9/9/10 - Anthony Chickillo, the No. 13 defensive end in the country, has committed to the University of Miami.

Anthony ChickilloThe 6-foot-4, 235-pound defensive end from Alonso (Tampa, Fla.) announced his intention to play for the Hurricanes this afternoon.

Chickillo saw his stock sore after a strong performance at the U.S. Army National Combine, where he displayed his outstanding pass rushing ability.

His choice to play at Miami means that he’ll become a third-generation Hurricane, as both his father and grandfather played at Miami. [More...]

2/2/11 - Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman five-star defensive lineman Jalen Grimble had been a longtime commit to USC. But on Signing Day, which is his mother's birthday, Grimble chose to take his talents to South Beach.

"I committed to play at Miami," said Grimble.

Grimble had narrowed his choices down to Miami, Nebraska, USC and UCLA.

He then ultimately chose the Canes.

"I picked Miami because I want to be a part of a 'Golden' era," said Grimble. "I like the coaching staff and it's a fresh start for everyone in the program. I want to be part of that. The academics rank up there with USC and Notre Dame and an 11-to-1 ratio of students to professors, you can't find that anywhere else in the country.

Unlike some reports, Grimble was seriously torn until late Tuesday night, thinking about where he wanted to go.

"Me, my mom and my dad, we all talked about it each schools, and it wasn't until late last night, that I decided on Miami," said Grimble.

Grimble is the top prospect in the state of Nevada in the 2011 class. [More...]

6/19/10 - Tonight St. Thomas Aquinas receiver Phillip Dorsett (5’9, 167, 4.43/40) verbally commited to the University of Miami’s 2011 recruiting class with Phillip and papa Dorsett citing reasons such as the family atmosphere at Miami and the truthful nature of the ‘Canes coaches. Dorsett follows teammates Brandon Linder, Jermaine Barton, Keion Payne, and walk-on Ben Hopfinger as Raiders who have declared that their college home will be in Miami. Dorsett was smart to commit now, as the spots in the 2011 recruiting class are rapidly filling up. [More...]

1/18/11 - The Miami Hurricanes struck again in the Sunshine State by landing four-star defensive back Dallas Crawford (Ft. Myers, Fla./South Ft. Myers). The Hurricanes hosted 10 recruits on official visits over the weekend and four of them have committed to the Canes since the end of the visit.

"Yeah, Dallas committed," said South Ft. Myers coach Grant Readhead. "First thing, he really hit it off with their defensive backs coach. He has built a great relationship with the guy. Second, Dallas grew up a Miami fan and always wanted to play for them. The last group just lost him. But once this new staff took over they really worked hard on him and won him over. They did a great job of turning that thing around."

Crawford is one of the state's top athletes. In fact, he played quarterback in high school. According to Readhead he will play safety or cornerback for Miami. [More...]

1/22/11 - Coral Gables High LB Denzel Perryman orally committed to the ‘Canes on Saturday — midway through his official visit to UM.

The 5-foot-11, 217-pound three-star recruit, rated the nation’s 25th best prospect at his position by Rivals.com, is scheduled to visit Southern California next weekend, but that visit might get canceled now.

“The new coaching staff came in and I like them. My heart is here,” Perryman told CaneSport.com. “[LB] Coach [Micheal] Barrow has been recruiting me since my freshman year so he and I have a good relationship.”

Perryman, who visited Florida and Florida State, said “when it came down to it, Miami was No. 1.”

“I always wanted to be a ‘Cane,” Perryman said. “I got that family vibe that I like. I love the atmosphere.” [More...]

12/20/10 - "I had the best time of my life," he said. "(Golden) recruited me to Temple, and I'm the only one from Temple that he's taking with him here. He's been recruiting me since my freshman year (at Rahway High School in New Jersey), saw me grow."

Pierre was recruited out of high school by Connecticut, Rutgers and Boston College, but he didn't qualify academically and spent last semester at the military school.

He's set to arrive at UM the middle of next month. [More...]

1/25/11 - Melbourne (FL) Central Catholic WR Rashawn Scott wasn't recruited hard by Hurricane coaches until this week.

"After the coaching change coach (Micheal) Barrow said to us `Hey, you have to be patient," Scott's coach, Mike Riazzi, said. "He said `Hey, listen, it's going to be late (if UM offers). Don't panic - if you can hold on, we think he's a player.'"

Scott held on despite landing over 20 offers during the recruiting process.

And yesterday he had a written Miami offer arrive.

Scott already had an idea it was coming.

"Coach (George) McDonald and coach (Jedd) Fisch were going to recommend to coach (Al) Golden that he offer, but they wanted to see him, wanted more in person," Riazzi said. "They did the film and all that stuff and needed coach Golden's blessing."

The coaches got it.

Today McDonald went to Scott's school. Golden was also expected, but his arrival never materialized because of tornado warnings in the area. [More...]

12/29/10 - Miami's gain is LSU's loss. Dalton Botts, a 3-star punter who had been committed to the Tigers since July 26, decommitted from the Tigers and pledged to new Miami head coach Al Golden and the 'Canes.

The 6-foot-3, 200 pound specialist saw his stock rise since LSU originally offered the Moorpark (California) Community College product.

With this latest development, Botts becomes Miami's 6th commitment for the 2011 class. However, the Bayou Bengals immediately picked up Dallas punter James Hairston. Jesuit (Dallas, Texas) kicker James Hairston has accepted an LSU scholarship offer for the Class of 2011. Hairston (6-foot-1, 200-pounds) was thought to be a replacement for Botts, who was rated the #1 Punter in the Class of 2011 by Chris Sailer Kicking. [More...]

1/9/11 - UM landed its second commitment of the weekend when this recruit gave his pledge on Saturday. He was ready to commit to the Canes as a junior, but he didn't land an offer from Randy Shannon and his staff. Now he has that UM offer. [More...]

1/16/11 - "It appears Chaminade kicker Matt Goudis will be heading a little further northeast for college than he originally intended... Earlier this year committed to Boise State, has now verbally committed to Michigan, according to. . . The kicker/punter, who the Boise State football team landed earlier this year, would have been one of the highest-rated recruits in school history if he had remained with Boise." [More...]

6/6/11 - This safety prospect from the 2011 class claims to have committed to the Hurricanes. If not for a little bit of luck, Hollywood Hills (FL) High School safety Thurston Armbrister would be heading far from home to Northern Colorado, a lower division I-AA school that wanted him to play football.

That all changed a month ago when the Hurricanes began recruiting him.

"Basically they came out for this spring to look at the underclassmen, and they told my coach (Scott Barnwell) they were looking for a safety," said Armbrister, who is qualified and has already graduated high school. "Coach Barnwell told them about me, and they liked me, my film. It was lucky."

Indeed. Armbrister has now landed a Hurricane scholarship offer and committed on the spot. [More...]

8/3/11 - Offensive lineman Hunter Wells, a former Illinois commit, will be a part of Miami's 2011 recruiting class.

Wells (6-6, 300) is an offensive tackle from Canton, Ill. who took a visit to UM this week.

"It's awesome," Wells said of UM. "I love the campus, it's the most beautiful campus I've ever seen. I love the 'U' and to be able to go to a school with so much tradition, it's a dream come true."

Wells committed to Illinois in March 2010 and was their first commitment of the 2011 class, but he did sign a letter of intent in February.

"I committed to the University of Illinois and they pushed me back," Wells said. "I was going to go to a prep school, but then my coach talked to coach Kehoe and we just went there." [More...]

5/3/11 - West Boca Raton (FL) High School Class of 2011 DT Corey King received his ACT score last week - he got an 18, which qualifies him for college admission.

And, just like that, he landed a Cane offer. On his highlight tape, he seems to have a good get off and plays with a bit of an attitude. He had some nice hits as a DT.

"Coach Jethro Franklin, we talked on the phone and he offered me a scholarship on Saturday," King said. "I was excited. I told him I'm planning on coming and he said great, we'd love to have you." [More...]

1/21/11 - CORAL GABLES — Former Southern California TE Blake Ayles enrolled in classes at Miami on Friday, officially joining the football program.

Ayles, a 6-foot-5, 245-pound rising senior, will be eligible to play this upcoming season. Transfer rules require p_layer_s to sit out a season, but he has been granted a waiver by the NCAA because of sanctions against USC.

It’ll be interesting to see what impact, if any, Ayles has for the Hurricanes in 2011. He was rated the nation’s second best TE recruit in 2008, but had three disappointing seasons for the Trojans.

He made just one catch for 54 yards in 10 games this past season and had 14 catches for 182 yards and one TD in 27 career games at USC. [More...]

2/21/11 - Michael Williams, a cornerback who played three seasons at Wake Forest, is transferring to Miami.

Williams, a native of Melbourne, Fla., expects the paperwork to be finalized sometime this week or early next week.

He will graduate from Wake Forest in May and be able to play immediately in 2011 due to the NCAA rule regarding graduated p_layer_s. He has one year of eligibility remaining.

“It’s a great opportunity at a great program with great tradition,” Williams told InsideTheU. “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity that I’m ready to take advantage of. I’m ready to get down there and get to work.” [More...]

5/2/11 - It was just before signing day that Hurricane coaches contacted Lackawanna College coach Mark Duda about his sophomore defensive tackle, Darius Smith.

Smith had been recruited by Temple previously, and with the coaches moving on to UM they wanted to find out the latest on the promising recruit. What the Canes heard didn't make them thrilled - at 6-foot-3, he was tipping the scales at 375 pounds.

Coach Jethro Franklin spoke to Smith and told him if he lost weight they would consider him as a late addition to the signing day class.

Now Smith as done just that. [More...]

5/2/11 - Coffeyville Junior College... Played safety at Coffeyville Junior College from 2008-2010 ... Was a captain last season ... Won Red Hat Award for the best red-shirt p_layer_ at Coffeyville ... Part of team that won the Rochester Bowl in Minnesota ... Finished junior college career with 76 tackles, including 29 solo stops and 47 assists ... Also had one career sack, four tackles for loss and three interceptions. [More...]

1/8/11 - It started with a visit from defensive coordinator Mark D'Onofrio on Monday, heated up when Steve Spurrier missed an in-home visit on Wednesday and ended in Al Golden's office Friday morning.

That's the short version of how Miami Central cornerback Thomas Finnie went from being a Gamecock to a Hurricane -- and the first local recruit Golden and his staff were able to sway away from another school since taking over for Randy Shannon.

Finnie (5-10, 170, 4.4-speed) was a three-year starter for the Class 6A state champion Rockets and is considered the 39th best cornerback in the country by Rivals. He grew up dreaming of being a Miami Hurricane. But it wasn't until Friday that it became a reality. [More...]

1/28/11 - Lakeland linebacker Gionni Paul was the subject of much speculation during the past week following his visit to the University of Miami. Paul, a 6-foot-3, 235-pounder who had 149 tackles this past season, had been committed to Arizona State and former Miami coach Dennis Erickson.

But after a home visit to Lakeland on Thursday by new Miami coach Al Golden, Paul switched his commitment and is now part of the 2011 Miami Hurricanes recruiting class.

Paul had posted on his Facebook on Thursday, " AFTER A HURRICANE COME A RAINBOW AND A POT OF GOLD. AND THEN AFTER RAIN COME SUNSHINE." That was apparently supposed to mean he was leaning toward Miami. Golden was then able to seal the deal.

The newest Hurricanes' commitment told the Lakeland Ledger on Friday, “(Coach Golden) came to my house (Thursday) night. It was my decision but I had to look at what would be best for me and my family and we decided that the University of Miami would be a better fit.”

Paul also said that he grew up a Miami Hurricanes fan, but former coach Randy Shannon did not offer a scholarship, which has become a common refrain among some of the latest Miami commitments, like South Broward running back Kevin Grooms. [More...]

9/1/11 - The Hurricanes have added Los Angeles (CA) Crenshaw High School DL Junior Alexis to the roster - he was originally a Hawaii commitment (on 02/02/2011). A two star prospect, Alexis is a 6-foot-3, 260-pounder, and he took an official visit to Coral Gables on August 14th.

"He's a real tough kid," coach Al Golden said. "Jethro (Franklin) and Brennan (Carroll) knew about him, had a chance to evaluate him and knew a lot about him when he was at Crenshaw. He was a kid we thought really hard about bringing in in January. We had the room to do it now, so we chose to have him here and train him rather than have him either at a JUCO, community college or a prep school."

Alexis has already had his first practice as a Cane, and Golden said of him that "he looks great. I'm excited about him. He's closing in on 270 right now, will keep growing and I'm sure he'll be 285 by the spring and be ready to help us." [More...]

1/8/11 - Dallas (GA) East Paulding High School OT Taylor Gadbois wasn't going to be denied when it came to being a Miami Hurricane.

He sent three highlight tapes to Cane coaches at various points and had his coach contact a former player on his behalf.

"I was messaging players on Facebook, was doing everything I could to get there," Gadbois said.

It wasn't like Gadbois didn't have other options - he lists 12 scholarship offers including the likes of Georgia Tech, NC State, Kentucky and Michigan State.

But we're talking about a kid who painted his room orange and green. And who was wearing a Miami hat, UM hoodie and Hurricane T-shirt when he conducted this interview with CaneSport.com. [More...]

1/17/11 - South Broward RB Kevin Grooms orally committed to the Hurricanes on Monday. Oral commitments are non-binding.

Should Grooms stick with his decision, coach Al Golden and the ‘Canes would get a versatile p_layer_ who rushed for 1,400 yards and 22 TDs last season and returned six punts for TDs. He also played CB and WR for the Bulldogs.

Grooms told Canesport.com some people have told him he compares to former ‘Canes Devin Hester and Roscoe Parrish . “[UM coaches] said I’m an athlete, so I don’t know what position I’ll play,” Grooms told Canesport.com. “It’s where they feel I can help them the most.” [More...]

1/17/11 - Coach Paul Williams went to Hargrave to meet Marcus McDade. He came across Kinard in the cafeteria and asked if the kid was still going to Michigan and he said he was wide open. That was the first time that Miami became interested.

Kinard called coach Barrow to commit, he was happy, really happy for him and excited because they wanted him real bad.

Kinard will arrive in June as a freshman and says he will play strongside linebacker at Miami.

Kinard combines size with speed. In HS he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds and is also on the Liberty track team. He has run the 200 meters in 22.8 seconds and also long jumps. [More...]

2/2/11 - North Atlanta (GA) High School LB Eddie Johnson couldn't sleep last night. He had offers from 15 schools during the recruiting process, but he narrowed it to two. And this morning he knew what he'd do. He signed with the Hurricanes.

Johnson is a standout linebacker prospect from North Atlanta and he just signed with Miami. He had just verbally committed to Central Florida this week after a visit to Orlando this weekend. It was rumored that he was trying to get to Coral Gables for a visit to Miami on that same weekend of Jan. 28th, but it was assumed the Hurricanes were out of the picture when he made the call to play for the UCF Knights.

As a result, the submission of the paperwork that Miami had provided with his signature attached came as a surprise to almost everyone except for Johnson and his family.

Johnson is a 6'2" 230-pound linebacker who may be considered for duty on both the inside and outside LB positions. He also was a top running back at North Atlanta High School. [More...]