Miami is building something special with recent commitment from 5-star forward

Miami landed a cornerstone for its 2026 class Thursday when five-star small forward Caleb Gaskins committed to the Hurricanes, giving first-year head coach Jai Lucas his first pledge in the cycle. Gaskins, a 6-foot-8, 210-pound senior from Miami's Christopher Columbus High School, chose the Hurricanes over finalists Florida and Texas A&M after taking official visits to each. Rivals ranks him No. 7 nationally, as the No. 5 small forward, and as the No. 1 player in Florida.

Miami has ties to Gaskins through Lucas and assistant Andrew Moran, who coached Gaskins at Columbus before joining Miami's staff in April. Moran also coached him on Nightrydas Elite on the Nike EYBL circuit. Moran won 2025 Naismith National HS Coach of the Year after leading Columbus to multiple state titles and a national No. 1 finish.

Gaskins put up 15.7 points and 7.3 rebounds in 15 EYBL games last spring with Nightrydas Elite, then 20.0 points and 10.2 rebounds at Peach Jam. Lucas, who was named the Hurricanes 14th head coach in March after stints at Duke, Kentucky and Texas, emphasized an in-state recruiting push when he was brought on board.

Gaskins becomes the first member of Miami's 2026 class and is a major sign of the program's early recruiting turnaround. Lucas' early haul now includes 2026 five-star forward Caleb Gaskins plus three blue-chip 2025s. Five-star SF Shelton Henderson, four-star CG Dante Allen, and four-star SF Treyvon Maddox are all on the team currently.

Henderson, a top-15 national prospect, decommitted from Duke and committed/signed with Miami on Apr. 21, 2025. Allen signed Apr. 18, 2025 (a former Villanova commit), while Maddox committed July 6, 2025 and has since enrolled.

Collectively, that gives Lucas one 2026 five-star and three 2025 additions (one 5-star and two 4-stars). The staff continuity and South Florida roots explain the momentum and things will probably only get better from here.