5-star CB Donte Wright's flip to Miami has proven to be the stunner of recruiting season

The fact that the Miami Hurricanes have a top-5 recruiting class isn't a surprise. Mario Cristobal hits the trail as hard as any coach in the country, and he has a staff that is locked in with recruiting.

But that doesn't mean that the makings of the Hurricanes class hasn't included several surprises, most of which have come from Cristobal and staff flipping a few blue-chip recruits. Some of those prospects, like five-star edge rusher Jaiden Bryant, who flipped to Miami from LSU, were somewhat expected as the rumors began to circulate. But in the case of five-star cornerback Donte Wright, the flip came out of nowhere and sent shock waves throughout college football.

READ MORE: Miami and Mario Cristobal flip elite 5-star recruit from Georgia and Kirby Smart

It wasn't a surprise that Wright flipped from Georgia. There had been plenty of speculation that Wright wasn't going to be in the Bulldogs class. But the general belief was that Wright was staying in the Pacific time zone.

"I know he was committed to Georgia, but he had been wavering quite a bit, and it seemed all signs were pointing to him flipping, but to Oregon, not necessarily Miami," Rivals/On3 Miami writer EJ Holland said on the Inside Scoop with Josh Newberg. "He's a 5-star, No. 10 overall recruit in the country and one that I don't think anyone saw coming. That was such a huge recruiting win to basically steal him away from Oregon."

5-star CB Donte Wright's flip was the best surprise for Miami

Wright's unofficial visit to Miami over the spring didn't get a lot of notice, because most people thought if he was going to flip it would be to Oregon. But what they didn't know was that Hurricanes GM Dennis Smith and secondary coach Will Harris, who handles a lot of the recruiting in Southern California, were going to present Wright with a compelling reason to be part of the Hurricanes' class. They presented him with the depth chart for the next few years and the staff's history of playing young guys and continuing to develop them into top-level talent and eventual NFL draft picks. 

The pitch worked and on May 9, Wright made the decision. He has since shut everything down and helped the Hurricanes staff with their recruitment of Bryant and four-star wide receiver Eli Woodard, another player from Southern California. Wright has shown a laser-like focus to live up to the billing as the best defensive back in the country. He works out with Jalen Ramsey, and he took one of the MVP honors at The Opening a couple of weeks ago. 

READ MORE: Miami commit Donte Wright takes home top Day 1 honor at The Opening Finals

"They're getting a guy that can shut down an entire side of the field, but what I really like about Donte Wright is his experience playing multiple positions on the back end," Holland added. "I think he can eventually grow into a shut-down corner, but with that experience playing safety and nickel as well...he's a guy that can come in and make an immediate impact."

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