Miami football staff more focused on recruiting than bowl game

With over two weeks until the Miami football team plays Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana, Hurricanes head coach Manny Diaz said he and his staff are more focused on recruiting this week.

Manny Diaz and the Miami football coaching staff are trying to secure a few last-minute high profile players for the Hurricanes 2020 signing class. According to the 247 Sports Composite rankings, the Hurricanes 2020 class is currently 15th ranked nationally. That is one spot below where they were last week.

Despite some defections, the Miami football program has come out ahead with the Thanksgiving commitments from four-star commits, running back Jaylan Knighton and cornerback Jalen Harrell. Diaz and his staff are working on getting commitments from five-star players tight end Darnell Washington and linebacker Justin Flowe.

Flowe is the fifth-ranked player overall and the top-ranked LB and player in California for 2020. Clemson and Oregon, led by former Miami offensive line Mario Cristobal are the favorites to sign him. Washington is the 10th ranked player overall, the top-ranked athlete and player in Nevada for 2020.

Is Miami gaining on Georgia who is the prohibitive favorite to land the 6’8, 261 pound freakish athlete? He would give the Hurricanes a troika of extremely talented players at the position. Miami already has another outstanding tight end from Las Vegas, sophomore Brevin Jordan. Jordan will likely leave for the NFL after 2020.

Washington posted a Tweet with his appreciation of the Miami football program on Monday afternoon. Washington has said in the past that he appreciates the history Miami has a tight end. Diaz spoke more in general about the plan for the rest of the month for he and the Miami coaching staff with recruiting and bowl practice.

"“We are nine days out from signing day. Very excited about the way this class is shaping up. We’ve got our entire staff right now on the road trying to finish what is already a very strong recruiting class with a couple remaining pieces that we think can make it even stronger.After we get through another official visit weekend this weekend coming up, we will focus our full attention on finishing the season the way it needs to be finished and putting together an outstanding effort to defeat Louisiana Tech. They are not just solid, they are committed and that word gets thrown around in recruiting.They want to be part of the solution and they want that to happen right away. Their energy, their excitement, the way they look you in the eye, the way they talk about what’s going to happen, and that’s what they do amongst themselves in that group chat.But whether it’s through phone conversations, text messaging with our coaches or when we get a chance to meet them in the home, they see it. They see a bond, and sometimes that’s just what it takes…We’ve got some great leaders in that class that guys want to rally around and that guys want to play together.And I think that actually helped attract a few more guys into that class because there’s something about what makes these guys special (a few players are) in the boat that are solid and have stuck together for a long time…Tend to be low-drama, low-maintenance, high-output guys when they come to college, which is really what we’re looking for…When you’ve got high-maintenance, low-output guys, then you generally tend to have a problem. And that’s something we’ve been fighting and we’ve been dealing with here for a little while.To call it a win, or however you want to define it, if we can just finish on these last few targets, and whether that comes in on the 18th or whether that comes in February, I think just the last couple steps [are] to try to make our 2020 team as good as it can be…Not just in terms of our talent collection but in terms of the mindset and the mentality that these guys have to be Hurricanes."

There is a lot to digest and some of it can be considered hyperbole. The class is in good shape as we mentioned above is 15th nationally. Diaz is likely referring to Flowe, Washington and former Florida State commit, four-star LB Keshawn Green about finishing strongly.

If Miami can add any combination of those three they can move up into the top 10 classes for 2020. That would be an incredible accomplishment after a 6-6 regular season. To turn around the entire Miami football program they need the vast majority of the class to be special not just one or two players.

Miami Hurricanes Football

The 2016 Miami signing class including the trio of Shaq Quarterman, Michael Pinckney and Zach McCloud. They started together as freshmen in 2016 and for the majority of their careers through 2018. McCloud saw his snaps decrease over the last two seasons because of the advent of the striker position.

He chose to redshirt this year and will be the starter at middle LB in 2020. Miami needs more than that with the 2020 signing class. They have a pair of potential stars at running back that is expected to sign next week. Don Chaney Jr. and Knighton are the best pair of RBs committed to any school in the country.

The same could have been said about Lorenzo Lingard and Cam’Ron Harris in 2018. Lingard has barely played since last season because of an injury. Harris has been very good in reserve of Travis Homer who is now with the Seattle Seahawks and DeeJay Dallas who is out for the season with a dislocated elbow.

Expecting an entire freshmen class in football to change the trajectory of a program immediately is a lot to ask. Football players mature at a different rate than in sports like basketball. As he did hyping the program last offseason, Diaz might be putting too much pressure on his soon to be freshmen.

Most fans do not understand all the nuances that go into shaping a football program and allowing it and players to evolve. The 2020 recruiting class could be the cornerstone of Diaz’s tenure at Miami. It might wind up being what makes or breaks his success. A lot of that falls on him on and off the field.