Miami football pushing late for 5-star safety Joenel Aguero

The Miami football program is pushing Georgia five days ahead of the commitment announcement from five-star safety Joenel Aguero. Multiple recruiting websites have reported that Miami is very much in the recruitment of Aguero with less than a week remaining. Ohio State is also challenging Georgia.

Aguero mentioned he has made his decision before participating in the Under Armour Future 50 over the weekend. None of the programs recruiting Aguero have been informed of his decision. When Aguero makes his commitment announcement publically is when the programs recruiting him will know his college destination.

All four crystal balls for Aguero from 247 Sports project him to commit to Georgia. The On3 prediction machine gives Georgia a 77.7 percent chance for a commitment from Aguero. Miami has an 18.3 percent chance for an Aguero commitment per On3 with Ohio State at 1.5 percent.

Georgia is trending at 80 percent for a commitment for Aguero via Rivals. The last five days ahead of the commitment announcement from Aguero will be critical in his final decision. Aguero told Sports Illustrated that head coaches, Mario Cristobal of Miami and Ryan Day of Ohio State are playing big roles in his recruitment.

In their fact or fiction column, Rivals Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney and national recruiting analyst Adam Friedman asked “Fact or Fiction: UGA still the team to beat for Joenel Aguero.” Friedman and Gorney had a semi-split decision on what Aguero will announce on Saturday.

"“After some smokescreens and changes at the top, Georgia is still the team to beat for Joenel Aguero.Gorney’s take: FACT. Mario Cristobal and his staff are doing a phenomenal job. They’re also doing a really good job with Aguero and the Canes are making it interesting down the stretch. The four-star has talked about LSU this spring and Ohio State and others but now it looks like Miami is making a run.However, I’m still going to pick the Bulldogs since they’ve been in it for so long.Friedman’s take: FICTION. Georgia has been the team to beat for a long time in Aguero’s recruitment but Miami is making a strong push to overtake the Bulldogs. Ohio State is a big player here as well. His mom really likes the Buckeyes but no decisions have been made yet.Aguero and his family seem to still be working through their decision.”"

One advantage the Miami football program could have over Georgia is Hurricanes defensive backs coach Jahmile Addae. Cristobal hired Addae away from Georgia during the offseason. Addae was the second best recruiter in 2022 as ranked by 247 Sports. Aguero discussed his recruitment with Sports Illustrated.

"“Coach Cristobal, he’s Cuban. So, my family they are Dominican. So, they already have that connection. They were speaking Spanish to each other so they have a great relationship…You know, he’s already building something great over here (at Miami). So that’s something you want to be a part of.I mean, I feel good. They are coming up. They on the come up again. So, it would be great to be a part of that. They’re just going to keep stacking up (recruits). It just (Aguero’s visit to Miami) showed how serious the coaches are to change the program. That helped me to see how they were doing better. That was really it.”Me and coach Addae, he’s been on me since he was at Georgia. That’s the main reason I liked Georgia a lot, because of him. Once he made the move to Miami it was kind of like a no-brainer. We have a good relationship. All-around, he’s a cool guy. I talk to him like probably every other day on the phone.We are always talking, just keeping connected to each other…I mean it’s like, if I want to be a part of something great, come to The U. The development, early playing time, just everything kind of just fits me.”"

Aguero would be the second highest-rated 2023 commit for the Miami football program behind five-star offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa. Defensive end Jayden Wayne is a borderline five-star 2023 prospect. The 2023 Miami recruiting class should move into the top five this week with or without an Aguero commitment.

Miami is expected to receive commitments from four-star prospects, linebacker Malik Bryant, offensive lineman Olaus Alinen and safety Jayden Bonsu. Cristobal and the Miami football staff have continued the momentum they built late in the 2022 class. Commitments from those three would move Miami into third place.