9/17/10 - The Hurricanes have seven commitments for the Class of 2011 and now they have two for the Class of 2012. Miami Norland linebacker Keith Brown committed to the Canes a few weeks ago and last night, Norland running back Randy "Duke" Johnson pulled the trigger.

On the ESPNU 150 Watch List for 2012, Johnson (5-10/180) ran for 1,540 yards and 24 touchdowns in Dade County as a sophomore last season and is considered one of the top running back prospects in all of Florida. “It’s always been my dream to play at UM and I’m excited that I’ll have the opportunity,” Johnson said. [More...]

2/13/11 - Crow is a 6-foot-3, 220-pound pro-style quarterback. He led Countryside to a 12-0 season before the Cougars fell to Tampa Plant in the 5A regional finals. [More...]

2/17/11 - Junior David Thompson told University of Miami (Fla.) coaches this week that he will play both football and baseball for the Hurricanes following graduation.

David Thompson.The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Thompson had committed to Miami as a sophomore to play baseball, but this week he also received a football offer and decided to try both sports, his father, Ed Thompson, told MaxPreps.

"He was one of two QBs they selected from the class of 2012," Ed Thompson said. "New coach Al Golden said he has worked things out with the _base_ball head coach, Jim Morris, to enable David to do both – a rare occurrence at UM from what I understand. [More...]

3/9/11 - Last spring, when Cordele, GA, Crisp County High WR Jontavious Carter took up organized football for the first time and he told his coach his goals. “I told him I didn’t just want to be one of the best receivers in the state, that I want to be one of the best in the nation,” Carter said. “And I put a U up there on the board and put a big circle on it, said `I’m going to get there one way or another.’“ Well, he’s gotten there.

Carter is now part of the U family. He landed a scholarship offer during a phone call with Cane coaches at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday evening. A half-hour later he called back and committed. He says during that 30 minute span “I talked it over with my grandmother and mother and went from there. They already knew that’s where I wanted to go. They were just as excited as I was. “So I called back, talked to coach (Al) Golden and (George) McDonald and everybody. They told me their visions and goals for me. When I committed they were real excited. Coach McDonald told me as soon as I get there they’ll work on getting me to the next level, trying to make this whole dream come true for me, which is getting to the pros.”

Why was he so set on attending Miami? “First of all it’s the U,” Carter said. “That’s where everybody in the NFL is from, The U. That’s where the pros are made. Growing up I always wanted to watch Miami play on TV. That’s kind of been my mindset when it came to football.” [More...]

5/18/11 - This highly regarded linebacker prospect landed a Hurricane scholarship offer four days ago. And it didn't take him long to realize he wanted to be a Hurricane. Raphael Kirby announced a decision today after his spring game, and he has verbally committed to Miami.

Outside linebacker Raphael Kirby is part of a loaded team at Stone Mountain (Ga.) Stephenson so he doesn’t shy away from competition and he didn’t shy away from the loaded linebacker position group at a recent combine in Athens. He showed good size and length and really looked athletic, particularly dropping in coverage and playing in space. [More...]

5/26/11 - Norland offensive tackle Ereck Flowers will play college ball with two of his teammates as he verbally committed to Miami Thursday evening.

Flowers (6-5, 282) picked Miami over Florida State, Illinois, USF, Wake Forest, Cincinnati, UCF, and FAU.

“First off, it’s Miami,” Flowers said. “It’s really where I wanted to go. Miami has great tradition, great academics, all of the opportunities on the football field, a great coaching staff, a great o-line coach. Everything seemed right.”

Flowers told the coaches in person about his decision on an unofficial visit to UM. Teammates Duke Johnson and Keith Brown, also UM commits, have been telling him he should go to UM, but ultimately he made his own decision. [More...]

6/1/11 - Miami (FL) American Senior High School CB Larry Hope earned Defensive Back MVP honors at Sunday's Al Golden Summer Camp and later that night pulled in a UM offer.

Now he has decided to seize the opportunity to be a Hurricane.

Hope announced Wednesday night that he has committed to Miami coaches.

"I sat down with my father and he and I went over different things. We decided Miami was the school that really fit me and would be best for me and my family," Hope said. "UM is a special place. I felt like this would never come.

"I had some great schools recruiting me. But I felt comfortable with Miami." [More...]

6/3/11 - Al Golden spoke earlier in the year to CBSSports.com about his need to re-stock the Miami roster at certain positions and it appears he identified quarterback as one of them. Austin (Texas) quarterback Preston Dewey became the third in the Hurricanes' upcoming class after committing to the school Friday afternoon, according to his quarterbacks coach.

"After my visit, I just wanted to think about it, but I kept coming back to Miami," Dewey told CaneSport.com. "So I decided to pull the trigger."

Dewey performed well at the TCU Elite 11 competition earlier in the spring. His stock took off since performing well in Fort Worth and held scholarship offers from schools such as SMU, North Carolina, Tennessee and UCLA at the time of his commitment. He informed Miami offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch this morning about his commitment to Miami. [More...]

6/9/11 - Doylestown (PA) Central Bucks East High School athlete Jake O'Donnell took an unofficial visit last Thursday through Monday, participating in Sunday's Al Golden camp.

And his performance at that camp landed him an offer.

It didn't take long for O'Donnell to take it. He called Golden on Thursday night and committed.

"I told him `I'm ready to be a Hurricane,' and he was very excited," O'Donnell told CaneSport.com. "I picked Miami because of the legacy of the football program. That stands out in the college football world. And what Al Golden did at Temple, he really turned that program around and I'm sure he'll do the same if not better at Miami.

"I felt at home there. The coaches welcomed me with open arms. It felt right." [More...]

6/12/11 - By the time the spring ended he had over 20 offers.

And on Friday he got the offer he coveted most: The Miami Hurricanes. Today he took that offer and committed to coaches.

"I grew up with Miami being my favorite school," Hoilett said. "I committed to coach (Al) Golden today. I said this is where I want to be, that when I was younger I loved the Hurricanes and I'm committing. He was happy, said I'm a great player athletically and character-wise, that I have all the intangibles."

Hoilett lists his most recent offers from Purdue, Rutgers, Illinois, Michigan State, Minnesota, Vanderbilt and Kentucky. But he says he now has eyes for no one but Miami. [More...]

6/20/11 - The biggest challenge for Leesburg High receiver D'Mauri Jones throughout the recruiting process this spring has been staying humble. From the day he received a Miami offer in mid-May, he has wanted to jump up and down, maybe even scream.

But his mother had always taught him to be humble and grounded and that is why a month passed between that offer and Jones' commitment Monday to the Miami Hurricanes.

"It started when (receivers) Coach McDonald came out to my school during the spring and watched me," said Jones, who is 6-4, 190. "Miami was a school I had always thought about since I was little. I was pretty excited, but I had to keep my cool so I didn't get all crazy and mess up. I had a pretty good practice that day and they offered me soon after that. I was excited about it. But I had to stay humble. I wanted to get down to Miami and confirm it."

That trip came Friday and Saturday when Jones headed south from Leesburg with his high school coach, Randy Trivers, to check out The U. [More...]

6/20/11 - Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas High School DL Jelani Hamilton took a visit to Miami on Saturday, spending time with coaches and touring the campus.

It was enough to convince Hamilton to be a Cane.

He called coaches tonight and gave his pledge.

"I'm real excited," Hamilton said. "It's a done deal. I went down on Saturday and had a great time.

"Miami was so close to home. It has my major of marine biology. Their football program has a lot of tradition, and that's very important." [More...]

7/10/11 - Homestead High School WR Herb Waters says his decision to commit to Miami on Sunday afternoon "was a great experience. I couldn't feel any better. Today was the best day of my life becoming a family with the rest of the kids and knowing we have a championship to win."

Waters committed to coach Al Golden, calling up the coach with teammate James Burgess, who also committed.

Asked why he decided to commit today, Waters said, "We just came back from Oregon (where he participated in Nike's "The Opening" event) - me, Duke (Johnson, a Cane commitment), Keith (Brown, also a UM commitment), Deon Bush, Tracy Howard and James. Me, Duke, James and Deon were on the plan talking. The whole week they'd been talking about us being a Hurricane and we talked with each other and said `We're going to do it.'" [More...]

8/2/11 - FORT MYERS — For the second time in seven months, coaching uncertainty elsewhere has helped land the University of Miami football team a recruit from South Fort Myers High School.

In the wake of Butch Davis’s dismissal as North Carolina head coach last week, South senior cornerback Nate Dortch has changed his verbal commitment from the Tar Heels to the Hurricanes.

“Nate is going to be a Hurricane. He’s always been a Miami fan,” South coach Grant Redhead said.

Dortch made the change on Tuesday after he and his parents visited the Coral Gables campus and met with the Hurricanes, including freshman defensive back and former South star Dallas Crawford.

“Nate liked it. They’re a top-notch staff. He was comfortable and he has a former teammate there,” Redhead said. [More...]

8/14/11 - "Family Day" at UM today wound up landing a new member of the family.

Commitments and some top uncommitted prospects arrived on campus this morning to get a feel of what it was like to be a Miami Hurricane.

And Tampa Hillsborough High School DT Earl Moore committed to coach Hurlie Brown Sunday at the conclusion of a day in which he toured campus, spoke with p_layer_s, watched the team scrimmage and more.

"I committed because, just being around the coaches, talking to them, I just felt real comfortable around them," Moore said. "Coach Brown, I was just talking and I just let him know what I wanted to do. He was excited, real excited. [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...]

11/6/11 - Dillard, who grew up in the Miami area before moving to Venice when he was 9, told his hometown newspaper the Sarasota Herald-Tribune Sunday he chose the Canes over offers from Kentucky, Marshall, Ohio, Pittsburgh and UCF. Dillard has gained 724 yards on 105 carries for a 6.9-yard-per-carry during seven games this season, battling through injuries throughout according to the Herald-Tribune. He also has scored 14 rushing touchdowns, five in just more than two quarters against Sarasota Booker, and one through the air with five catches for 50 yards. Last year, he rushed for 1,245 yards and 23 touchdowns.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pounder is ranked as the nation's No. 32 running back by Rivals.com and the No. 92 overall recruit in the state of Florida. [More...]

11/13/11 - St. Petersburg (FL) Admiral Farragut Academy WR Rayshawn Jenkins told CaneSport last week that he would make a final college decision in December but that the Canes were leading.

My, how quickly things change.

He is now a Cane commitment. He called coaches at 3 p.m. today and gave his pledge.

"I just wanted to get it out of the way and focus on school," Jenkins said. "I just committed. I called the coaches, just told them that I wanted to be a Cane. I talked to all the coaches - I committed to coach Al (Golden), though. I called, said `Sir, I think my mind is pretty made up and I want to be a Cane. I'm verbally committing.' He said he's excited and things like that."

Jenkins adds that "I'm real happy. Now I can focus on school." [More...]

11/17/11 - Four-star WR Malcolm Lewis (Miramar, Fla.; No. 146 in the ESPNU 150) verbally commits to Miami, ESPN's Corey Long reports.

Lewis (6' 190) also had offers from Alabama, Florida State, Florida, Kentucky LSU, South Carolina and West Virginia. Lewis had taken his only official visit so far to West Virginia back on October 7th.

While Lewis has caught only three TD passes this season, he's added two more in other capacities, and tacked on a 2-point conversion as well. He has 28 catches for 444 receiving yards averaging 15.86 yards-per-catch in 2011. He had a 50-yard catch against Everglades and a 47-yard grab against Cypress Bay for his two longest receptions of the year. Lewis has also seen duty this season as a punt and kick return man for Miramar. [More...]

11/30/11 - If anybody wants to know why giving Al Golden a four-year contract extension last Friday was important for the University of Miami’s recruiting efforts, Cypress Bay High offensive lineman Danny Isidora is willing to explain.

On Tuesday morning, the 6-4, 330-pound offensive lineman for the Lightning called Golden and UM and committed verbally to be a part of the Canes’ 2012 signing class — all a result of what transpired last week, according to Cypress Bay coach Mark Guandolo.

“He had Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina and Florida State all after him, but on the back of his mind UM was always his favorite,” Guandolo said. “He’s been a UM fan since he was a young kid. He always dreamed of playing there. But he was a little apprehensive with all the talk about the NCAA sanctions and Coach Golden and the Penn State stuff. When coach got the extension that helped him make the final decision.”

Isidora, rated as the 13th best offensive guard in the country by ESPN and the 29th best at his position according to Rivals, was being recruited by UM offensive line coach Art Kehoe to be a pulling guard, according to Guandolo. [More...]

1/6/12 It apparently didn't take much for the Miami Hurricanes to land the 28th commitment to their 2012 recruiting class.

Defensive tackle Jacoby Briscoe (6-foot-4, 295 pounds) of Lafayette (La.) Carnecro High, according to Mike Coppage of Scout.com and David Lake of 24/7 Sports affiliate InsidetheU.com, had just been waiting for the Hurricanes to say the word and he was on board.

"The Miami coaches asked me what they would need to show me on an official visit for me to commit," Briscoe told Coppage.

"I told them they wouldn't need to show me anything. I've been wanting to become a Hurricane since I was seven years old." said Briscoe, who had just four offers -- hometown Louisiana-Lafayette, Memphis, Texas Tech and Tulane -- two weeks ago and La-Lafayette was the leader. [More...]

1/7/12 - It certainly can be argued that Miami Columbus High School DB Deon Bush entered the new year as the highest priority recruit remaining on UM's board. And the Canes have landed the stud four-star player. Read on for this big news. [More...]

1/7/12 - ESPNU 150 defensive end Tyriq McCord (Tampa, Fla./Jefferson) chose Miami over Southern California, Georgia, South Carolina and Florida.

McCord (6-foot-3, 220 pounds) is rated as the No. 13 defensive end and No. 99 player overall.

It's not a surprise that McCord chose to stay in-state although he thoroughly enjoyed his unofficial visit to USC and his official visit to Georgia.

McCord also had offers from Florida State, South Florida, Notre Dame, Michigan, Ole Miss, North Carolina, Illinois, TCU and Texas Tech. [More...]

1/7/12 Fork Union (VA) Military Academy WR Robert Lockhart was a Virginia Tech commitment.

Until today.

He called Hokie coaches and then Cane coaches, decommitting to Miami.

He's Miami's third commitment of the day, joining Deon Bush and Tyriq McCord.

"I just committed," Lockhart told CaneSport.com. "I talked to coach (Al) Golden. He was excited and I think a little surprised." [More...]

1/29/12 Antonio Crawford, a defensive back from Tampa, flipped from the Yellow Jackets to Miami. He had been committed to Georgia Tech since last summer, but changed his mind after getting a last-minute offer from Miami a few days ago and taking a recruiting trip with the Hurricanes over the weekend.

“It was a pretty hard decision because I’ve been committed to Georgia Tech for a long time.” Crawford said. “I got to know the coaches and I got to know some of the other recruits. It was pretty tough to do it, but they respected my decision and I respected them for that.”

Crawford said he talked with Georgia Tech assistant Charles Kelly on Sunday and was assured that he still had a scholarship offer waiting for him after returning from Miami. Before the visit, Crawford told the AJC that it was his understanding that making the last-minute trip could jeopardize his Georgia Tech scholarship offer. [More...]

2/1/12 MIRAMAR— Tracy Howard ended months of speculation Wednesday morning when he announced his commitment to coach Al Golden and signed a letter-of-intent with the University of Miami Hurricanes.

Howard was considered the nation's top cornerback prospect after three standout seasons as a starter on a Miramar team that was an annual contender for a state championship, winning one in 2009 and finishing runner-up in 2011.

The five-star recruit will join best friend and Miramar teammate Malcolm Lewis in playing their collegiate home games at Sun Life Stadium, a few blocks from the high school. [More...]

2/1/12 During a National Signing Day that largely went in its favor, Virginia Tech had an embarrassing moment when former linebacker commit Jawand Blue called to tell the Hokies he had decided to sign with Miami. Unbeknownst to Virginia Tech, a reporter from the Palm Beach Post was also on the line and tweeted out quotes that he originally attributed to Coach Frank Beamer.

At around noon Wednesday, Matt Porter (@mattyports) tweeted, “Blue to Frank Beamer, ‘I wanted to stay home.’ Beamer: ‘It doesn’t make any sense. I’ve never felt more betrayed or lied to.’ ”

Porter later tweeted that Beamer said, “You want to go to a program that wins bowl games, a clean program, that dominates the ACC,” and used the phrase “you’ve got homeboys here” when trying to convince Blue that he should keep his commitment with the Hokies. [More...]

2/1/12 The bad news for Charlie Strong and U of L has been minimal today, limited to only the semi-expected news that defensive tackle DeQuan Ivery has signed with Miami.

Ivery, a three-star DT from Miami, committed to U of L in Dec. but had appeared to be wavering in recent weeks after visiting The U with some friends. He was a guy that Strong and company really liked and who could have competed for playing time early on in his Cardinal career. [More...]

5/6/11 - Miami has another quarterback to compete with Stephen Morris and Tate Forcier for the starting job in 2012.

The Hurricanes announced Friday that former Miramar High star Ryan Williams has transferred to UM after one season at Memphis. He will have to sit out this coming season because of the NCAA’s transfer rules.

Williams, who is 6-foot-6, 220 pounds, started the final 10 games in 201 as a true freshman last season after seizing the starting job from former Hurricanes quarterback Cannon Smith, who transferred to Memphis in August 2009.

Williams completed 165 of 290 passes (56.9 percent) for 2,075 yards and 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 12 games. His passer efficiency rating was 124.9.

“With the addition of Ryan Williams, we add toughness, incredible work ethic and smarts on-and- off the field,” ‘Canes coach Al Golden said in a statement. “His innate leadership skills were shown to South Florida as a high school state champion. Those are skills that jump off the film and the reason our entire program is excited to welcome Ryan to the U.” [More...]

12/5/11 - Fort Scott (KS) Community College cornerback Ladarius Gunter was a surprise late addition to Miami's weekend recruiting visit list, but he will be a familiar name in Miami circles for the next three years.

Gunter committed to Coach Al Golden on Sunday before embarking on an eight hour trip back to the cold of Kansas to finish his semester and get ready to move to Coral Gables. He will enroll at Miami in January and have three years of eligibility left because he only played one season at Fort Scott.

"This is a great chance for me to come in and play right away," Gunter said. "I feel I can come in and contribute.

Gunter attended Jeff Davis High in Montgomery, but didn't have the test scores to qualify for a major college at the time. So he landed at Fort Scott at mid-year in 2010 and played his first season this year. He had 24 tackles and an interception in seven games. [More...]

6/12/12 Ricardo competed at the Kohl's Underclassman Challenge. He is a competitive kicker who seems to enjoy pressure and performing. He expects a lot out of himself and wants to win. His field goal charts were solid and his range on field goals is good. His kick-offs need to get better. He is working on his punting as a secondary position. [More...]

6/12/12 Once rated the 7th-best RB in the Nation as a sophomore before a pair of ACL injuries occurred, Yosha returned to action as a senior in 2011, but apparently received no scholarship offers last year according to Rivals. He has decided to walk-on at Miami. [More...]

5/4/12 - Angelo Jean-Louis wants nothing more than to be a Miami Hurricane, but he’ll have to wait.

The Palm Beach Central wide receiver signed with UM in February, did not academically qualify. He will instead attend Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy, the route taken by former West Boca Raton receiver Robert Lockhart.

“I’m not happy because I want to go in with my class and help the team,” Jean-Louis said. “But I’m not a kid anymore so I’m going to take it like a man, do what I have to do and get to Miami.”

Jean-Louis, who expects to enroll at UM in January, said he wants to be a “bigger, stronger, faster” version of himself when he gets there. Major recruiting sites ranked Jean-Louis (6-0, 185) as a four-star athlete.

“Can’t wait,” he said. “I’ve been working so hard. I’m trying to be something people have not seen before.” [More...]

7/1/11 - CORAL GABLES – Cypress Bay linebacker Josh Witt has orally committed to Miami on Friday, becoming the 20th recruit to do so for the Hurricanes’ 2012 signing class.

Witt, a 6-foot-2, 215-pounder, recorded more than 100 tackles last season and has 4.5 second speed in the 40-yard dash, Cypress Bay coach Mark Guandolo said.

“He looked at everything, and he liked Miami, he liked the coaches, he liked everything that’s going on down there,” Guandolo said. “He felt comfortable. He didn’t have to go away.

“So yeah, he’s excited. He wanted to get it behind him and get ready for his senior season.” [More...]

6/12/11 - It didn't take long for Miami (FL) Coral Reef High School DB Vernon Davis to make a decision once he landed a Hurricane scholarship offer.

Less than 24 hours after landing that offer at Saturday's Al Golden Summer Camp, Davis came on board as a Cane.

"I'm very excited about it," Davis told CaneSport.com. "I committed because it's the U. The U is a family. My mom liked it, everyone liked it. And I have a great relationship with coach (Paul) Williams, Al Golden and the whole U family. We have that connection."

After Davis told Golden "I'm ready to be a Hurricane" today, the coach "was very excited," Davis said. "I think I made my day by doing that. They were very excited about it. They love the way I play."

Davis says his goals at Miami are "just to be the best I can be at my position, be All-ACC, win championship here, build a family with the teammates." [More...]

11/25/11 - Gabriel Terry was sitting inside his home Wednesday afternoon helping his buddy Mike Maldanado, a teammate at Palm Beach Central, make a highlight tape on his computer when his world turned upside down.

The phone rang. It was his head coach, Rod Harris. Harris had just gotten off the phone with Miami defensive line coach Jethro Franklin. The Miami Hurricanes wanted him to come down for an official visit.

That very minute.

"They actually wanted me to come down on Friday," said Terry, a 6-3, 210-pound linebacker/defensive end. "But I have a visit scheduled this weekend to Connecticut. So Coach Dennis (Abbate) offered to give me a ride down there today."

Minutes later Terry was on his way down I-95, a journey that would end with an improbable commitment to become a Miami Hurricane. [More...]