5-star commit A'mir Sears will show the nation why the future is so bright for Miami

The final Saturday in August means that high school football gets to take the national stage.

ESPN's annual High School Football kickoff starts Friday night with St. Joseph's (New Jersey) against Mt. Carmel (Illinois), but the games that Miami Hurricanes fans are really going to be interested in are Saturday when Christopher Columbus takes on Las Vegas powerhouse Bishop Gorman and St. Thomas Aquinas battles DeSoto (Texas) as part of the Broward County National Football Showcase.

The showcase began last week and continued Thursday night when Chaminade-Madonna, a program with a host of Miami targets over the next few classes, lost 24-7 to California power program Sierra Canyon.

Saturday's games will both be on ESPN2 with Columbus-Bishop Gorman kicking off at 2 p.m. and St. Thomas Aquinas-Desoto scheduled for a 6 p.m. kickoff. Both games are at Brian Piccolo Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.

Miami commits and targets to watch this weekend on ESPN's HS Football showcase

Columbus is led by 5-star athlete A'mir Sears, who is already putting together a memorable senior season for the Explorers. Sears is going to play nearly every snap Saturday. When Sears is on offense, he'll likely be lining up against Cal commit Kamil Loud and when the top-ranked athlete in the 2027 class is on defense, he'll be covering four-star wide receiver Zyren Menor, a 2028 recruit that the Hurricanes offered over a year ago.

St . Thomas Aquinas features long-time target Mike Matthews. The five-star offensive tackle is currently committed to Texas A&M, but he's going to be a target for the Hurricanes to flip until the Early Signing Period. Another former Miami target, Zayden Gamble, will also be playing for Aquinas. Gamble, however, decided to make his commitment to Notre Dame, joining another Aquinas teammate, Julius Jones.

Another game that is part of the Broward showcase, but ESPN will not be televising is American Heritage against East St. Louis. The game will be live-streamed on League Ready TV. The big name here is four-star running back Myson Johnson-Cook, who has committed to Auburn, but remains a flip target for the Hurricanes. 

Johnson-Cook was a regular visitor on campus in the spring and was thought to be a Miami lean before he made the surprise commitment to the Tigers. There have been a lot of rumors about the Hurricanes preparing to take another run at Johnson-Cook. 

American Heritage has several prospects on the field. Class of 2828 quarterback Neimann Lawrence was on Miami's radar early, but he eventually committed to Texas. Another player from the 2028 class to watch is defensive lineman Micah Price, who has camped at Miami in the past, but is still searching for an Hurricanes offer. A big game against top competition could get the attention of Mario Cristobal and defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman.

The best high school football in the country is played in South Florida and this weekend's events should prove that once again.

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