Miami gets another recruiting win over Georgia by flipping 4-star WR

Four‑star wide receiver Vance Spafford has flipped his commitment from Georgia to Miami. The Mission Viejo, California, WR confirmed this on Monday to On3 Recruits. Spafford, who stands at 5‑foot‑11 and weighs 180 pounds, had been officially pledged to the Bulldogs since Nov. 2024, but kept his recruitment options open in the spring.

Spafford arrives in Coral Gables ranked among the top receivers in the 2026 class. 247Sports slots him at No. 12 wideout and No. 124 overall, while On3 puts him at No. 85 overall and No. 11 at his position. His stats back the hype as over the past two seasons, the Mission Viejo High star has racked up 2,593 receiving yards and 36 touchdowns. As a sophomore, he helped lead the Diablos to a California state title. Last fall, he notched 57 catches for 1,017 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Spafford told On3 that Miami's people sealed the deal. Though illness prevented him from taking a planned official visit this past weekend, the Hurricanes' staff kept the momentum. “Coach Cristobal was yelling a lot, KB (Kevin Beard) was jumping around and coach Dawson was throwing up the U," Spafford said. "I felt the love.”

Spafford is Miami's first WR commit in the 2026 class. He joins 5‑star OT Jackson Cantwell as the program’s top commit, and is the Hurricanes’ 16th pledge overall — tenth of 4‑star caliber. Spafford will hope to connect with 4-star quarterback pledge Dereon Coleman in the future. Coleman competed in the Elite 11 from June 17-19.

On the other side, Georgia loses its longest‑standing wideout signee and suffers its second recruiting flip to Miami in the 2026 cycle. CB Jontavius Wyman flipped his commitment from the Bulldogs to the Hurricanes back in April and had been committed to Georgia since the summer in 2024. Spafford also considered other schools such as Washington, UCLA and USC.