Miami competing against SEC for 4-star defensive back

Four-star cornerback Samari “Smoke” Matthews, one of the top high school football prospects in America, has officially teased a major recruiting decision this weekend. On Tuesday, the 6‑foot, 190‑pound shutdown defender posted on X that he would be making his commitment decision on July 11. Matthews was reportedly headed for an August 10 decision prior to the announcement.

Matthews hails from William Amos Hough High in Huntersville, N.C., and is ranked among the nation’s elite. On3 has him as the No. 70 recruit in the nation, No. 9 CB and No. 6 player in North Carolina.

With Matthews set to reveal his decision on July 11, the Hurricanes are among the four programs left in the race. Miami is going up against two SEC teams (Texas and South Carolina) and one ACC team (Florida State). Before he moved forward with the four schools he currently has on his list, Matthews had an original four programs and it is worth noting the context. The original list was Clemson, Florida State, Oregon and South Carolina. So, in the updated list, Oregon and Clemson were bumped off the list in favor of Miami and Texas.

On3's Recruitment Prediction Machine gives Texas the strongest odds with South Carolina next and Miami notably far behind. Recently Rivals' Chad Simmons agreed with the prediction and put South Carolina and Texas as the frontrunners. It is a tough task for Miami as they hopped back into the final four late in the process and it appears like Texas has the inside track and South Carolina has the advantage of being close to home.

Miami has a big recruiting weekend for defense, specifically in the DB department. They will await the decision from Matthews on Friday, four-star safety Tyriq Green on Saturday and safety Blake Stewart on Sunday.