Miami Hurricanes Football: 2016 Recruiting Class Results and Grades

On Wednesday, February 3, 2016 the Miami Hurricanes, under new head coach, Mark Richt, closed out their newest recruiting class and overall it went well.

At one point, the ‘Canes were moving up the recruiting ladder and made it to No. 14 nationally (looking to move up even more), but after both ATH Tyler Byrd and WR Latrell Williams flipped their commitments to Tennessee, the winds were let out of the sails (so to speak).

Nevertheless, Miami landed four-star WR Ahmmon Richards and their recruiting class ended up ranked No. 19 in the country according to ESPN.

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The Hurricanes overall are in good shape. It’s always tough for a coach to be hired late in a season (as did Richt) and try to build and foster new recruiting relationships.

Alabama’s head coach Nick Saban, arguably one of the nation’s best recruiters, had the No. 17 ranked recruiting class in 2007, after taking over the Crimson Tide. And we’ve all seen what he can do when his roots are deeply embedded into a program.

Ultimately, it’s much more important to have a strong coaching staff in place to build and develop talent than just one recruiting class. There are college football teams that overachieve year after year without the type of recruiting classes Miami has had in the past. But in the past 13 or so years, Miami was never able to produce the results on the field.

We all know that Richt can recruit as we’ve seen top NFL and college players once call Georgia home. I just can’t wait to see what he’ll do in future years with this Miami football program once he’s built a foundation.

With everything being said, the Miami Hurricanes signed 18 players (with a bunch of early enrollees) and still came out with a Top 25 recruiting class.

With past top commits and talented players already in the midst of their college careers at Miami, there’s an opportunity to really build the ‘Canes back to greatness.

Here are my grades for ‘Canes 2016 Recruiting Class:

Wide Receiver: A

Even with the flip of Williams (who was known more for his speed than his catching ability), Miami nailed 3 amazing four-star wide receivers and all from the state of Florida. Any offensive coordinator (and quarterback) will have a party moving these three talented individuals all around the field. Sam Bruce, Dionte Mullins and Ahmmon Richards all have the potential to become the next great receiving corps at The U.

Quarterbacks: B

The only reason I give this grade a B is because Miami only took 1 quarterback in 2016. Nonetheless, he’s a good one. Jack Allison is a six-foot-five, four-star, Under Armour All-American out of Palmetto, FL. He was also my favorite quarterback at the Under Armour All-America Game (and threw a remarkable touchdown pass to now Hurricane signee Mullins).

Linebackers: A

Miami needed to build toughness on defense and what better way to start than by recruiting some beast linebackers (also all from Florida). The ‘Canes landed 2 four-stars in Shaquille Quarterman and Zachary McCloud and a three-star in Michael Pinckney. I expect them to be able to make an impact early.

Defensive Back: B –

I’m really pleased with the commits at the safety position, but they’re a bit low on cornerbacks. Miami will be losing a couple of veterans at cornerback, but will find help with three-star Malek Young (Coconut Creek, FL). Cedrick Wright and Romeo Finley, both four-stars and three-star Jeff James Jr., should all be able to start early in their careers and make an impact.

Running Back: C +

Miami is used to landing a slew of top guys at the running back position. I really like four-star Travis Homer (West Palm Beach, FL), but again, I’m used to Miami consistently landing numerous studs at the position. However, Homer could become a difference maker down the road. Currently, Miami will have Joe Yearby, Gus Edwards and a young Mark Walton. But in a couple years, we may be watching Homer fight for the top spot at Miami.

Defensive Line: B-

The Hurricanes did amazingly well on the ends with four-star’s Patrick Bethel and Joseph Jackson and I believe three-star Tyreic Martin is also a defensive end. Returning ‘Canes like Al-Quandin Muhammad, Chad Thomas and Trent Harris gives Miami a highly touted defensive end group. But, I would’ve liked to see some additional depth in the middle with some tough tackles.

Tight End: C+

Miami scored two talented players at tight end in three-star’s Jovani Haskins and Michael Irvin Jr. Currently, Miami has in my opinion, the next best great TE in David Njoku, but having depth at the position is always a huge plus.

Offensive Line: C-

The ‘Canes landed one offensive lineman in three-star, offensive tackle, Tre Johnson who flipped his commitment from Illinois. Johnson doesn’t have much experience at the position and Miami could’ve used some more depth on the line.

Overall: C

The ‘Canes definitely landed a slew of talented players that could easily result into some serious playmakers. However, there were some positions that lacked depth.

On to the 2017 Miami Hurricanes Recruiting Class.

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