The recruitment of Samari “Smoke” Matthews, a standout 4‑star cornerback from Charlotte, North Carolina, is heating up and the Miami Hurricanes have firmly established themselves among his top options. Matthews, standing around 6‑foot and 190 lbs, is ranked within the top 10 CBs and is the No. 69 overall in the 2026 class, per On3.
Recently, Matthews narrowed his decision to four finalists: South Carolina, Miami, Texas, and Florida State. He visited Miami officially on May 30, canceling a planned Clemson visit. His recruitment is trending toward an August 10 decision. He has already been on campus at Texas and Florida State and has an upcoming visit scheduled to South Carolina.
Miami wasn't the only school that made an appearance in Matthews' updated top four list. Texas was also not included in his first edition of final choices. The original list was Clemson, Florida State, Oregon and South Carolina. So, if you're keeping score at home, Oregon and Clemson were bumped off the list in favor of Miami and Texas.
4 ⭐️ 2026 CB Samari Matthews had a top 4 of Clemson, Florida State, Oregon, and South Carolina, but that top 4 has changed going into his final OV. It's now South Carolina, Texas, Miami, and Florida State. Matthews will be in Columbia this weekend with Gamecock S commit @JZavien.… pic.twitter.com/ums5vv5ous
— Famously Garnet Sports (@FamouslyGarnet) June 18, 2025
The fact that Matthews canceled his visit to Clemson and removed them from his final list for Miami (as well as Texas) shows the program has a real shot in this race. Obviously, Matthews just came off a visit to Texas so their involvement should not be overlooked either. And we haven't mentioned the two schools that appeared on both lists: South Carolina and Florida State. The Gamecocks are close to home and have a compelling case to be at the top of the short list. According to On3, Patrick Surtain is the primary recruiter of Matthews from Florida State as he is the defensive backs coach for the Seminoles.
Listen Listen Listen… pic.twitter.com/6jwTdrMN33
— Samari “Smoke” Matthews (@samari_matthews) June 2, 2025
Landing Matthews would be impressive for Miami’s 2026 recruiting class. Cornerback remains a high-priority and it's safe to say the Hurricanes have had some success recruiting that position as of late. Currently, Miami holds commitments from three blue-chips CB's, all of which are 4-stars: Jaelen Waters, Jontavius Wyman, and Camdin Portis. Portis is also out of North Carolina and is the No. 17 player in the state. Matthews is ranked as the No. 6 player out of North Carolina, per On3.