Will Miami 'Flip' Florida Commitment?
The Miami Hurricanes have not backed down from going after several prospects committed elsewhere.
That was the case for the 2023 recruiting class, and it's the same with the 2024 recruiting class as well.
Case in point, Adarius Hayes, a commitment to the Florida Gators. More on his recruitment below, but first, a little recruiting background.
Here would be the recruiting rankings for Hayes by the four primary recruiting services, listed in order by national ranking, position, and then state of Florida ranking.
Rivals
: 44, 3, and 9
On3
: 107, 9 and 18
247
: 69, 7 and 9
ESPN
: 76, 6, and 14
Hayes comes from Largo (Fla.) High School near Clearwater. He's been one of the most dominant players in his area for a few years.
He was offered by numerous programs prior to pledging to the Gators. Miami, Florida State, UCF, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan and Southern California were but a few of the offers for Hayes. That leads into what's been going on with his recruitment.
Despite his Florida commitment, Hayes did travel down to Coral Gables this past weekend for an unofficial visit to the University of Miami. Was it a big deal? That's to be determined.
For now, at least, he's committed to UF. If and when Hayes decides to take an official visit to Miami, that's when things could become far more interesting.
With where things stand as of today, Miami should be considered a threat to Florida, but also note that he grew up a Florida fan and UF's staff did a tremendous job of recruiting Hayes prior to his commitment. Hats off to the Florida coaches.
It shall not be easy to flip Hayes. That also likely means that this process will play out over a long period of time. That's the nature of situations like the one with Hayes. Expect the same for the talented Largo prospect.
With that, a few notes about why Miami would want to put in the effort to recruit this young man.
Having seen Hayes play multiple times, the following represents my own opinion about what he brings to the gridiron.
Nasty hitter. He has a different type of "thump" when he has laid into a ball carrier. Despite his length and size at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, Hayes could absolutely still play linebacker at the college level and do a good job in coverage, too.
He's far more limber and twitchy than most linebackers with his height. Hayes may not be done filling out, however, and that's why seeing him at defensive end could be a long-term projection as well.
He's already experimented with playing defensive end. That transition may or may not happen at the college level. Regardless, he's one heck of a football player. Hayes has been one of my personal favorites to interview and just shoot the breeze, too. Great young man.
2024 Recruiting Rankings: Florida's Top 25 Prospects
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Fan Nation High school football recruiting analyst covering the state of Florida, as well as across the Southeastern United States and the state of Texas.