Top-35 DL Jalen Wiggins sees a different Miami team after fast start: ‘It just seemed like a whole new team’
Tallahassee (Fla.) James Rickards 2025 defensive lineman Jalen Wiggins, the No. 35 overall prospect in the On300, is plenty familiar with Miami’s disappointing 5-7 season last year. But through the first games this season, the four-star prospect sees a new Hurricanes team — and it’s paid dividends as the Canes aggressively pursue him.
Miami has recruited Wiggins hard since coaches became permitted to directly call and text 2025 prospects Aug. 1, and while the Canes’ recruiting effort has helped Miami get off on the right foot, the team’s on-field results have helped too. Wiggins has seen an on-field product as evidence of a culture change, and two weekends ago the Hurricanes’ 48-33 win over No. 23 Texas A&M did plenty to impress as well.
“They way they played was amazing,” Wiggins said. “For them to come back from down double digits in the first half and then end up dominating the rest of the game, that was awesome. … I felt like going up against an SEC team, the way they battled, the way they fought back, it just seemed like a whole new team. It seems like they got much stronger, faster, better, all of that.”
Of course, the Canes had a much easier game this past Thursday night vs. Bethune-Cookman.
Miami has made the most aggressive recruiting push for Wiggins over the last month, although Georgia, Florida, Florida State and Michigan have also picked up their contact. He’s talked to Miami “usually every day or every other day” and always hears from the Hurricanes’ staff before his games.
He doesn’t feel he has a clear group of top schools, but Wiggins thinks Miami, Florida and Georgia have made the strongest impressions early because of “how much they’re talking to me so far and what I’ve seen.”
“They’ll just do stuff like send me quotes and stuff to motivate me, try to call me and talk to me on a personal level, try to talk to my parents too,” Wiggins said. “It’s coach (Joe) Salave’a, coach (Edwin) Pata and some other guys as well.”
Wiggins plans to visit Florida this fall and hopes to return to Michigan, but he added he may return to Miami for the Hurricanes’ Oct. 21 game against Clemson as well.
“Miami, as far as the city, it’s a great place to be,” Wiggins said. “And then the atmosphere I saw (at the Texas A&M game), that set off some good interest because that was a crazy environment.”
CaneSport’s Take
Wiggins’ thoughts on Miami reiterates what we’ve both reported and opined over the last four months: win, and the Hurricanes’ recruiting will receive a massive boost. Wiggins joins numerous recruits that can clearly see Miami is trending in the right direction, and that should pay off on the recruiting trail.
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