Miami lands huge commitment from top FCS freshman over Cal and Nebraska

North Dakota State running back CharMar Brown has committed to the University of Miami over Cal and Nebraska. His announcement concludes a competitive recruitment process involving multiple big programs.

Brown, a 5-foot-11, 214-pound running back from Omaha's Creighton Prep High School, had a breakout season with the Bison. He rushed for 1,181 yards and 15 touchdowns over 16 games, earning the Jerry Rice Award as the top freshman in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

Initially, Brown's recruitment was seen as a 50-50 battle between Nebraska and Miami. Nebraska offered proximity to home and a potential role in the backfield alongside projected starter Emmett Johnson. Miami presented an opportunity to join a program on the rise. But then Cal jumped in at —or what was thought to be — the final hour, to become the frontrunner.

Cal may have offered Brown the chance to be the starting running back, which is something that may have influenced his decision. Miami and Nebraska both have depth in their backfields, while Cal's roster presented a clearer path to immediate playing time. But, something seemed to fall apart towards the end. Whether that was NIL-related is not confirmed, but Pete Nakos of On3 reported that Cal gave him time to sign and when he didn't, they decided to move on.

Brown joins Mark Fletcher, Jordan Lyle, Girard Pringle and Chris Wheatley-Humphrey in the running back room in Miami. The Hurricanes have been very active in the transfer portal this offseason. Prior to Brown's commitment, Miami had the fifth-ranked portal class (according to On3) behind Oregon, LSU, Ole Miss and Texas Tech. That ranking will almost surely rise unless the programs in front of them get big-time transfer commitments of their own. Having also landed Cincinnati WR Tony Johnson and BYU WR Keelon Marion, Miami has added considerable weapons for QB Carson Beck to operate with in the fall.