Always be 'crootin'. As long as Mario Cristobal is employed by his alma mater and has a breath in his body, he will be all about recruitment. As a South Florida native, the Miami Hurricanes head coach knows exactly the type of players his program needs at the helm of it out of high school. While he can effectively cherrypick whoever he wants out of his backyard, he might have to look outside the state.
Shockingly, Miami is still somehow in the mix to land 2027 five-star cornerback John Meredith III...
NEWS: Five-Star Plus+ CB John Meredith III is down to 6 Schools, he tells me for @Rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) March 17, 2026
The 6’2 175 CB from Arlington, TX is ranked as the No. 1 CB and a Top 3 Recruit on all websites
Where Should He Go?https://t.co/pU8dpck9kU pic.twitter.com/emYdbtDCa4
Hayes Fawcett of On3/Rivals shared out a graphic over on X citing the six finalists for Meredith's five-star services at the cornerback position in 2027. Those programs would be in alphabetical order Alabama, Miami, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas, and Texas A&M. He is only taking official visits to four of them right now in Alabama, Ohio State, Texas, and Texas A&M. Miami is not getting one at this time.
The fact Miami is still among the serious contenders for Mitchell is proof that Cristobal is so feeling it.
Miami is an unexpected finalist for 5-star cornerback John Meredith III
Even after missing out on five-star safety Honor Fa'alave-Johnson to USC over the weekend, there is still some reason for optimism that Miami could somehow come out of the woodwork to beat the four schools he is getting visits from. The fact that Meredith hails from Fort Worth makes it all the more likely that he ends up staying in-state to play for either the Aggies or the Longhorns over in the SEC.
According to the 247Sports Composite, Meredith is the No. 2 player from Texas, the No. 1 cornerback in the nation, and the No. 2 player in the 2027 recruiting cycle. He may have 42 official offers, but he is really only looking at the six schools mentioned above. Truth be told, there are tiers to this. Texas and Texas A&M are in Tier 1, Alabama and Ohio State are in Tier 2, and Miami and Notre Dame are in Tier 3.
Not only does Miami have to overcome not getting an official visit from Meredith so far, but it also has to deal with the notion that both Texas and Texas A&M really want him in-sate. All six of these teams are power brokers at the college level. Money is not an issue for any of them. It may come down to a matter of preference here. Miami is not expected to land him, but we cannot cross The U off just yet.
At this time, Miami should be pleasantly surprised for as long as it remains in contention for Meredith.