The Miami Hurricanes have secured a commitment for their 2026 recruiting class with the addition of offensive lineman JJ Sparks from Jacksonville, Florida. Sparks, a 3-star prospect from The Bolles School, is set to bring his talents to Coral Gables helping reinforce the Hurricanes' offensive front in the future.
This is the second in-state offensive lineman to commit to the Hurricanes in the past week with Fort Myers offensive lineman Joel Ervin committing on Sunday. Sparks stands at 6-4 and 300 pounds, is ranked as the No. 71 interior offensive lineman and the No. 108 overall prospect in Florida. Sparks holds an 86 rating from the 247Sports Rankings Council as well.
First and foremost I want to thank God for blessing me with this opportunity. To my family for their love and support. To my coaches thank you for pushing me to be the best version of myself on and off the field. After much prayer and consideration I’m proud to announce my… pic.twitter.com/5jzdPjfXaX
— JJSparks2026 (@JJSparks2026) April 2, 2025
Sparks just visited Miami's campus this past weekend. Currently, he still has an official visit scheduled for Miami from June 13-15. Florida State was another school in consideration as he had also been to their campus.
Sparks mentioned that both FSU and Miami were comparable schools but his relationship with the coaches is what ultimately made him commit to the Hurricanes. "I like the culture here," Sparks said after visiting Miami last week. "I love the coaching staff here. Coach Cristobal, Coach Mirabal, both are great coaches. When you watch how Coach Mirabal coaches, it's really a different way he coaches. He's really a teacher. You can kind of see that in the meeting room and on the field."
Other schools in contention were North Carolina, UCF and Georgia Tech. Miami now has eight players committed to its 2026 recruiting class, four of which are listed as four star recruits. In addition to Sparks and Ervin, the other verbal commits include four-star running back Javian Mallory, four-star quarterback Dereon Coleman, four-star linebacker Jordan Campbell, four-star cornerback Camdin Portis, four-star cornerback Jaelen Waters, and four-star offensive lineman Ben Congdon.