Miami continues pursuit of 4-star Florida Gators DL commit: Hurricanes coaches say “they really need me”

Gainesville (Fla.) F. W. Buchholz 2024 defensive lineman Kendall Jackson may have every tie to the University of Florida in the book, but that hasn’t stopped Miami from maintaining their lines of communication with the four-star Gators pledge.

Miami co-defensive line coaches Joe Salave’a and Jason Taylor, Jackson’s primary and secondary recruiters respectively, still communicate with the 6-foot-3, 250-pound defensive lineman “probably three or four times a week” along with occasional check-ins from Miami head coach Mario Cristobal. Jackson committed to Florida over Miami and Kentucky — the other two schools in his final three — July 12 after official visiting Miami June 23 and was a priority target for the Hurricanes for much of the 2024 cycle.

Jackson said the Hurricanes’ staff doesn’t pry for clues about what they need to do to flip the four-star recruit away from the Gators or ask why he chose Florida over Miami roughly two months ago. Miami has largely stayed the course with its recruiting approach.

“They just keep repeating how I’ll be a great fit for their program, and they really need me,” Jackson said. “They keep telling me how they’re going to use me, how I’m going to be a great fit for them, how they love my discipline and how I’ve got a great personality and all of that stuff.”

Jackson hasn’t given thought to if or when he may consider fully shutting down his recruitment and firmly locking in with only one school, but he feels like he’ll know when the moment is right for him to cut off communication with other programs. He doesn’t have any fall visits set besides Florida … but said Kentucky is still pursuing him as well.

Florida has continued to make the strongest recruiting effort for Jackson since his commitment and have repeatedly emphasized to him their excitement about getting him on campus in 2024.

CaneSport’s Take

Miami has only landed two of its more than half a dozen priority defensive line and EDGE targets in the 2024 class thus far, so the Hurricanes are being forced to turn back to committed targets and look to flip a few prospects to fill out a defensive line class that started with high hopes. Five-star lineman Aydin Breland and four-star lineman LJ McCray are Miami’s only two remaining uncommitted blue-chip defensive line targets as the Hurricanes continue to fight to flip targets like Oklahoma commit Five-Star Plus+ defensive lineman David Stone and Ole Miss commit four-star defensive lineman Kamarion Franklin, both of whom we don’t expect Miami to give up on until signing day.

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