Let’s give out more grades as we evaluate how Miami did on the trail in 2025

Last week was National Signing Day so it’s time to recap the 2025 recruiting class!

Or, rather, the ghost of National Signing Day was last week. In years gone by, the first Wednesday in February was THE day for recruiting. Players from around the country would hold their signing day ceremonies, and those recruiting battles that had been ongoing for many months came to a conclusion.

After the implementation of the Early Signing Period, a time that came to the forefront with the standardization of players enrolling early, the focus has shifted from February to December. There are only a few players who haven’t signed by the time February comes around, so this day, one that used to be the pinnacle of the recruiting year, has become nothing more than a nostalgic afterthought.

But, we can take this time to put a pin in the 2025 recruiting class, and evaluate how Miami did building the roster of the future using a template you should all know by now: The Recruiting Rules!

A feature I wrote back in 2018, The Recruiting Rules outline what I believe is the structure teams need to follow to build championship rosters. I mention the date of publishing because this was before the introduction of the Transfer Portal. But, the Portal is just another method to plug in talent at the top of the roster to plug holes. See: Cam Ward transferring to Miami last year. Still, I think looking at the class through the lens of The Recruiting Rules can show where Miami hit, and missed, in the 2025 recruiting class.

Recruiting Rule #1 – Get a QB every year

Miami not only got a QB in this class, they got a REALLY GOOD QB in this class.

A 2-time State Champion who ended his HSFB career on a 25 game winning streak, Milton (GA) QB Luke Nickel has the kind of talent Miami has sorely needed at the QB position. Previous recruits at this position have been more roster filler than potential stars, but Nickel is a class above.

Nickel has racked up the awards for his incredible career. Gatorade Georgia HSFB Player of the Year. MaxPreps 1st team All-American. Touchdown Club of Atlanta Georgia top 50. 1st team All-State. And, finally, after enduring as a 3-star recruit for 2 years, Nickel was FINALLY bumped up to 4-star status in the final rankings by the major recruiting sites.

Miami heavily pursued Nickel and got him to commit before his JUNIOR year, when he was an unknown player who hadn’t even started a game for Milton. But, he shined in an on-campus workout and OC Shannon Dawson jumped to offer Nickel a scholarship and got him to commit. With his overdue rankings bump and the incredible collection of accolades, awards, and CHAMPIONSHIPS, getting Nickel in this class is a massive win for Miami.

Insofar as this Recruiting Rule, Miami did what they needed to do. The standard is to get a QB every year, without fail, and Miami did just that. Miami did not just get “a warm body” for the roster, they got an incredibly talented player with championship pedigree, incredible individual performance, and a ton of accolades to his credit. Nickel is the kind of player Miami has seldom recruited from HS at this integral position in recent years, and represents a BIG step forward for Miami’s recruiting process overall. Well done.

Recruiting Rule #2 – Communication is Key

This rule isn’t as cut and dry as the first rule, but it still matters.

When you look at recruits like Westlake Village (CA) Oaks Christian 5-star EDGE Hayden Lowe, Pembroke Pines (FL) West Broward 4-star WR Joshua Moore, New Iberia (LA) Westgate 4-star CB Jaboree Antoine, Hollywood (FL) Chaminade-Madonna 4-star CB Chris Ewald Jr., and others, there is a clear pattern of consistent, and effective, communication from Miami.

In the cases of Lowe and Moore, they were initially committed to USC and Florida, respectively. Miami, however, continued to work on those elite players and flipped them away from their previous commitments. Those types of moves don’t happen without communication.

Antoine is a star player from the heart of SEC country. The kind of player that doesn’t get away from LSU. And yet, he’s enrolled at Miami. Ewald Jr. was being heavily pursued by Georgia, but committed to Miami, and stuck with that commitment. Again, things like that don’t happen without clear and consistent communication.

In the inverse, former Miami commit Jacksonville (FL) Mandarin 4-star S Hylton Stubbs defected from Miami’s class and ended up signing with Florida. That’s not to say that Miami’s communication was absent from this recruitment, but clearly there was another connection and communication that led the talented defender to end up elsewhere.

Miami has been a top recruiting team under Mario Cristobal, and relationships and communication are the reasons why that’s been true. The Canes have flipped Mark Fletcher, Jordan Lyle, and Justin Scott from Ohio State in the last 3 years, Lowe and Moore in this class, as well as others. Communication and connection in the recruiting department have been going strong, and I expect that to continue as we move forward to the 2026 recruiting class and beyond.

Recruiting Rule #3 – Recruit Locally first, then Nationally

This has been an area of strength for Miami over the past few years, and that continued in the 2025 recruiting class.

The stats to support this are strong, but not as overwhelming as in some previous classes. Of Miami’s 21 HS signees, 13 are from Florida, 2 from Georgia, and 1 from each of the following: Alabama, California, Indiana, Louisiana, Nevada, and Ohio. That means 62% of the signees in this class are Florida natives.

When you further consider players that Miami missed on or didn’t highly prioritize (but still recruited) — guys like D.J. Pickett, Hylton Stubbs, Ben Hanks, Vernell Brown, Gavin Nix, Elijah Menendez, Dallas Wilson, Jamie Ffrench (yes, that’s the correct spelling), Solomon Thomas, Javion Hilson, Jarquez Carter, Tarvos Alford — there was a clear focus on recruiting local (or native Floridian) talent in this class for Miami.

The 8 out of State signees for Miami filled in areas of need and added incredible talent. 5-star EDGE Hayden Lowe has been favorably compared to former Oregon star and top 5 NFL draft pick Kayvon Thibodeaux, who once starred at the same HS as Lowe and was previously coached by Cristobal. He’ll compete for playing time as a freshman, most likely.

4-star OL SJ Alofaituli is the latest star from national powerhouse Las Vegas (NV) Bishop Gorman to make his way down to Coral Gables. Many thought him to be the best Center prospect in the 2025 class, and Miami will push for him to start there in 2026 after a year behind a transfer at the position.

Miami found 2 great TE prospects in 6’7” Luka Gilbert (Ohio) and 2-way standout Brock Schott (Indiana). Both have the physical build and potential at the position that wasn’t present in any Florida recruit this year, so that’s why Miami went elsewhere to get what they needed.

My only complaint relative to this Recruiting Rule is the fact that I would have preferred to have closed on more of the local players we missed on. But, in terms of focusing locally first and nationally second, I think this class fits that bill.

The addendum here is the fact that Miami did yeoman’s work bringing South Florida natives home in the transfer portal. Guys like Charles Brantley, Zaccariah Poyser, and Xavier Lucas, among others. So, while the percentage of local HS signees was good, but not as robust as in previous years (like 2021 which had 91% local signees), that percentage improves when you consider the portal additions that have local roots as well.

Good but not elite on this one. Gotta lock down more of the players from the top of the list locally, but that’s a battle Miami’s been fighting for many, many years. That battle continues.

Recruiting Rule #4 – Size Matters

On the numbers, Miami did okay on Recruiting Rule #4. The Canes were able to pull in 4 DL, 4 OL, and a pair of Tight Ends. That’s not the greatest number of players along the line, but it’s not bad. Still, this group is a bunch of “big dudes close to the ball”, which is foundational roster building in Mario Cristobal’s estimation.

As mentioned int he previous rule, Gilbert is 6’7” and a former basketball player and Schott is a well-built 6’4” at Tight End. That’s great size for that position, though both can get a bit stronger in time.

Along the offensive line, tackles Demetrius Campbell and Jaden Wilkerson are 6’6” or taller and 300lbs or bigger. That’s quite the pair of bookends in this class, especially when you consider both players have positive wingspans for their size. Guard Max Buchanan is 6’4” 275lbs with room to grow. He’s the first blue chip of this group, and was a big recruiting win over other Big 3 teams in-state. Center S.J. Alofaituli was the prize of this group. The All-American from Bishop Gorman has elite talent and great potential, and at 6’3” 280lbs has good size and a great build for that position moving forward.

On defense, 5-star EDGE Hayden Lowe stands 6’5” 250lbs. He’s tall with long arms, but isn’t the biggest/heaviest player in the world. That’s fine; his skills are not tied to his bulk. Still, EDGE players affect both the pass game and run game, so Lowe counts. 4-star EDGE Herbert Scroggins III is 6’2” 235lbs and led the State of Georgia in Sacks. Another player who will affect the game in multiple ways, with great strength at the point of attack.

Micah Newton and Donta Simpson are both defensive tackles with solid frames. Newton is around 260lbs and Simpson is around 280lbs. Both can add some size and strength to withstand the dirty work and physical play on the interior of the defensive line. They will not likely be asked to step into the fray as freshmen, but that’s typical. Players like Ahmad Moten were in the same boat as recruits, and eventually developed into valued top of the rotation players at this key position. Getting Newton and Simpson to hopefully do the same in the future is a big win for Miami.

There is additional size embedded at other positions in this recruiting class. Blue chip WR Joshua Moore is 6’4”-6’5” depending on which measurement you trust. Blue chip LB Kellen Wiley is a chiseled 6’4” 225lbs and looks the part of a big time linebacker the moment he gets off the bus. DBs Chris Ewald Jr and Jaboree Antoine are both 6’1” with long arms, a key physical trait for their position.

Is there a 6’9” tackle a la Markel Bell in this class? No. Still, Miami did well in both quantity and quality of adding size to the roster.

Recruiting Rule #5 – Speed Kills

Here’s another rule that Miami executed well, but not flawlessly.

On offense, Malachi Toney and Girard Pringle Jr. are among the fastest players in the country, regardless of position. Pringle Jr. in particular has clocked times in the 10.5 range for the 100M dash. Both are a threat to take any play of the game the distance, and that speed will be a weapon in multiple areas of the game.

Additionally, receivers Joshua Moore and Daylyn Upshaw have good speed, but might not be among the fastest players in the world. Defensive back Jaboree Antoine is another player who also participated in track in HS, and was a standout 400M hurdler along with long jump and high jump. Fellow DB Bryce Fitzgerald also has experience in the High Jump from HS, and routinely made big, explosive plays on offense, defense, and special teams as well, so his speed is well known.

DB Amari Wallace is very athletic, but after sustaining a major leg injury that kept him off the field for the entirely of his senior year, it remains to be seen how he recovers moving forward.

LB Kellen Wiley qualified for Regionals on Triple Jump as well, a testament to his crazy athleticism at 6’4” 225lbs. Not necessarily “speed”, but Wiley showcases that skill on the gridiron regularly.

In all, I’d say Miami did an adequate, if unspectacular, job at adding speed to the roster in this class.

Recruiting Rule #6 – Follow the visits

This Recruiting Rule is the payoff for Rule #2 about communication. Talk is what builds relationships between coaches and players, but the visits are the tangible evidence of real connection between player and program.

Every player in the 2025 recruiting class took multiple visits to Coral Gables to visit Miami’s campus and athletic facilities. For most, the visits were spread over multiple years, going all the way back to January 2023, when top 7v7 teams attending the first major tournament of the year, the Battle Miami 7v7 tournament, make their way to campus for visits.

The downside of this rule, however, is when committed or target players visit other places…or refuse to visit Miami. Such was the case with Hylton Stubbs before he flipped to Florida, and DJ Pickett, who famously canceled several visits to Miami as the Canes pushed to flip him from LSU.

Visits aren’t always the thing that sway a recruit, but following them paints the picture of how things are going pretty well. For Miami in the 2025 recruiting class, the visits were both a boom and bust for how things ended up working out.

Recruiting Rule #7 – Stack elite classes

After the 6th ranked class in 2023, and 8th ranked class in 2024, Miami fell a bit to the 13th ranked class in 2025. Even with that slight slip down the rankings, Miami still had the best class in the ACC for the 3rd consecutive year.

When you consider top 5 Transfer Portal classes in the last 4 years running that have augmented these recruiting classes, a good situation gets even better.

Yet another Recruiting Rule Miami was able to fulfill this year, even with a slight downturn. You know you’re recruiting at an elite level when a top 15 class and another best in conference class is the outlier in a bad way from what has been added recently. Crazy, but true.

Recruiting Rule #8 – Recruit to your strengths

I’m of two minds here. Let me explain:

Miami did well to leverage relationships and expertise to get several top end players in this class. Hayden Lowe. SJ Alofaituli. Malachi Toney. Chris Ewald. Girard Pringle. Kellen Wiley. Etc. In each of those instances, Miami played to their strengths — whether that was an NFL Hall of Fame player turned coach, or a longstanding relationship with the player or HS program, or family ties, or a clear path to playing time — and that was a major factor in securing the commitment of the targeted player.

On the other hand, Miami did poorly in leveraging a 10 win season, with the best offense in America, and the best QB in the country, to secure a truly elite class. The list of misses is long: DJ Pickett. Tarvos Alford. Ben Hanks Jr. Vernell Brown III. Dallas Wilson. Jarquez Carter. Jamie Ffrench. And there’s more where that came from.

It has been posited elsewhere that the true value of Miami’s electric 2024 season will be seen by the haul in the 2026 recruiting class. I, however, believe that view is very, VERY favorable, bordering on ridiculous. If Miami wasn’t able to parlay current year success into a truly elite recruiting class, how am I supposed to believe they will be able to do so next year, when Miami will likely take a step back without the transformational ability of Cam Ward?

Sure, an improved defense could make up the difference for an offense that will likely fall back a bit from being THE BEST OFFENSE IN THE COUNTRY, but I simply don’t buy into the narrative that 2024’s on-field success will bear recruiting fruit in 2026.

I will say this: if ever there was a time that I would have no problem being wrong, this is way high up on the list.

TL;dr: Do I think Miami recruited to their strengths in 2025? Yes. Do I think they did it particularly well? No, I do not.

Recruiting Rule #9 – Win

There were plenty of wins on the field and in recruiting trail for Miami this year. But, at the same time, there were losses on both that cannot be ignored.

Miami won 10 games during the 2024 season. They went into the regular season finale 60 minutes from an ACC Championship Game appearance, and thus a likely College Football Playoff berth. This was the first 10 win season since 2017. But, like 2017, things came crashing down at the bitter end of the year.

Included in those 10 wins were wins over Florida, Florida State, Louisville, and Virginia Tech, so plenty of good results to show that things are going on the right trajectory. I would have liked the wins to have yielded better results on the trail this cycle, but hopefully they can be part of the foundation to build a top 5 class in 2026 instead.

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It is well known that Mario Cristobal is a monster when it comes to recruiting. Even with that being the case, the 2025 class was still a step backwards from what had been accomplished previously. I know it’s the best class in the ACC, I know there were more blue chip prospects that signed with Miami than any 2 other ACC teams combined. But, the misses on the trail were big ones, and that’s something that Miami still has to address.

The Canes did well to follow The Recruiting Rules in the 2025 class, and should continue to do so in the future. The necessary addition, however, is getting a larger share of the players at the TOP of the list, particularly locally, but that’s a battle Miami’s been fighting for 25 years. Maybe this is the year they make strides along that path.

On to the 2025 season and 2026 recruiting class we go!

Go Canes