Miami football competitive in top 3 for 5-star DL Aydin Breland

Sept 6, 2019; Virginia Beach, VA, USA; Mandatory credit: Peter Casey
Sept 6, 2019; Virginia Beach, VA, USA; Mandatory credit: Peter Casey /
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The Miami football program was named with Georgia and Oregon in the top three for five-star defensive lineman Aydin Breland on Wednesday. Breland is the 35th prospect, sixth DL and third player in California out of Santa Ana Mater Dei according to the 247 Sports Composite rankings.

There are no 247 Sports crystal balls logged for Breland. The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine projects Georgia with a 26.7 percent chance for a Breland commitment, Oregon at 20.1 percent and Miami at 14.4. Among the programs that Breland did not name as a finalist, Texas A&M is the leader at 7.6 percent.

The primary Breland Miami recruiter is Joe Salave’a and Jason Taylor is the secondary recruiter. Greg Biggins of 247 Sports reported that Breland does not have a timeline about when he will make a decision, but he could have a better idea following a visit to Georgia this weekend. Breland took an official visit to Georgia in June.

Miami, Oregon and Texas A&M also received official visits from Breland in June. Alabama, Colorado, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Tennessee and USC all received unofficial visits from Breland within the last year according to his On3 recruiting page. Mario Cristobal was the first coach to offer Breland.

Cristobal offered Breland when he was the head coach at Oregon. Breland told Biggins that Cristobal is easy to talk to, that they have a great relationship, that he loves the campus vibe and energy and that Salave’a is an awesome guy. Having Taylor as the secondary recruiter for Breland has to help too.

Breland projects as a defensive tackle. Miami already has commitments from four-star edge rushers Marquise Lightfoot and Elias Rudolph. A commitment from Breland would make an already elite Miami DL class potentially the best in the 2024 recruitment cycle. Mario Cristobal is making the line of scrimmage a priority.

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Miami already has a deep group of edge rushers. Leonard Taylor will likely leave for the NFL following the 2023 season. Branson Deen is in his last season of eligibility. Miami needs to add depth and elite talent to the DL. A commitment from the 6’5 and 295-pound Breland would be significant for the Miami football program.