Demarcus DeRoche is done with all the recruiting games. The 4-star tight end decided to shut down his recruitment and is locked in with the Hurricanes.
Deroche, a local prospect from Fort Lauderdale who committed to Miami back in August, was starting to get a lot of interest from other programs and had even entertained taking a couple of official visits. But instead, he wants to stay solid with the Hurricanes and help Mario Cristobal and the staff build a top class for the 2027 cycle.
Miami 4-star TE commit Demarcus Deroche is locked in with the Hurricanes despite several other schools continuing to push, he tells @ChadSimmons_🙌
— Rivals (@Rivals) February 24, 2026
“I am shutting my recruitment down. I am locked in with Miami.”
Read: https://t.co/f510ObaMsK pic.twitter.com/KOGWwixfQD
Demarcus DeRoche is locked in with the Hurricanes
It was just a few days ago that DeRoche said he was likely to take official visits to Texas and Florida State and possibly other schools. But since then, things have changed and the standout from Cardinal Gibbons High School solidified his pledge and wants to be part of the welcoming committee for other targets that will be on campus over the spring and summer.
DeRoche spoke with Brian Dohn of 247Sports and said that it was the relationships that made him decide he didn't need to look around elsewhere.
"It' the coaches, Coach Cristobal and how he led them to the national championship game this year. Coach Frank [Tucker, director of recruiting relations], him being a really energetic guy, bringing me there and helping me, Miami's helped me with a lot," DeRoche said.
There's always a lot of pressure on Miami to sign the local-area prospects and the Hurricanes get their fair share of them. But keeping them committed can be difficult because every program in the country is trying to get a bigger presence in South Florida. With DeRoche locked in, he'll be one of the players that's around campus a lot and will have a great opportunity to bond with the players and coaches while he finishes his final year of high school.
It's been a solid week for Miami in recruiting circles. Earlier this week, five-star wide receiver Monshun Sales announced that he'll be taking an official visit to Miami in June and over the weekend the Hurricanes received a commitment from junior college defensive back Takai Azziz.