A.J. Randle Jr. is moving toward a decision sooner than expected, and that puts Miami in the middle of another important 2027 recruiting decision over the next week.
The four-star linebacker from Garner, North Carolina, will announce his commitment May 21, with Miami, South Carolina, Ohio State, Florida, NC State and Georgia in the mix. Randle is 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds. Rivals ranks him as the No. 57 overall player, No. 5 linebacker and No. 5 player in North Carolina in the 2027 class.
247Sports ranks Randle as the No. 146 overall player, No. 8 linebacker and No. 6 player in North Carolina. The 247Sports Composite has him higher at No. 95 overall, No. 6 linebacker and No. 5 in the state.
NEWS: Four-Star LB AJ Randle will announce his commitment May 21st, he tells me for @Rivals⁰⁰The 6’3 215 LB will choose between Miami, South Carolina, Ohio State, Florida, NC State, and Georgia
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) May 14, 2026
He’s ranked as the No. 5 LB in the 2027 Rivals300https://t.co/N7GwUKRdcT pic.twitter.com/MFRxDt5Mw2
Miami gets its next big 2027 recruiting test with elite linebacker set to decide
The Hurricanes have the No. 5 class nationally and the No. 1 class in the ACC in the On3 Industry team rankings.
Randle previously had official visits lined up for Florida from May 29-31, Miami from June 5-7, Ohio State from June 12-14 and Georgia from June 19-21. That schedule made it look like he could take all six trips before deciding later in the summer. The new May 21 decision date means his announcement would come before the scheduled visits to Florida, Miami, Ohio State and Georgia unless those plans change.
South Carolina has already made its final in-person pitch. Randle took his official visit to Columbia during the first weekend of May, and the Gamecocks clearly gave him something to think about. NC State has also been heavily involved and hosted him May 8-10. Per Rivals, Miami is the top prediction at 88.2%, but things could change over the next week.
Randle runs track and plays basketball at Garner. He placed fourth in the 110-meter hurdles at the North Carolina 4A state meet as a sophomore after placing seventh in the 300-meter hurdles as a freshman. His track marks include a 7.84 in the 55-meter hurdles, 14.83 in the 110 hurdles and 38.22 in the 300 hurdles.
Randle was a two-way player as a junior in 2025, taking snaps at linebacker, quarterback and wide receiver. He finished with 84 tackles, six tackles for loss, one sack, three forced fumbles and one interception in 13 games. He also ran 20 times for 119 yards and four touchdowns and caught five passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns.
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