4-star 2025 S Amari Wallace talks Miami recruiting interest: ‘It’s just more like home’

Miami (Fla.) Central 2025 four-star safety Amari Wallace has been a hot name for programs like Alabama, Penn State, USC, Tennessee and Oklahoma, but the Hurricanes are earning their seat at the table early in the No. 173 overall prospect’s recruitment.

Wallace was at Miami’s end-of-July recruiting barbecue and has had increased contact with multiple off-field Hurricanes assistants since coaches became permitted to directly call and text 2025 prospects after Aug. 1. The two parties speak “about every two or three days,” ranging from motivational texts to how Miami’s secondary is expected to look under new Hurricanes defensive coordinator Lance Guidry to the importance of building the pipeline from Central to Coral Gables.

“Why not Miami?” Wallace said. “Miami’s right here. I don’t have to leave or go anywhere. And while I like Miami, it’s just more like home. They treat you like you’re home. They tell you, ‘Why do your parents have to fly to go see your game when they could come right here in Miami and drive up to come see your games?’”

Alabama checks in with Wallace weekly, but he feels a different connection with the Hurricanes early on. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound prospect is the No. 13 safety in the On3 Industry Ranking.

“They’ve treated me well,” Wallace said. “At the cookout, we got in the pool, we had some laughs, we had fun. …The thing about Miami is they love you. It’s just different at Miami. And Alabama has the same thing, it’s just that it’s ‘Bama.”

Wallace hopes to visit Miami, USC, Penn State, Alabama and Oklahoma for games this fall. He wants to find a program he knows will “treat me like home” while maintaining a strong academic reputation. He does not have a date set to return to Coral Gables but anticipates returning this fall. He hopes to use this season to expand his recruitment before making a decision his senior year.

“If I’m gonna go somewhere, I need it to feel like (the city of Miami) up there,” Wallace said. “Are they gonna treat me like I’m at home?”

CaneSport’s Take

Miami is yet to land a blue-chip safety in head coach Mario Cristobal’s two full recruiting cycles as the Hurricanes’ program leader, so Wallace will be a prospect we keep a close eye on this fall. Wallace has held high respect for the Canes since receiving his offer in September 2022, and Miami is naturally in a strong position if it chooses to begin a push.

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