftable status.

Tight Ends

Elijah Arroyo is competing; participating in seven-on-seven is the clear TE1 for this offense. Miami is still taking it slow with his return. McCormick has been getting plenty of reps in run blocking and some passing plays as well. Those are the top two tight ends. Skinner has been dropping balls and has sometimes seemed to have checked out mentally. Riley Williams is not ready from a blocking standpoint, but he can definitely catch the ball at a high level. Jackson Carver is solid in blocking but is not ready just yet.

Defensive Line

This is the area of the team to truly be excited about as Miami has great players here and depth. The line seems to be settling on a starting four of Leonard Taylor and Branson Deen in the middle and Akheem Mesidor and Nyjalik Kelly on the outside. Of course, D-Line will have the most players rotating in and out, and Miami has plenty of players to do so. Jared Harrison Hunte and Ahmad Moten will be rotating in the middle, and Jahfari Harvey, Rueben Bain, and Jayden Wayne will very likely be the guys next up on the ends. You still also have veterans Jake Lichtenstein and Anthony Campbell in the mix. That's 11 guys!

Linebacker

We got a potential top two with Francisco Mauigoa and Wesley Bissainthe and a rotating three of Corey Flagg, Keontra Smith, and KJ Cloyd. Cloyd could push for the starting position. Miami has a bunch of freshman studs that are impressive in camp especially, Raul Aguirre, Malik Bryant, and Marcellius Pulliam. Keontra Smith has been playing really well in camp.

Cornerback

Davonte Brown has established himself as CB1, and Jaden Davis's tackling ability has all but solidified him at the star position, but Jadais Richard is pushing hard for playing time at both positions. Darry Porter is having an excellent camp and probably leads the team in interceptions. Porter seems to be in the driver's seat to get that position but will continue to be pushed by Tecory Couch, and Damari Brown. This is a deep room at cornerback and probably the deepest it's been in years.

Safety

Obviously the top two are the top two with Kamren Kinchens and James Williams. Jaden Harris is becoming the third safety out there and is super fast. It's certainly a battle there with Markeith Williams, and it will be interesting to see how it all plays out. Harris is having a great camp.

Kick return

Restrepo, Jacolby, and Brashard Smith have been working at the position

Thoughts?