Stacked Miami Hurricanes official visitor list this weekend: Notes on where things stand heading into it

Miami will host 20 prospects — six of which are committed to the Hurricanes — for official visits this weekend in the final official visit window before the start of the summer dead period June 25.

Here is a complete list of this weekend’s official visitors with notes on each:

+++ Smith canceled his Penn State official visit this weekend in favor of visiting Miami. He’ll be on a slightly different timeline than the rest of the Hurricanes’ prospects, however, with his official visit beginning today instead of Friday (later this morning is the Miami’s Legends Camp). Miami has continued to slug it out despite Smith’s commitment to the Buckeyes, and this official visit is the moment the staff has spent most of the spring working toward. Getting Smith on campus was an absolute MUST if the Canes have any hope of flipping the No. 3 prospect in the class.

Caleb Odom | 4-star TE | Carrollton (Ga.) | No. 65 national recruit, No. 4 TE | 6-foot-4, 220 pounds

+++ The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine lists Alabama as the frontrunner for Odom, but the four-star prospect recently told CaneSport he thinks it will help Miami’s chances that the Hurricanes will receive his final official visit of the summer. He has already taken official visits to Alabama, Florida, Auburn, and Texas A&M and visited Miami twice already this spring, including for the Hurricanes’ elite junior day and pool party at head coach Mario Cristobal’s house.

Marquise Lightfoot | 4-star EDGE | Chicago (Ill.) Kenwood Academy | No. 70 national recruit, No. 5 EDGE | 6-foot-5, 220 pounds

+++ Lightfoot recently named Miami, USC and Ohio State his top three schools in no particular order, and he’s remained high on the school, community and co-defensive line coach Jason Taylor throughout his recruitment. USC and Ohio State are both making pushes too, however, but it may work in Miami’s favor that the Canes get his final summer official visit.

+++ Miami has been seen as Georgia’s biggest competition to potentially flip Heyward, but the Hurricanes still have their work cut out for them. However, this weekend will be Heyward’s third time on campus in 2023, and the Hurricanes consistency has kept them in the picture.

Isendre Ahfua | 4-star IOL | Seattle (Wa.) O’Dea | No. 97 national recruit, No. 3 IOL | 6-foot-4, 300 pounds

+++ Ahfua has been relatively quiet throughout his recruitment but has taken official visits to Texas A&M and Utah already this month. This will be his second trip to Miami after visiting the Hurricanes unofficially April 12.

+++ Florida and Penn State are continuing to aggressively pursue Robinson, and he took official visits to both earlier this month. However, Robinson was adamant in a recent interview that Miami is still his top school and is still committed to the Hurricanes, and it feels like both programs still have a ways to go to pull the four-star away from Coral Gables. Both programs have made progress, but Miami still feels like the strong leader to retain his commitment.

Zay Mincey | 4-star S | Daytona Beach (Fla.) Mainland | No. 145 national recruit, No. 10 S | 6-foot-2.5, 175 pounds

+++ Miami has had its work cut out to steal momentum away from Florida, who Mincey has visited more than any other program, and he’ll now visit Coral Gables for the second time in two months when he drops in for his weekend official visit. Miami will receive his third and planned final official visit of the summer after he visited Florida June 9 and Florida State June 16.

Chris Cole | 4-star LB | Salem (Va.) | No. 159 national recruit, No. 17 LB | 6-foot-3, 210 pounds

+++ Cole has been another fast-rising recruit this spring, going from an average three-star prospect to a high-ranked four-star recruit who has found himself as a recruiting target for Miami, Georgia, Alabama, Penn State and other programs. He’s also looking at taking an in-season official visit to USC this fall and has become a serious target for the Hurricanes.

Artavius Jones | 4-star DL | Blountstown (Fla.) | No. 165 national recruit, No. 20 DL | 6-foot-4, 285 pounds

+++ Miami has faced stiff competition for Jones from UCF and Florida State, and he stated in late May the Knights were in the lead thanks to their relentless recruiting effort. However, the Hurricanes’ staff has aggressively pursued the four-star defensive tackle as well and has continued to impress Jones, setting the stage for an important official visit weekend.

Kendall Jackson | 4-star DL | Gainesville (Fla.) F. W. Buchholz | No. 365 national recruit, No. 33 DL | 6-foot-3, 245 pounds

+++ Jackson is high on Florida and Kentucky, but he hasn’t written off the Hurricanes. Co-defensive line coach Joe Salave’a has helped keep Jackson interested in Miami, and a strong official visit this weekend could cause Jackson to take a second look at his top schools.

Jacory Barney | 3-star WR | Miami (Fla.) Palmetto | No. 412 prospect, No. 69 WR | 6-foot, 160 pounds

+++ Barney’s Miami recruitment didn’t really take off until this month after an impressive showing at one of the Hurricanes’ prospect camps, but “Miami has moved all the way up” over the last few weeks, he told CaneSport. He visited Nebraska June 2 and Texas A&M June 9, but the Hurricanes have emerged as a program Barney can see himself at.

Ricky Knight | 3-star CB | Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) The Benjamin School | No. 456 national recruit, No. 48 CB | 6-foot-1, 167 pounds

+++ Miami has hosted Knight on campus this spring more than any other prospect, and this weekend will be his sixth total trip to Coral Gables in 2023. The Hurricanes will also get Knight’s last official visit before he commits the first week of July and are battling Florida State and Illinois, but there are plenty of reasons for Miami fans to like where things sit heading into his final summer OV.

Rydarrius “Red” Morgan | 3-star S | Phenix City (Al.) Central | No. 481 national recruit, No. 44 S | 5-foot-11, 175 pounds

+++ Morgan has relatively flown under the radar during this recruiting class, and Miami will have their chance to make a recruiting pitch this weekend. Morgan told Auburn Live earlier this month he could see a commitment coming during the season.

+++ Thomas shut down his recruitment after committing to the Hurricanes in April, choosing Miami over Florida and Pitt. This weekend will be his third trip to campus after visiting ahead of Cristobal’s pool party May 13 and once in late January.

+++ Day was one of the first prospects to pick up an offer from Miami defensive coordinator Lance Guidry following his hiring earlier this spring, and he rewarded Guidry’s faith with a commitment in April. Day shut down his commitment and will make his second trip to Coral Gables this weekend.

Zuri Madison | 3-star OL | Lexington (Ky.) | No. 737 national recruit, No. 55 OT | 6-foot-5, 277 pounds

+++ Madison has become a top target for the Hurricanes and has already taken official visits to West Virginia and Arkansas earlier this month. Alex Mirabal has been a huge reason for his interest in the Hurricanes, and Miami has positioned itself well going into his final summer official visit. Offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson also flew to Kentucky during the evaluation period to check up on the three-star priority target.

+++ Minaya shut down his recruitment after committing to the Hurricanes following Miami’s spring game, and he’s looking forward to continuing to grow his relationships with the staff and players this weekend. He feels like his relationship with Miami’s staff and offensive line coach Alex Mirabal is only growing stronger.

+++ Friday will be Anderson’s first trip to Miami since he committed to the Hurricanes in April, and the three-star signal caller told us he is excited to return to Coral Gables. Like Minaya, Anderson shut down his recruitment following his commitment and wants to use this weekend to build relationships with the coaches and players.

+++ Murray was Miami’s first commit in the 2024 class when he announced his decision last summer, and he’s stuck with the Hurricanes since. Arkansas has also made a big push in recent weeks, although he made it clear that Arkansas is more of an afterthought right now and he’s pretty locked in with Miami.

Romanas “OJ” Frederique | unranked CB | Deerfield Beach (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas | 6-foot-1, 175 pounds | West Virginia commit

+++ Frederique visited Miami unofficially twice this spring and has been a far more intriguing prospect than his unranked status would suggest. He was one of St. Thomas’ better players during its spring game in late May and was easily the most dominant player at Miami’s most recent prospect camp last week. The Hurricanes’ staff holds him in high regard, although he committed to West Virginia late last week.

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