Off Miami official visit, Sione Laulea has decision timeline and explains why karaoke at Mario Cristobal’s house could be a factor
If the Miami Hurricanes wind up landing top JUCO CB prospect Sione Laulea when he announces his decision in August, maybe, just maybe, karaoke will have a little something to do with it.
Laulea told CaneSport after departing his Miami visit early Sunday morning that one of his biggest highlights from his 48 hours on campus was a get-together at Mario Cristobal’s house for a pool party/barbecue last night. Included in that? Karaoke.
There was Alonzo Highsmith jumping up front and singing “Tennessee Whiskey.” Mike Rumph sang “Stand By Me.” Recruiting assistant Tia Joseph drew cheers with what Laulea says was “a girly pop song – it was great.”
So how can karaoke help land a top recruit like Laulea?
He explains.
“That really showed the family of the program,” Laulea said. “There were eight different coaches that sang. You could just see how everybody felt at home.”
Laulea’s overall vibe coming off the visit (note that he previously visited unofficially in March as well)?
“It was great,” he said. “I got here Thursday, the coaches were all welcoming, it felt like a genuine place, didn’t feel like a puzzle piece in the business. I was welcomed by every single coach on the staff. I was fortunate to be around other players, too, got a feel from them.”
Laulea’s player hosts were Damari Brown, Kam Kinchens and Jaden Davis.
“They had a lot of great things to say about coach (Jahmile) Addae,” Laulea said. “Two of those guys just got here, so that says something about the coaches.”
Overall Laulea says he now has a really good sense of the program, and he says others high up in his picture are Penn State (where he took an official visit last week) USC, Oregon, Utah and Ole Miss.
“There are others in it too,” he says. “I’ll make my decision in August but this definitely helped me get a better sense of Miami.
“Miami is definitely high up. It was great to be here. You just get to see how high-paced the football is here. I’ve seen a bunch of progress from when I last visited. I saw upward progress on what coach Cristobal has been doing. Great people and a great coaching staff. I saw how coach (Lance) Guidry, how he started to pour his system into the defense here and how much they’ve progressed in general.”
Laulea said during an exit meeting with the coaches “they let me know how I can come in and make an impact immediately.”
He also had a final word with Cristobal.
“He’s a very straightforward person,” Laulea said. “I like how clear he is with his attention to detail. He’ll keep it honest, which I like. He understands and is willing to adjust to each player. He’s a great person, not only was he talking to me about football and class but also was coaching me up on life. He had a way to relate to me, which was special.
CaneSport’s take
Miami’s put itself in a really good spot here. And a wildcard in this is that Laulea says his “best friend” at JUCO is Demetrius Freeney, who recently committed to Miami. “He’s been recruiting me since he got the offer,” Laulea said. “I’m sure he knew he was committing right when he got it. I’m so happy for him, this is a great place. He’s already recruiting for the school, a full Cane. He lands here Wednesday (to begin workouts). That’s another fortunate thing they have to offer, I’d be playing with one of my teammates again.”
The post Off Miami official visit, Sione Laulea has decision timeline and explains why karaoke at Mario Cristobal’s house could be a factor appeared first on On3.
