Miami Hurricanes Recruiting: Hurricanes Look to Close 2015 Class Strong

National Signing Day is next Wednesday, and the recruiting trails are starting to heat up. The last week is the craziest week in recruiting. It’s where you see surprises, people flip to other schools, and last weekend visits before the all important decision of where a student-athlete will spend the next four years of his live.

Al Golden and the Miami Hurricanes had a disappointing 2014 season, but it hasn’t stopped their recruiting efforts, as they try to land yet another top-20 class. Miami’s class is currently ranked 20th by 247sports.com, but there’s still room for improvement.

There are still a number of players that the Hurricanes are fighting for and the thought around the program is that Miami will add a couple more players to close out the 2015 class strongly. If Golden and Co. can close out strong after a 6-7 season, it’s an indication of how well they recruit — even if it’s not the kids a lot of South Florida people want.

With exactly seven days till National Signing Day, let’s take a look at some of the recruits Miami is still fighting to get, or fighting to keep.

Players Miami is trying to keep

Four-star running back Jordan Scarlett

Many people believe that Jordan Scarlett is the best running back in the state despite of what recruiting services believe. Scarlett possesses the rare combination of power and speed, and impressed throughout the year at St. Thomas Aquinas. Scarlett has not been under-recruited by any means, and Miami is currently trying to hold him off from both Florida and Florida State. Florida seems to be the biggest threat to the Hurricanes, but after his official visit to Florida, Scarlett remained committed (and said so, too) to Miami. Scarlett will take his final visit to Florida State this weekend, which is obviously something to keep an eye out, but if I would have to pick, I’d say Scarlett sticks with his pledge to the Canes next Wednesday.

Three-star wide receiver Terrell Chatman

Terrell Chatman is one of the two wide receivers commits in this cycle and he’s extremely skilled at the position. Chatman is my personal favorite wide receiver in this class and the Hurricanes have done a nice job scouting and getting him to come down from Louisiana. There have been some concerns about Chatman possibly changing his mind and flipping to TCU, but Miami has the last say. The Hurricanes hold his last visit this upcoming weekend, and they are going to try to secure him during the visit, just like they did with Lawrence Cager last weekend. Chatman and Cager (and possibly someone else, keep reading) would be a nice group for Miami at the wide receiver position.

Players Miami is trying to flip

Four-star quarterback Torrance Gibson

Torrance Gibson is always in the middle of a hot debate of what his college position should be. Some people think he’ll be a good dual-threat quarterback, while most say he’ll be an excellent wide receiver. One thing everyone agrees on, is that he’s a player that any school must have. Gibson is an Ohio State commit, but he appears to read the writings on the wall about the quarterback position for the Buckeyes. Gibson has taken an official visit to Auburn, and will take an official visit to Miami this upcoming weekend. It’s unknown what Gibson is thinking, or what he wants, since he won’t speak to the media, but Miami having him on campus last is a great sign. Al Golden will sell him that he could be the backup quarterback for the Canes immediately, instead of being a fifth-stringer at Ohio State. It’ll come down to if Gibson wants to stay home or if he wants to go to a school that makes more sense to his playing style.

Four-star cornerback Davante Davis 

Davante Davis is a big, physical corner out of Booker T. Washington that committed to Texas on New Year’s day. However, with the “Florida 5″ that Texas was planning breaking up, Davis is reconsidering his commitment. The 6’3” 200 pound cornerback took an official visit to Miami on January 16th. More importantly, he took that visit with Antonio Callaway (more on him coming up) and Canes running back commit Mark Walton. Both of which are teammates of Davis. It’s unknown how much interest Davis actually has in the Hurricanes. If he decides that he wants to play with some of his teammates, the Canes should have a pretty good shot at stealing him away from Texas.

Three-star linebacker Mohamed Barry

Mohamed Barry is currently a Kansas State commit, but that shouldn’t last too long. Barry will be announcing his college decision on Thursday, and many believe that he will be choosing Miami. Barry took an official visit to Miami January 16th, and follow that one up with a Nebraska visit. The Nebraska visit was a good one for Barry and he seemed to enjoy it up there, but Miami could offer him a ton of early playing time with the departure of a couple of linebackers. Barry will be the first one out of this list that will announce, and Canes fans hope that he starts it off the right way.

Uncommitted players Miami is in the running for

Four-star defensive tackle Kendrick Norton

Well, when you talk about needs, you always find yourself talking about defensive tackles. Kendrick Norton played offensive guard in high school, but his college position seems to be on the defensive line. Norton is definitely a priority for Miami, and they seem to be the leader for his services. Norton, however, will take a visit to Auburn this upcoming weekend, and that’s a bit of a concern. It could come down to a Miami vs. Auburn battle for the talented defensive tackle from Jacksonville, Florida. North Carolina is a dark horse to watch out for in the last week.

UPDATE: Norton’s final three are Auburn, North Carolina and Miami

Five-star defensive tackle Rasheem Green and five-star linebacker John Houston

John Houston seems poised to pick USC on national signing day, which hurts Miami’s chances for Rasheem Green. Green is a monster and Miami could use him from day one. The problem is that both Green and Houston have expressed interest in playing with one another, and going to USC makes the most sense to both. It’s been a long time since Green and Houston came to Miami’s campus, and that might ultimately hurt the Canes as both southern California kids, seem to be on their way to USC. I really hope I’m wrong on Green.

Four-star defensive back Marcus Lewis

Marcus Lewis has been a hot topic among UM message boards this week. Lewis had been thought to be a Miami lean up until this week. The belief is that it’s still a 50-50 race between Miami and Kentucky for Lewis’ services. Lawrence Cager has been in the ear of Lewis, as both are from the DMV area, and that’s hopefully enough to sway Lewis to Coral Gables. The talented Under-Armour All-American cornerback/safety will pick between Miami and Kentucky on February 3rd.

Three-star defensive tackle Kevin Scott

Kevin Scott is another player that Miami will have to try and steal away from USC and California. Scott visited Miami last weekend and said that it was “amazing”. Scott put the Hurricanes in his top-5 earlier this week, and he will announce on National Signing Day. This seems to be a Miami-USC battle down the stretch. This is something Miami coaches will have to deal with as they continue their recruiting efforts in California.

Three-star wide receiver Antonio Callaway

For most of the recruiting cycle, many believed Antonio Callaway would end up in Gainesville as a Gator, but after the coaching changes, Callaway now appears to be a Miami lean with one week left till NSD. Callaway visited on January 16th and was seen hanging out a lot with teammates Mark Walton and Davante Davis, and also their ex coach “Ice” Harris. That strong connection seems to be what’s pulling the talented receiver Miami’s way. Callaway, however, still has one visit left to Florida before he makes his announcement next Wednesday. If Miami is able to land Callaway, it should help out with cornerback Davante Davis.

Three-star offensive lineman Frederick Johnson 

Frederick Johnson was rumored to be the next Miami commit for weeks, but he has then gone a bit ghost. According to 247sports, Johnson will be taking an official visit to Tennessee this weekend. I don’t know if that’s just him taking visits, or if he’s actually looking for another school. People still believe he’ll be a Hurricane, but it’s still something to keep monitoring.

The Hurricanes seem to be in good position to close out strong in this class, and that’s good news when you consider how the season turned out. If Miami can pull half of these kids, and retain the ones they already have, they should secure yet another top-15 class.

We’re just one week away till NSD. Buckle up.