Under Armour Recruiting Notebook: Miami Defensive Prospects
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Cover photo of Miami Norlando DT Dimitry Nicolas; photo credit to Brian Smith.
WINTER GARDEN, Fla. -- The Miami Hurricanes have been making an emphasis to recruit the best prospects from across the state of Florida. On Sunday in Orlando, the Under Armour Next combine series saw many of those same prospects come together and compete.
From an intel perspective, there were a lot of positive comments about newly hired members of the Miami staff, defensive coordinator Lance Guidry included.
Here’s a rundown of several of the top class of 2024 defensive prospects that Mario Cristobal and the Hurricanes have offered and continue to recruit.
Cai Bates, CB, Orlando (Fla.) Edgewater
One of the hottest names in recruiting regardless of position or state, Bates recently picked up North Carolina State, Florida State, Alabama and Ohio State offers.
He’s also still in communication with the Canes, and Miami is in the thick of the race. Long, long way to go with Bates and where he eventually signs his letter of intent.
Brandon Jacob, S, Orlando (Fla.) Evans
Miami has been recruiting Jacob hard for quite some time. He’s one of the most intelligent defensive backs in Florida and one that helps make checks and adjustments.
During an interview with All Hurricanes back in February,, Jacob mentioned “Miami, Maryland, Florida State, UCF, Colorado and Alabama” as schools he was most interested in.
Based on discussion with Jacob Sunday he’s content with where his recruitment is right now. He’s just trying to narrow down where he will visit. Miami, once again, should be considered a prime choice to receive one of those officials.
Ricky Knight III, CB/ATH, Palm Beach (Fla.) The Benjamin School
This is a player that Miami, as well as many other schools, would like to land. Playing at The Benjamin School has not allowed the same type of attention that many other in-state prospects have seen, but Knight’s upside is tremendous.
Miami offered back in January. The Canes will have to fend off Florida State, where Knight III took an unofficial visit recently. It will be interesting to see if some of the major SEC schools also come calling.
Tyclean Luman and Tycoolhill Luman, DE, Miami (Fla.) Norland
The twins have been hearing from a plethora of programs. While they did not want to point to any one school as definitely recruiting them the hardest, Miami and Oklahoma were mentioned quite often during conversations with each of them.
Auburn, Florida State, Rutgers, and many others are also in the mix. Considering the deep talent pool at Norland this year, the Canes will be checking in at that particular program quite often.
LJ McCray, DE, Daytona Beach (Fla.) Mainland
LJ McCray fits the profile of a big-time college defensive lineman.
McCray was one of those prospects that stood out physically among numerous others. His imposing 6-foot-6 and 260-pound frame was impressive.
Miami would love to have him in Coral Gables, and McCray knows that. This will be a national battle as players with his overall upside – length and athleticism – are rare.
Look for McCray’s recruitment to play out later in the year and Miami to be one of those schools in consideration.
Zavier Mincey, DB, Daytona Beach (Fla.) Mainland
Mincey admitted that Miami has been recruiting him and he wants to get down to Coral Gables. He’s pretty open with his recruitment right now, overall.
Mincey is an all-around athlete. He was a key part of Mainland’s state runner-up basketball team, and he also did well at Under Armour Sunday.
He’s one of the longest defensive backs in the country. He wants to play cornerback at the next level. His tenacity could also see him play safety or the hybrid linebacker/safety role over the slot.
Dimitry Nicolas, DT, Miami (Fla.) Norland
Out of all the major in-state recruiting battles, Nicolas could be the most intriguing. Any one of Florida, Florida State, or Miami could be a landing spot while out-of-state programs like Pitt are doing a good job, too. Miami has the attention of his mother, as she really liked a recent visit to Coral Gables. Keep that in mind.
Nicolas also admitted he’s continuing to consider programs long in the mix for him. Nicolas has been offered by Oregon, Ole Miss, Michigan State, Georgia, Auburn, Michigan, and many others.
A summer decision could be on the table for the former Monsignor Pace prospect, but no official visits have been set.
Zaquan Patterson, S, Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna
Miami has done an excellent job in recruiting Patterson. “They text me every day,” Patterson said of Miami. He also brought up how the Canes are telling him that Miami is his home. Out of all the top-notch South Florida prospects, one could make a strong argument that Miami has the best shot with Patterson.
That stated, he’s being hammered by a host of other programs as well. It will be interesting to see which schools he eventually takes official visits with.
One of the most imposing prospects was Orlando (Fla.) Jones DT D'antre Robinson. He's one of the prospects that Mario Cristobal and the Canes would love to add to their roster.
D’antre Robinson, DT, Orlando (Fla.) Jones
Robinson will be taking a bus tour to schools all over the Southeast in the near future. Kentucky, Louisville, Georgia Tech, Florida State, and Florida are just some of them.
The U has been recruiting the massive 300-plus-pound interior defensive lineman for a long time. Based on conversation with Robinson, look for Miami to be in strong consideration for one of his official visits this summer.
These were just some of the overall prospects that Miami has been recruiting. There were certainly others there as well.
Look for for an offensive recruiting notebook later today on All Hurricanes.
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