Miami Football Early National Signing Day 2020: NLI tracker and live blog

Early National Signing Day 2021 is here with the Miami football program poised to sign a top 10 class.

The Miami football program is expected to add a top 10 class on Early National Signing Day Wednesday. Miami is expected to sign its first pair of five-star players in the same class since 2008. Defensive tackle Leonard Taylor and safety James Williams should have major impacts on the Miami defense in the next three years.

The biggest question mark entering Wednesday is if Miami will sign four-star quarterback Jake Garcia. Garcia is the 46th ranked player, fifth-ranked pro-style QB and fifth-ranked player in Georgia in the class of 2021. Miami is the favorite to sign Garcia after he de-committed from USC earlier this month.

All of the 20 committed players to the 2021 Miami recruiting class are expected to sign their National Letters of Intent on Wednesday and most if not all are expected to enroll early next month. Manny Diaz said during his Monday press conference that he is not sure if there will be spring practice in 2021.

Miami got in four days of spring practice in 2020 before sports were shut down in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 class is expected to upgrade the Miami football roster. Taylor and Williams could become impact players as freshmen and the wide receiver groups is particularly strong.

Wide receiver Jacolby George was the first signee in the 2021 Miami class to sign his National Letter of Intent. The official Miami football Twitter account reported that George sent in his NLI at 7:28 AM Eastern Time. Athlete Malik Curtis was the next to send in his NLI as reported by CanesFootball.

Offensive lineman Michael McLaughlin had his NLI reported at 8:13 AM ET. McLaughlin is a converted tight end who will bring athleticism to the Miami offensive line at tackle. At 6’7 290, McLaughlin still has room to fill out. David Feeley has been exceptional working with the Miami football players in the weight room.

Miami will receive NLIs throughout the day. Garcia will announce where he will be attending college at 6:30 PM ET. There will be other players to watch with Miami attempting to flip some other recruits. Cornerback Ja’Den McBurrows who is committed to Michigan could become a Miami signee.

As of 8:29 ET center, Ryan Rodriguez became the latest Miami football signee. The list will evolve throughout the day. The Miami football Twitter account is providing updates as soon as they receive the official NLIs. The majority of the 2020 Miami football class is from South Florida.

The Miami football team added another key skill player on offense with the addition of bruising running back Thad Franklin. Franklin will complement junior Cam’Ron Harris and freshmen Don Chaney Jr. and Jaylan Knighton. Miami is evolving running and Franklin will provide a needed dimension in 2021 and beyond.

Chase Smith will play striker and is the son of Miami football legend Willie Smith. The athleticism that Smith will bring at striker provides Miami with more size at the position than the Hurricanes have had in the past. Striker has previously been converted defensive backs into the hybrid position with linebacker.

Deshaun Troutman is a playmaker at inside linebacker. Troutman has 89 tackles and 11 tackles for loss this season for Edgewater High School in Orlando. Troutman will compete in the future with freshman Corey Flagg at ILB. Redshirt senior Zach McCloud has the option to return for the 2021 season.

Defensive tackle Allan Haye has a huge upside. Haye is a three-star signee who has only been playing football for a few years. Haye will provide more depth to one of the deepest positions in the Miami football program. The only senior DT for Miami is Jon Ford. Junior Nesta Silvera has the option to enter the 2021 NFL Draft.

Four-star safety Kamren Kinchens is one of three Hurricanes signees from Miami Northwestern. Tight end Khalil Brantley and WR and Romello Brinson are also a part of the 2021 Miami signing class. Kinchens is another safety added to the Miami football roster that signed four in the class of 2020.

Brantley and Brinson are more threats to the Miami offense. Brantley is one of two tight ends Miami in the 2021 Miami signing class with four-star Elijah Arroyo. Brinson provides size Miami needs at 6’2 on the outside for the Miami class. The Northwestern trio should all eventually make impacts.

Kicker Andres Borregales will continue the family tradition of kicking for the Miami football program that began this season when his brother Jose transferred from FIU. Andres made 12 out of 15 field-goal attempts in his last full season in 2019 with a long of 57 yards.

Arroyo is expected to be the next great TE for Miami. The athletic TE from Dallas had 31 receptions for 690 yards and 13 touchdowns in nine games this season. With Brevin Jordan possibly leaving for the NFL, Arroyo will team with Will Mallory at TE for Miami in 2021.

Legacy signee linebacker Tyler Johnson is the brother of former Miami Hurricanes great, safety Jaquan Johnson. Tyler is projected as an outside LB and is one of three players Miami will sign at the position with Troutman and Thomas Davis who is projected to be converted to an edge rusher at Miami.

Four-star guard Laurence Seymore will add depth and talent on the offensive line. Seymore will eventually be a starter in the middle of the Hurricanes offensive that will likely be anchored by tackles Jalen Rivers and Issiah Walker in the next few seasons.

Jabari Ismael will become the latest star edge rusher to play for Manny Diaz and defensive coordinator Blake Baker in the Miami football program. Ishmael is the son of assistant strength and conditioning coordinator Victor Ishmael who has been with the Miami football program for about 20 years.

The latest addition to the 2021 Miami signing class is speedy four-star WR Breshard Smith. Smith signs with the Hurricanes from Miami Palmetto and is a high school teammate of Taylor. Smith will likely play in the slot for Miami and could also contribute on special teams.

Taylor is the highest-ranked player in the 2021 Miami signing class. The five-star DT is the 10th ranked player, top-ranked DT and second-ranked player in Florida for 2021. Taylor and Williams will team to give Miami a pair of dominant players on defense. The Miami defense should rebound from a down year in the future.

Thomas Davis played MLB for most of his senior year of high school. Miami lists him as a defensive end and Davis will be an edge rusher for the Hurricanes. Davis is a three-star signee with a high upside amidst the position change. Davis and Ismael give Miami a bright future off the edge.

Williams is an elite talent with the ability to play almost everywhere on defense. At Miami, Williams will likely be used as a safety, LB, or striker with the potential to play DE. Taylor and Williams give Miami two top 15 players nationally in the same class for the first time in at least a college generation of players.

The 2021 Miami recruiting class is currently ranked 11th nationally. The addition of Garcia or a key recruit flipping from one of the programs ahead of the Hurricanes. Oklahoma and Michigan are ninth and 10th. Miami holds a slight lead over ACC Coastal Division rival North Carolina.