With March almost here, that also means that spring practices are coming for Mario Cristobal and Miami football. With that, there's going to be a loaded list of visitors on the way that the Canes have quite high on their recruiting board.
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The long list of course includes 5-star defensive back Honor Fa'alave-Johnson, who has included Miami in his Top 6. The Canes are working overtime in trying to land him, which the youngster made clear this week. On Tuesday, Fa'alave-Johnson shared a photo of a double-digit amount of hand-written letters he got from the staff. With Miami getting his first spring visit per Steve Wiltfong, the timing of those letters surely is not a coincidence:
Miami gets the first visit of the spring from No. 1 ATH Honor Fa’alave Johnson. https://t.co/GOKpRFjset
— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong_) February 25, 2026
Miami is pushing hard for 5-star defensive back Honor Fa'alave-Johnson
As things stand, the 6-1,190-pounder from California has the following six schools as his finalists: Miami, Oregon, LSU, Texas, USC and Notre Dame. As you can see, his list is loaded with historic programs, with all six getting unofficial visits soon.
Then, the plan is for Fa'alave Johnson to take some official visits before he ends up shutting down his process to make a decision. So, will the Canes end up landing him? That's a bit up in the air, but Cristobal is going to have a great chance to turn his head during his trip to Coral Gables to watch a spring practice.
After that, the hope will be that the youngster will then return to campus sooner rather than later for an official. It's not a surprise at all that Miami is pushing so hard for the standout junior, as Fa'alave-Johnson is ranked five stars, the No. 1 safety in the nation and No. 16 prospect overall for the 2027 class per the 247Sports Composite.
Cristobal is known as an ace recruiter and he's no doubt going to get tested here with so many other powerhouses high on the 5-star's list. Despite that, Miami is giving Fa'alave-Johnson a lot to think about, as he surely can't wait for his trip to Miami in the near future. Look for the Canes to roll out the red carpet for him.