Miami football gets three more commitments after Paradise Camp

After three players committed to the Miami football program during the first day of Paradise camp on Friday night, the Hurricanes picked up three more verbal commits on Saturday as the Camp concluded.

The first three commits the Miami football program picked up on Friday night are all in the Class of 2020 at South Dade High School in Homestead. Four-Star offensive guard Jonathan Denis and defensive backs Keshawn Washington and Jaiden Francois all pledged their allegiance to the Miami Hurricanes two seasons from now.

Canes Warning covered the South Dade’s commits on Saturday after their announcements to Miami. The Hurricanes were able to get Denis’ commitment over 15 other schools. That included Florida and Florida State.

"“Denis is the first offensive lineman in the Miami football class for 2020. Washington and Francois are the first safeties for 2020 and the second and third defensive backs to commit to Miami.Denis is the 314th ranked player overall in the class of 2020, the 12th best guard and 51st ranked player in the state of Florida.”"

The other three commits to the Miami football program are defensive tackle Jalar Holley, wide receiver Bryan Robinson and Defensive End Donell Harris. Holley is in the Class of 2019, Robinson 2020 and Harris 2021.

All three players took to Twitter to make their announcements about their decision to attend Miami. Holley is a 6’2 280 pound defensive tackle from Buford, Georgia. He is the 828th ranked player in the country, the 55th ranked defensive tackle and 85th ranked player in the state of Georgia.

Holley is the lowest ranked player in Miami’s Storm ’19 Class. His commitment did not move the needle for Miami’s ranking as the 19th best-recruiting class for 2019.

Robinson adds to Miami’s top-ranked class in 2020. He is the Hurricanes third highest-rated recruit in his class and their highest ranked wide receiver. Robinson is the second wide receiver for 2020 to commit to Miami. Marcus Fleming, a three-star recruit from Miami Southridge High School is the other.

Robinson is 6’0 175 pounds from Palm Beach Central High School. He is the 87th ranked player in the Class of 2020, the 17th best wide receiver and 12th best player in Florida. With Ahmmon Richards potentially leaving after this season and Jeff Thomas possibly gone after 2019, Robinson’s commitment was important.

Heading into his Sophomore year in high school Harris is just one of three commitments Miami has picked up for the 2021 recruiting class. A weakside defensive end, Harris is currently 6’5 210 pounds. No rankings have been posted yet for the 2021 class.

Getting the players on campus is always an important step in the recruiting process. To have as many players as they did they weekend can help the classes recruit themselves. Once a player makes his decision he can be an ambassador for his class. Sophomore running back DeeJay Dallas did that Miami’s 2017 recruiting class.

Miami Head Coach Mark Richt was quoted in the Miami Herald about what the Paradise Camp means to his program.

"“Just the name of the camp is indicative of how we feel, how I feel about this place…It does look like a resort here. We do feel like we live down here in paradise. It’s a place that’s different probably than any other Power Five school in America.It’s a great private school education. We’re down here and have got the vibe of Miami, all the beaches, all the things that are fun to do around here that they can do.But being part of a tradition, it’s unmatched. I mean, we’ve had some of the greatest teams in the history of college football. You can probably pick about three of those national championship teams and say they were the best ever. Kids want to be a part of that.”"

There are always going to be doubters about what you are trying to accomplish. That’s especially true when you have been on top as many times as Miami has. Richt is hoping to build on the tradition. He has accomplished a lot in his two years leading the Miami football program.

The Hurricanes enter 2018 hoping to continue to build on the standards Richt has set during his first two seasons in Coral Gables. With a top ten ranking to begin 2018, Miami’s football program has shown signs of returning to the nation’s elite teams.