Miami Recruiting Notes and Polynesian Bowl Combine News
The Miami Hurricanes have been rolling with its recruiting efforts having delivered six verbal commitments during the month of April thus far.
The last commitment was safety Isaiah Thomas from Clearwater (Fla.) Clearwater Academy International. To add to that list, a few recruiting bullit points that lead to information obtained during the Polynesian Bowl Combine from Saturday.
- Miami defensive line recruiting has been and will continue to be a priority. That’s been a steady point from recruiting intel that All Hurricanes picked up during the spring. No reason to believe that will change moving forward.
- A second quarterback will be an interesting situation. Which prep signal caller will Miami be able to add to the already committed Judd Anderson? After Air Noland selected Ohio State, and it also appears that Luke Moga will end up at Oregon, attempting to project where Miami quarterback recruiting lands should not be considered an easy pick. Do not discount a Transfer Portal quarterback either.
- With the upcoming May evaluation period and spring practices quickly approaching, look for a number of official visits to start being announced with Miami. The names and dates will come fast and furious; this will be a fun time to follow Hurricanes football recruiting.
- Those spring evaluations will also be a way for Miami fans to gain a better true understanding of what Mario Cristobal and his staff want to do with recruiting in and outside the state of Florida. Looks like many of the connections that Cristobal and other members of his staff made during prior stops like Alabama and Oregon will continue to be utilized, at least based on the 2023 recruiting class and the beginning of this class with four of the seven verbal commitments hailing from outside the Sunshine State borders.
Now, onto some intel, as well as a few takeaways, from the Polynesian Bowl combine that was held at IMG Academy on Saturday.
Miami has continued to prioritize the recruitment of defensive tackle Jayden Jackson, the talented defensive tackle admitted. During the conversation about his recruitment, one overall theme to note about Miami came about.
Jackson and both of Miami’s defensive line coaches – Joe Salave’a and Jason Taylor – already made lasting impressions with Jackson.
“Hard,” Jackson said immediately when asked about Miami’s recruitment level. Beyond the actual comment, the look on Jackson’s face made it clear he was serious.
“Coach Taylor and I are close. Same with coach Joe (Salave’a).”
The hard-charging defensive tackle will have some tough choices coming up. He admitted that he and his family had yet to sit down and figure out his next move to get his list trimmed even further. Jackson did recently list his top 12.
Truly grateful for all the opportunities I’ve been blessed with. Thank You to all the coaches that have shown love and recruited me. I have selected my top 12. pic.twitter.com/uEavy2QaMo
— Jayden Jackson (@JaydenJackson65) April 10, 2023
Jackson has consistently played hard down after down. It’s why so many programs have prioritized his recruitment.
Look for the Canes to have a great shot at landing at least an official visit from Jackson. Ohio State, Texas, Tennessee, and many other schools will make this a top-notch recruiting battle for Miami.
As for watching Jackson during the drills, it was great to watch him take the coaching that was being provided. Here’s a clip of Jackson working on playing the outside shoulder of the offensive lineman.
Had a blast watching the @polynesiabowl combine at IMG Academy yesterday. Here’s a rep of @JaydenJackson65 as he played with leverage to seal his gap responsibility. @IMGAFootball pic.twitter.com/RnczrE304W
— Brian Smith (@fbscout_florida) April 23, 2023
A few other overall notes and takeaways from the event.
Many schools, Miami included, have taken notice of top 2025 wide receiver Naeshaun Montgomery from West Palm Beach (Fla.) Cardinal Newman. It has been warranted, as he looked smooth running routes and caught the football with ease, sometimes with one hand. Originally from Rhode Island, he’s now in South Florida and it helped to enhance his recruitment.
Miami, Florida, LSU, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Southern California, Maryland, Penn State, Pittsburgh, and Indiana are some of his offers.
Speaking of top receivers, Miami (Fla.) Central’s Lawayne McCoy, a 2024 prospect, was there competing and looking for an invite to the Polynesian Bowl. With one of his first catches being a deep post that he simply snagged with a one-handed grab of his own, and made it look easy, that was another sign of his true talent. McCoy was tremendous in drills and one-on-one opportunities. He’s committed to Florida State recently, but one can bet that Miami and many other programs will continue to pursue him.
2024 Tennessee flex tight end commitment Jonathan Echols also showcased his skills. He’s been playing at IMG and could have played on either side of the football. Watching him run around with his 6-foot-6 and 225-pound frame like it was no big deal was a reminder of why he was offered by programs across the country. He’s solid with the Vols, but Alabama and a few other schools have continued to recruit him.
Finally, having seen IMG Academy offensive lineman Jimothy Lewis move through drills and take coaching like he did, it’s obvious why schools like Georgia, Tennessee, Miami and many others have been recruiting the 2024 prospect.
Lewis flat out admitted that he’s not ready to name a top five or his official visits. That stated, he also pointed out that he needs to see a few more schools first. Going to be interesting to see which schools actually get official visits from the young man that originally came from the state of Mississippi.
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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.