Miami staff undeterred by 4-star Jaylen Heyward’s Georgia commitment

Miami is continuing to aggressively pursue Rockledge (Fla.) 2024 four-star safety Jaylen Heyward, who committed to Georgia in January, and is taking encouraging steps in the right direction.

The 5-foot-10.5, 175-pound defensive back, who is the No. 53 overall prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking, has remained in daily contact with Miami’s staff since committing to Georgia Jan. 13. Miami secondary coach Jahmile Addae and head coach Mario Cristobal have taken the lead in his recruitment, and offensive line coach Alex Mirabal stopped by Rockledge earlier this month to watch him work out.

Georgia remains the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine’s overwhelming favorite to land the No. 3 safety in the class ahead of Florida, UCF and Miami, but the Hurricanes are remaining very much in the race.

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“We’ve actually built on our relationship and it’s actually gotten stronger I feel,” Heyward said. “Coach Addae and coach Cristobal are texting me every day it seems like. It seems like they’re really trying to build a relationship with me and my family.”

Heyward’s Miami official visit is locked in for June 24, two weeks after he’ll visit Georgia, which has caused Miami’s recruiting angle to change slightly. The Hurricanes are no longer trying to convince him merely to return to campus, but rather find out what he needs to see to flip to Miami.

“What do I want to see on campus when I come back down?” Heyward said. “What’s going to make me fall in love with the University of Miami? What’s going to make me want to come back down to the crib? They want to see what I want to see.”

So what does Heyward want to see from the Canes?

“I want to see the culture, the environment, the life outside of football,” Heyward said. “Football’s only a certain amount of (life). I’m gonna be living down there. So what am I going to be able to do down there? What am I going to be able to produce?”

Addae emphasizing time as Georgia assistant

Georgia’s back-to-back national championships and stellar player development swayed Heyward toward the Bulldogs, so Addae has tried to emphasize his past experience as a Georgia assistant.

Addae was Georgia’s defensive backs coach during their 2021 national championship run before heading to Coral Gables, which opened Heyward’s eyes.

“I actually didn’t know that until I went down there (in March) and sat down with him and talked,” Addae said. “Him having that national championship, it’s having that winning mindset that you love to see in a coach.”

However, Georgia hasn’t given up its spot on Heyward’s list or slowed down in his recruitment.

“The relationship with Georgia is always going to be strong,” Heyward said. “Me and coach (Will) Muschamp, we have a great relationship, and me and coach Fran (Brown) are building a great relationship. He’s talking to my parents a lot, and he’s really being family.”

Miami facing in-state recruiting competition

Florida has remained in the picture, and UCF has been on the rise over the last several weeks. The Knights were one of the first programs to offer Heyward and are slowly “pushing back into the race.” UCF and Florida have both visited Rockledge to check up on Heyward this spring.

He added Florida secondary coach Corey Raymond is a major reason why he’s still considering the Gators.

“He’s one of the best DB coaches to ever coach football,” Heyward said. “The people he’s produced, I feel like if I get his coaching, he could produce me as well.”

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