Latest update on 5-star target paints a dim picture for Mario Cristobal and Miami

Mark Matthews appears to be slipping away from the Miami Hurricanes in the final hours before the five-star offensive lineman makes his decision.

The Rivals/On3 predictor has Matthews choosing Texas A&M, and it's nearly unanimous with the Aggies receiving over 96% of the votes. For many months during Matthews' recruitment, the Hurricanes were thought to be in the lead, but Texas A&M saw an opening to be a factor in Matthews' final decision and have aggressively tried to win him over.

Rivals/On3 predicts 5-star OL Mark Matthews will commit to Texas A&M

Things have been tense with Miami recruiting over the past few weeks. It's a far cry from where Mario Cristobal and the Hurricanes have been for much of the spring, when it seemed like they could hit on every big target. But most schools are going to have peaks and valleys on the trail, especially when going after some of the best recruits in the country. This is one of those times for the Hurricanes. 

If they lose out on Matthews, it will hurt. Cristobal and his staff put a lot of time and resources in his recruitment. Matthews is a local prospect that plays high school football 30 miles north of campus at St. Thomas Aquinas. He is an offensive tackle — the position that Cristobal covets the most. There's no way to spin this as anything other than a major disappointment. 

But the Hurricanes will move forward. It's just May. No one is signing anything until December and even if Matthews makes his announcement for Texas A&M later Friday afternoon, it won't stop Cristobal from continuing to recruit him through the summer and fall. Matthews also has an official visit to Coral Gables scheduled for May 29. If he goes through with that trip, it will give the Hurricanes staff another opportunity to win him over.

It's easy to understand the disappointment of losing Matthews to Texas A&M and missing out on another five-star tackle, Olu Olubobola, who committed to Notre Dame on Tuesday. Five-star defensive lineman David Folorunsho will also be making a decision later Friday afternoon and appears ready to pledge to the Irish as well. The wins and losses in recruiting seem to come in bunches and the Hurricanes might be in a little slump. 

The Miami Hurricanes will have a top-five recruiting class

Whether Matthews ends up in the class or not, the recruiting class that Cristobal is putting together will be the best in the ACC and one of the best in the country. The recent flip of five-star defensive back Donte Wright shows that the brand is very strong and elite players from across the country are excited about what's being built at Miami. 

The Hurricanes are still trending positively for four-star linebacker AJ Randle, who will be making his announcement next Thursday and there will be plenty of surprises over the next several weeks of official visits and camps. Miami is trending well for many of the state's top prospects in the Class of 2028 as well, so the Hurricanes machine is going to keep rolling.

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