ANALYSIS: How the Miami Hurricanes can finish with another top 10 recruiting class

We’re still more than two months from December’s Early Signing Period, but a path exists for Miami to nab a top-10 recruiting class for the second straight year. Especially if the Hurricanes are able to land a few big-name recruits.

Miami is holding onto the No. 18 recruiting class nationally according to the On3 Football Industry Comparison and was one of the biggest climbers in the national recruiting rankings this summer, shooting up eight spots from No. 26 to No. 18 from the start of July to mid-September. The Hurricanes have 22 commits in their 2024 recruiting class, eight of which are four-star recruits in the On3 Industry Ranking.

By comparison, Miami landed 14 four and five-star targets and 25 total recruits in last year’s class, although six of those four and five-star commitments came within a month of signing day. Miami landed nine total recruits in the final month before the Early Signing Period, suggesting there is still more than enough time for the Hurricanes to jump into the top 10 for the second consecutive year.

Here’s how Miami can land another top 10 recruiting class. Note for the sake of this story we are assuming other schools’ recruiting rankings and scores remain the same.

Flip No. 1 prospect Jeremiah Smith (or land a similar top-five recruit), land four-star DL Aydin Breland or LJ McCray

Smith has been the top target on Miami’s 2024 recruiting board virtually since the current Hurricanes’ coaching staff arrived on campus, and while he remains committed to Ohio State, Miami has remained steadily in the race. Add a four-star defensive lineman like Breland, one of the top remaining uncommitted defensive linemen scheduled to announce his commitment Oct. 14 between Miami, Oregon and Georgia.

Landing just Smith would only bump Miami up to 16 in the recruiting rankings assuming other schools’ scores remain the same, but nabbing both Smith and Breland would catapult Miami to eighth, just ahead of Oklahoma and narrowly behind Tennessee. The Sooners and Volunteers are still in pursuit of their own share of blue-chip prospects, but assuming the recruiting scores remain the same, Miami’s chances of ultimately finishing with a top-10 class would increase exponentially.

The same would also apply if Miami were to flip Five-Star Plus+ cornerback Ellis Robinson IV from Georgia instead of landing Smith or landing On300 five-star defensive lineman LJ McCray instead of Breland. The Hurricanes would still sit slightly behind Tennessee and narrowly ahead of Oklahoma in eighth place.

What if Miami lands Smith AND Robinson?

Interestingly enough, Miami landing the No. 1 and No. 3 prospects in the country would only bump Miami into seventh (ahead of Tennessee) and still have the Hurricanes two hundredths of a point behind Florida State at No. 6. The Hurricanes would need to still land either Breland or McCray in addition to Smith and Robinson to overtake FSU in this year’s recruiting class as things currently sit, and Miami would need to likely land Smith, Robinson, Breland, McCray and top-30 safety Zay Mincey to safely crack the top five, assuming programs like Alabama, FSU and Tennessee don’t add more prospects before signing day.

Flipping Oklahoma commit and No. 7 overall recruit David Stone would likely bump Miami an additional one to two spots wherever the Hurricanes sit in the recruiting rankings.

Likely conclusion?

Miami must land at least one five-star prospect and another high four-star recruit this class if the Hurricanes hope to crack the top 10 in the final recruiting rankings. Each of the top eight schools have at least one five-star prospect committed, and each school in the top seven has at least two five-star pledges. LSU and Notre Dame — which sit in ninth and 10th respectively — do not have any five-star commits but have no fewer than 14 four-star pledges.

Otherwise, it appears Miami will be battling to sneak into the top 15, but with almost three full months left until signing day, it’s still possible the Hurricanes climb, especially after the Canes came on so aggressively last December.

The post ANALYSIS: How the Miami Hurricanes can finish with another top 10 recruiting class appeared first on On3.