Prior to the Cotton Bowl, Ohio State coach Ryan Day tried to make the game against Miami somewhat of a mandate on recruiting in South Florida, but Mario Cristobal is attempting to flip the script and force the Buckeyes to protect their backyard.
The Hurricanes are continuing to be in hot pursuit of blue-chip wide receiver Jamier Brown, one of the top prospects in Ohio. Brown, a Dayton native, is committed to Ohio State and is currently a solid Buckeye, but it's a long way to January and expect Cristobal to test the strength of that commitment over the next 11 months.
Schools continue to push for Ohio State 2027 4-star WR commit Jamier Brown. Auburn, Miami, Nebraska, Oregon and others have not given up.
— ChadSimmons (@ChadSimmons_) January 5, 2026
Official visits are likely, but Brown said, "I know where I want to be."
The latest: https://t.co/8bDZVc9JzZ pic.twitter.com/eAey9PSC2a
The Miami staff has already shown that they aren't afraid to recruit outside traditional strongholds and that includes areas where Ohio State is often the top team to beat. Blue-chip wide receiver Milan Parris, one of the top players in the Hurricanes' 2026 class, is from Wayne, Ohio.
As you can see from Chad Simmons' report, the Hurricanes aren't the only team still going after Brown. He mentions Auburn, Nebraska and Oregon are interested suitors and more may emerge, but there is no better time for the Hurricanes to push for a player like Brown.
To the winner goes the spoils
When Day made his comments about recruiting in South Florida and how Ohio State was "different", it was the Buckeyes coach throwing out a challenge to Cristobal and his staff to stop the Buckeyes from jumping into their recruiting backyard and getting what they want. Now that the Hurricanes have answered the challenge on the field, Cristobal will have to answer it on the trail.
This promises to be a recruiting rivalry that could last for many cycles, especially if the Hurricanes continue to have success and get into the playoffs consistently. As important as it was for Miami to beat Ohio State on the field to regain credibility as a program, it was equally important to Cristobal that the message was received by top recruiting that Miami is a place where players will develop and play for a championship.