Miami football could flip 2020 top safety

The Miami football program has been exceptional on the recruiting trail during the six months plus of the Manny Diaz era. The Hurricanes are in contention to flip the top safety in the Class of 2020.

The Miami football 2020 recruiting class is getting close to filling out. Manny Diaz and his staff have been piling up commitments in the last two months. There are still a few positions of need and the Hurricanes are working hard on uncommitted recruits and several that are committed to other programs.

Recruiting doesn’t stop until players sign their National Letters of Intent in December or February. Miami was able to flip four-star cornerback Christian Williams from Alabama to Coral Gables in February. Williams signing help stem the tide of lost recruits under Mark Richt. Miami is poised to flip more in the 2020 recruiting cycle.

Two Hurricanes prospects have already de-committed from other schools and Miami is considered among the favorites to land them. Wide receiver Dazalin Worsham and offensive lineman Isaiah Walker backed off their commitments from Alabama and South Carolina and are considering the Miami football program.

Beyond those four-star recruits, Miami has their eyes on other 2020 players who are committed to other programs. The 2020 Hurricanes recruiting class is currently the strongest at wide receiver, defensive back and linebacker. In this pass-happy era, Miami could still be looking to add more DBs in the 2020 recruiting cycle.

The players that seem most likely to flip from other schools to the Miami football program and who Manny Diaz and his staff are continuing to recruit are in the secondary.

The primary of those targets seems to be four-star safety, Avantae Williams. Williams is currently committed to Oregon, but 247Sports crystal ball projects him to Miami.

Williams commitment to Oregon seems shaky. He is the 47th ranked player overall, the top-ranked safety and sixth-ranked player in Florida for 2020. Miami could have an in for flipping Williams. He is the cousin of current Miami rising sophomore running back Lorenzo Lingard. Williams attended Paradise Camp last month.

Williams initially committed to Miami with Lingard in 2017. The 5’11, 170 pound safety committed to Oregon on December 16, 2018. His experience at Paradise Camp indicated that Williams could be considering flipping to Miami. From Deland, Northeast of Orlando, Williams told the Miami Herald South Florida feels like home.

"“They say get back home,” Williams said. “I feel like it’s home. … I can be myself. I ain’t got to like put on an act. I can be myself. Everybody thinks from I’m from here, but I’m not from Miami.”"

Williams raced with a group of the older running backs, wide receivers and defensive backs at Paradise Camp last month. After the race initially being too close to call, the rising senior in high school clearly won the race. Williams sought out Lingard following his victory.

There are currently five crystal ball projections for Williams on 247Sports.Com. The most recent by Luke Stampini has a toss-up between Georgia and Oregon. The more distant ones have two that projected Williams to Miami. With about five and a half months remaining until signing day anything can happen.