Elite OL Jason Zandamela Says Miami 'Moved up My List'
One of the hottest recruits in America, many new programs are in on the 6-foot-3, 285-pound Jason Zandamela of Clearwater (Fla.) Academy International.
Miami, however, has been in on the interior offensive line prospect since mid January. It has also had the benefit of having hosted the Africa native multiple times for unofficial visits, the latest coming over the weekend.
"It was great! I was impressed," Zandamela told All Hurricanes. "They just showed a lot of love. I was really impressed by how they structured practice and how Coach (Alex) Mirabal coached the guys.
"Practice was great. Mirabal is a big technique guy and that's really important to me. I want someone who is going to help me become a complete player."
Of course offensive line recruits have a specific affinity for The U these days, due to Mirabal's effort and that of head coach Mario Cristobal given his background with the position.
"They really surprised me and moved up my list," he said. "I can see myself playing for Coach Mirabal and Coach Cristobal."
Jason Zandamela at Miami over the weekend.
Courtesy of Jason Zandamela
Zandamela has been busy on the visit trail this spring, with stops upcoming at USC, Florida State and potentially Oklahoma the next three weekends, so his growing list of options is taking shape by the day.
Official visits will play a huge part of the final destination for the Under Armour All-American, especially if he is to stick with a preseason decision timeline.
Miami could be in the mix for at least one of the five allotted official visits.
"I'm still figuring out OVs," he said. "They're definitely in contention for one though. This month will help me figure out a lot..."
Zandamela ranks as high the No. 2 interior offensive line recruit, sitting at the spot in both the Rivals and 247Sports rankings. He is a four-star prospect on ESPN and On3, too.
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