Hidey ho, my fellow Miami Hurricanes folks. And welcome to another edition of Monday Musings. We are in the smack dab middle of the deadest of dead periods in collegiate sports – as you all know – but training camp will be here before we know it, and there will be lots to talk about.
So, let’s light the firecrackers and kick this week off with some Canes talk.
1) Man, Mario is doing some work on the trail. Add another big name to the mix with CB Jaboree Anthony, who picked the Canes over Florida State and – gasp – LSU on Saturday. Why is that particularly big news? Well, he’s a top 100 recruit, so that’s huge, and he’s the ninth-ranked CB in the nation, both by On3 Sports. The Canes have been needing to improve their cornerback recruiting, and this is the kind of player that does that.
The other noteworthy thing is that he’s from New Iberia, Louisiana. So, Mario swooped in and took him right out of LSU’s back yard.
Again, man, I’ve said it many times, but Mario could sell ice to an Eskimo.
2) That’s been evident throughout the whole month of July. Since the start of the month, Mario has landed some primo talent across the roster, particularly on defense and on the offensive line. Y’know, those key areas where titles are won.
He started by landing four-star LB Gavin Nix from IMG Academy to start the month. He then added Jacksonville safety Hylton Stubbs, who is the #55 overall recruit and #4 safety per On3. Next up was IOL SJ Alofaituli, an industry consensus top 5 IOL and top 100 recruit from Bishop Gorman. A mauler in the run game who should come in and have a chance to win a starting job inside right away. And now you add a fourth potential impact player in Anthony.
3) And all of those are outside of the State of Miami that Howard Schnellenberger established in the 1980s. And all of that to sell a program that has an exciting potential 2024 season in store with Cam Ward at the helm, but one that has won ten games just once since the 2003 season. Mario’s got a vision and he’s getting young men to buy in. No question about that.
4) Which, of course, makes 2024 an even more pivotal season for Mario. His 2025 class sits at ninth in the country now after a big July. He’s got perhaps one of the most physically talented QBs in the country in Cam Ward. He’s got a big offensive line that should be able to impose the ground for a terrific two-headed monster in Damien Martinez and Mark Fletcher, Jr. He’s got what could be the best WR in the ACC in Xavier Restrepo. And the defense looks retooled, particularly up front, with the linebackers as promising as they’ve been in awhile. The schedule is Charmin soft and very manageable, particularly if they can win the opener against Florida.
5) In other words, the path is lined up for Mario to have a season that could flip this program around, and with a recruiting foundation taking shape to build off of. It’s all right there.
I want to believe it can happen. I really do. And if Mario doesn’t screw it up, it might.
But…I mean, that’s still a sizeable if to me. Prove me wrong, Mario. (Oh and keep pulling in those blue chippers along the way, please.).
Alright, I’m going to stop my hopes and dreams from taking over any further (no clue where this optimism came from, but these are simply my thoughts du jour slipping out through my fingertips). Have a great week, and go Canes!