A big, fast, physical defender, Wiley Jr. is the prototype at Linebacker
In this installment of the Recruiting Notebook, we meet an uber talented defender who picked Miami over several powerhouse programs: Seffner (FL) Armwood 4-star LB Kellen Wiley Jr.
Bio
As Miami looked to continue to reload on defense, they turned their attention to Seffner (FL) Armwood LB Kellen Wiley Jr.
An athletic 6’4” 225lbs, Wiley Jr. has a prototypical physical build for this position, and a frame to add more size, should he desire to.
Like many players, especially ones who play at powerhouse programs such as Armwood, Wiley Jr. had to wait until his junior year to make a big impact and get on the recruiting radar of college teams. Given an opportunity to start for Armwood in 2023, Wiley Jr. rewarded that faith with 82 tackles, 2 sacks, and 1 INT for a 10-2 team that made it to the Regional Semifinals.
A two-sport athlete, Wiley Jr. is also an accomplished in Track & Field. He was a regional qualifier in triple jump as a junior, and also participated in long jump and javelin. If you want a big, explosive athlete on your team, look no further than Wiley Jr.
Following that strong junior season on the gridiron and track, Wiley Jr. started to get a trickle of recruiting interest. North Dakota State was the first notable team to offer him a scholarship in January of 2024, but Florida State, and Syracuse followed in the next few months.
With limited offers and options, Wiley Jr. took spring Official Visits to Toledo and Maryland. But, when his film started to make the rounds, and with several strong performances at 7v7 tournaments and recruiting camps, even more offers started to come in for the talented defender.
Michigan State, North Carolina, Miami, and Louisville all offered Wiley Jr. scholarships before the start of his senior year, with Alabama, Georgia Tech, and Texas jumping into the fray as Wiley Jr’s standout senior season progressed.
During that senior season, Wiley Jr. took Official Visits to Louisville and Texas. And, around Thanksgiving, Texas earned multiple predictions as Wiley Jr’s future landing spot.
But, Miami was undeterred, and continued recruiting the elite talent despite those predictions, and continued involvement from both Texas and Alabama, among others. They worked hard on this recruitment, and were rewarded with Wiley’s commitment — and signing — on the first day of the Early Signing Period.
As a senior for Armwood, Wiley Jr. finished with 75 tackles, 13 TFLs, 7 sacks, 4 QB Hurries, 2 INTs, 2 PBUs, 1 Forced Fumble, 2 Fumbles Recovered, and 2 blocked punts for an 12-1 team that suffered their first and only loss in the Regional Finals. If that’s the kind of performance we can expect from Wiley Jr. then sign me up!
Recruiting Ranking
On the 247sports composite, Wiley Jr. is a 4-star prospect, the #36 LB nationally, #45 in the State of Florida, and #325 player overall in this class. I fully expect this ranking to improve when the final rankings are released for this class.
Wiley committed to Miami over Alabama, Texas, Louisville, and Maryland from a robust list of 20 scholarship offers from around the country.
As A Player
At 6’4” 225lbs, Wiley Jr. is the prototype physically for a modern linebacker. He’s tall and lean with long arms, and a frame to support more size, if that’s how he wants to develop his physique. Wiley Jr. could easily get up to 235lbs and play comfortably at that weight.
Wiley Jr. is big, fast, and PHYSICAL at the point of attack. He routinely runs through blockers and is a violent striker at the point of contact with ball carriers and receivers alike. He’ll need to gain some strength to continue doing this at the college level, but physicality and intensity of this level translate to any level of the game.
Another encouraging part of Wiley Jr’s game is his willingness, and ability, to play in space. He’s as valuable a defender in zone coverage against the pass as he his rushing downhill to affect the run game. Miami desperately needs players at this position with the ability to handle both roles, and Wiley Jr. fits that bill perfectly.
Though he mainly walks up to penetrate the backfield as a run defender, Wiley Jr. can be used as a blitzer in passing situations as well. He’s got great feel for it, great timing, and when combined with his size and athleticism, he’s a major weapon going forward for the defense.
Wiley Jr. is an outstanding athlete. He’s quick, fast (yes, those are different traits), and strong and shows all those traits, and more, on a routine basis. This is the kind of elite athlete that Miami needs to have all over the roster, and a big step forward toward fixing what ailed the defense this year. Wiley Jr.’s athletic profile is as strong as any linebacker in the country, and getting him on the roster is a massive win for the Hurricanes.
For another look at the player Miami is adding in Wiley Jr, here’s an evaluation from 247sports Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins:
Late-blooming box defender with some position flex as he could work from both an on-ball and off-ball alignment at the next level. Size has not been third-party verified, but is believed to be over 6-foot-3 and carrying at least 225 pounds. Brings both physicality and energy to the front lines as sifts through obstacles with heavy hands and uses a quick-twitched lower half to plant and redirect. Builds plenty of momentum when shooting forward and is usually convicted in his path of choice he does a favorable job of anticipating which way a play is going. Athletic enough to handle drop-coverage responsibilities and will keep his eyes on the quarterback in hopes of cutting down scramble lanes. Tends to get the job done when he gets the green light to blitz. Will need to get adjusted to the speed and complexity of the college game, but projects as a potential multi-year starter and impact player at the Power Four level that defensive coordinators can move around. Rare jumping metrics suggest that he could test off the charts one day for NFL scouts.
Strengths
- Height/length
- Explosive athleticism
- Potential
Weaknesses
- Can develop his body further
- Will need to improve technique and block shedding
Wiley’s Highlights are on QwikCut, and can be found at this link (can’t embed, sorry)
Miami Outlook
Note: changed this up from just a freshman-season outlook to a career outlook for each player a couple years ago and we’re continuing that style this year as well.
Miami clearly needs to continue to stack talent on the defensive side of the ball, and getting Wiley Jr. on the roster does just that. He’s a versatile, physical defender who should have an impact on games for years to come.
Though there are older players in front of him on the roster, Wiley’s athleticism and potential could push him onto the field early in his career. He should, at a minimum, be involved on special teams, but the sky is the limit for what he can bring to Miami’s defense.
This is the kind of elite athlete that Miami has been missing at Linebacker, and Wiley should have every chance to prove his worth on the field. He has all the talent in the world, and if he’s able to put it together, he should be in the conversation for All-Conference accolades down the line, at a minimum. This is a player you build the defense around, and I’m excited to see what he can do for the Canes in the coming years.
That’s it for this installment of The Recruiting Notebook.