Mario Cristobal has Miami in a great spot to land 4-star in-state LB

Mario Cristobal made a promise that he was going to lock down South Florida and in the 2027 recruiting cycle, he wants to make good on that pledge.

One of the Hurricanes' big targets from the area is four-star linebacker Zayden Gamble and the prospect from St. Thomas Aquinas is high on the Hurricanes with his decision expected to come in mid-July. Gamble has locked down his official visit date to Miami for the final weekend of May.

There's no question that Miami should be considered the favorite in Gamble's recruitment as we enter the spring.

“Miami is definitely one of my top schools,” Gamble said to On3/Rivals writer EJ Holland. “Maybe 1. Maybe 2. Maybe 3. I don’t know the order yet, but they are at the highest state you can get. I’ve built relationships with them for over three years now."

Gamble's only other scheduled official visit is to Florida in mid-June, but he's also going to visit Notre Dame during the spring and there could be another official visit in the works there if he likes what he hears. But going into the heart of the recruiting season, Miami is the team to beat.

Zayden Gamble likes what he's hearing from the Hurricanes

There are several local prospects that are on Miami's radar. Gamble's teammate, five-star offensive lineman Mark Matthews, is arguably the Hurricanes' top target this cycle. And five-star wide receiver Nick Lennear, who goes to Carol City High School in Miami, is also very high on Cristobal's wish list. All three players have scheduled official visits and will likely be on campus this spring as well.

The Hurricanes have four commits in the 2027 class so far, and they are all from the tri-county (Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach) area. Don't expect them to be the only ones as Cristobal looks to recreate the "State of Miami" that Howard Schellenberger made popular in the 1980s.