Analysis: Is Cam Pruitt Miami’s most physical 2024 commit yet?
Miami head coach Mario Cristobal has made it well-known he intends to recruit aggressive, physical prospects to Coral Gables, but so far in the 2024 recruiting cycle, linebacker Cam Pruitt may be the most pad-cracking prospect to commit to the Hurricanes yet.
The Canes have already landed a few hard-hitting recruits in the cycle like Miami (Fla.) Central linebacker Vincent Shavers and Baton Rouge (La.) Southern University Lab School safety Dylan Day, but Pruitt could be the most contact-loving prospect to commit to announce his intention to play in Coral Gables.
It becomes immediately apparent why the 6-foot-3, 190-pound Pruitt’s On3 Industry Grade has him just one point shy of being a four-star prospect and the potential he’ll have at the college level.
Pruitt was a do-it-all player at Theodore (Al.) High School last season, being moved across the field to come off the edge as a pass rusher, play in the box as a linebacker against the run and cover slot receivers as a defensive back.
It’s hard to find a prospect who loves contact more than Pruitt or who would sacrifice himself more frequently than the No. 39 linebacker in the class to make a play, whether that’s as a pass rusher, a run stopper or being forced to stop a ball carrier in the open field.
But perhaps most impressively, Pruitt operates under control with discipline and understanding of what can and can’t happen in different situations.
He is also the On3 Industry Ranking’s No. 404 overall prospect in the 2024 class.
As a linebacker, he’s proved smart enough against the run to understand gap assignments and how to maintain leverage against offensive linemen while still flowing to the ball with good angles, an underrated trait among high school linebackers.
Off the edge last season, Pruitt was tremendous about finding ways to pressure the quarterback while containing the corners on outside runs and scrambles. And as a defensive back, he proved more than capable of covering receivers in the slot, although it wasn’t his greatest strength.
Miami hopes to use him as a Swiss Army Knife coming off the edge, filling in at Will and possibly being used at the Star position in defensive coordinator Lance Guidry’s scheme, and the staff understands the myriad of possibilities for Pruitt’s use.
His discipline also suggests he may not be too far removed from getting on the field if he continues to add weight and strength, which he almost certainly will after an offseason in Coral Gables.
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