4-star DE Marquis Lightfoot commit vaults Miami football 2024 class
A commitment from 2024 four-star edge rusher Marquis Lightfoot on Monday vaulted the Miami football class into the top 20. Miami moved up to 17th from 31st earlier in the day in the 247 Sports composite rankings. The Hurricanes’ 2024 class is ranked 20th by On3 and 22nd by Rivals.
The commitment from Lightfoot is critical after a weekend of prospects that were strongly considering the Miami football program committed elsewhere. Miami gained the commitment from Lightfoot over Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Ohio State and USC. All five of those programs had benefits in their favor over Miami.
Lightfoot becomes the highest-rated commit in the 2024 Miami class. The 247 Sports composite rankings have Lightfoot as the 67th overall prospect, the sixth-rated edge rusher and third player in Illinois in the 2024 class. Lightfoot is the first edge rusher and second defensive lineman committed to Miami in the 2024 class.
Prior to committing to Miami Lightfoot was trending to Ohio State. Defensive line coach Jason Taylor and walk-on defensive back Myles Mooyoung were given credit by Lightfoot for his decision to choose Miami. Mooyoung is a graduate of Kenwood Academy in Chicago where Lightfoot currently attends.
Gaby Urrutia of Inside the U credited Taylor with earning
Three-star defensive lineman Daylen Russell who is also committed to the 2024 class was primarily recruited by Miami’s other DL coach Joe Salave’a.
Lightfoot had 183 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, 24 quarterback hurries, four pass breakups, three fumble recoveries and one forced fumble in the last two years. Several recruiting outlets project that Lightfoot has the potential to make an immediate impact for Miami as a true freshman in 2024.
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Miami moves up to the third-best class in the ACC. Clemson has the 11th-ranked class nationally and Florida State is 16th. The Tigers and Seminoles each have 13 players committed for 2024, the Hurricanes have 15. The commitment from Lightfoot will hopefully spark more commitments throughout July.