Miami Recruiting: LJ McCray's Decision Could Go Many Directions
Article photo of LJ McCray, credit to Brian Smith.
The Miami Hurricanes are continuing their chase for top defensive line talent, with Daytona Beach (Fla.) Mainland’s LJ McCray the latest prospect to make a public proclamation for when he’s deciding.
The Oct. 21 date goes along with McCray’s statements while being interviewed right after Mainland’s victory versus Raines a few weeks ago.
With the face-to-face conversation with McCray, he continuously made it clear that he was torn between all of Georgia, Auburn, Florida, Miami and Florida State.
Further, McCray’s comments led him to offer up that his family is cool with him selecting any of those five institutions as well. Thus, it’s hard to project where McCray is going. That being the case, a couple of notes about Miami’s recruiting efforts and what McCray brings to the table.
The Canes have and continue to prioritize McCray. For those of us that cover Miami recruiting and utilize contacts, it’s been made abundantly clear that McCray is a top-of-the-board prospect for Mario Cristobal, Jason Taylor, and the entire Miami staff, honestly.
That means constant communication, as well as getting McCray down for an unofficial visit for a Miami game earlier this season. If the long and talented defensive lineman does not select the Hurricanes, it shall not be because of a lack of effort.
Finally, why he’s so coveted (by the Canes and the other schools) stems from two primary points. First, his natural athleticism at what appears to be about a 6-foot-5 or 6-foot-6 frame with 275 pounds on it, is ridiculous. He’s playing standup outside linebacker. Yes, at that size.
One cannot teach such skills. Now, consider a rather rare addition to McCray’s size and athleticism.
He’s quite raw. Playing primarily as a tight end prior to the 2023 season, McCray is like a big ball of clay just waiting to be molded. There’s not a defensive line coach in America that would not want the chance to bring McCray to that ultra-high level of play that he’s capable of hitting.
Miami, and the rest of the four schools, await McCray’s decision. He’s going to be a big-time college player and it’s a matter of which college he plays for.
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