Riley Overend of SwimSwam stated on Thursday that Florida reportedly doesn’t want the Miami Hurricanes to join the SEC. Rumors have been flying nationally since the blockbuster news last week that UCLA and USC, the cornerstone athletic programs of the Pac-12 were leaving the conference for the Big 10.
The ACC is at a crossroads with the Big 10 and SEC continuing to build their brands. The Miami Hurricanes will have to decide if they want to stay in the ACC and potentially help build the conference or look to move on to potentially the Big 10 or SEC. Florida reportedly doesn’t want to have to recruit against Miami in the SEC.
Braden Keith, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of SwimSwan posted tweeted the information about Florida. Keith also tweeted that the SEC is pursuing Clemson, Florida State, North Carolina and Virginia. Miami could have a greater chance to block off South Florida if they are in the SEC. Florida has that advantage now.
Mario Cristobal has quickly rebuilt the Miami football program into a top 10 team in recruiting. Miami moved from the 70s to 16th overall in a short period of time under Cristobal in the 2022 recruiting cycle and currently has the 11th-ranked class in 2023. Miami should move up in the recruiting rankings this weekend.
Source says that Florida is trying to block Miami because they don’t want those recruiting battles.
— Braden Keith (@Braden_Keith) July 7, 2022
Miami is expected to receive a commitment from five-star edge rusher, Jayden Wayne, on Saturday. Wayne would vault Miami into the top five classes nationally for 2023. Miami has several blue-chip recruits who are making decisions this month that have the potential to keep them in the top five.
Overend reported that money is a major factor with a few SEC teams not wanting rivals to join the conference. Being a hometown team in a big market is reportedly another factor. The SEC already has Miami as a major market with Florida alums having a heavy presence in South Florida. The SEC could potentially have all of Florida.
As a private school, Miami does not have to report its financial information. There are multiple other factors for Miami that could impact the Florida athletic department. Would Florida athletes lose name, image and likeness opportunities if Miami joined the SEC? Conference realignment will continue to evolve.