4-star LB Elias Rudolph talks upcoming Miami OV, why he’s entertaining Hurricanes’ last-minute push: ‘You miss 100% of shots you don’t take’

Miami entered the race late for Deerfield Beach (Fla.) 2024 four-star linebacker Elias Rudolph, but the area prospect knows exactly where the Hurricanes sit heading into his official visit weekend.

The No. 294 overall prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking and No. 31 linebacker has Miami in his top four going into his official visit weekend, although he said the Canes currently sit in fourth after just offering him less than three weeks ago while programs like Ohio State, Michigan and Pitt — who he has either visited or will visit — have been recruiting him for months or years. Still, Miami has shown him enough over the last three weeks that he was willing to give the Hurricanes one of the four official visits he plans to take.

“They jumped late into the party,” Rudolph said. “I feel like I can really give them a chance, see what they can offer to bring to the table. It’s a great program. I was looking at the Florida schools, so I want to see what Miami’s doing.”

Miami’s staff has relentlessly pursued Rudolph since offering him in late May, texting the 6-foot-3, 200-pound linebacker daily and putting him in direct contact with co-defensive line coach Jason Taylor, who is recruiting him at the JACK position, a hybrid linebacker and EDGE position.

“They’re obviously last (of the four schools he is taking official visits to), but I’m only taking four officials,” Rudolph said. “So they’re obviously in that group.”

The Hurricanes have acknowledged the elephant in the room of joining the race for Rudolph much later than the other programs he’s considering, and Rudolph has been blunt with Miami’s staff.

“When they’ve brought that up, they’ve asked me, ‘Is it possible we still have a shot?’” Rudolph said. “I let them know I was open-minded, but you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, so shoot your shot.”

Rudolph isn’t sure what specifically Miami needs to do this weekend to climb on his radar but wants to continue to entertain the Hurricanes. He’s hoping to commit in early July but said he wants to keep the order of his top three schools between him and his family.

CaneSport’s Take

Despite Rudolph placing the Hurricanes fourth of the four official schools he’ll take official visits to, Miami fans need to view his recruitment as a massive success that the Canes were able to land an official in the first place. It’ll be more clear in the coming weeks if this was a case of too little too late, but for now, Miami fans can savor a very small recruiting victory.

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