Elite 2027 defensive lineman trims list of schools down to 10 and Miami is included

California defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou, one of the top trench prospects in the country for 2027, has trimmed his recruitment to 10 schools, and Miami made the cut.

The 10 programs Fakatou is focusing on are Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Texas and USC.

The 247Sports Composite has him listed as the No. 35 overall prospect in the 2027 class. Fakatou is the Rivals Industry Ranking's No. 2 DL in California.

DL Marcus Fakatou includes Miami in final 10 schools

Fakatou stands at 6-foot-7 and weighs 275 pounds. After a dominant 2025 high school season, Fakatou reclassified into the 2027 class. He posted 69 tackles (54 solo), 17 tackles for loss, seven sacks, 14 quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles. As a freshman in 2024, he logged 28 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and five sacks.

Miami's pitch to Marcus Fakatou

Miami is up against some big-time programs for Fakatou, so the Canes staff will need to focus on the history they bring of developing players on the D-line.

Miami has cranked out game-wrecking defensive linemen for decades, from Jerome Brown (183 tackles, 21 sacks at Miami) to Warren Sapp, a consensus All-American who became the first Hurricane to win the Lombardi Award and also took home the Nagurski in 1994.

Russell Maryland was the program's first Outland Trophy winner in 1990, and Miami's roll call keeps going with names like Cortez Kennedy and Vince Wilfork, who put up big-time production in Coral Gables before turning into long-term NFL staples.

If Miami can get him on campus and keep building the relationship, the Hurricanes can point to that DL lineage and try to get Fakatou to come across the country to play ball. It is going to take a lot of trust on his part, but Miami certainly has a shot.