Miami and Mario Cristobal 'trending heavy' for 5-star WR the Canes cannot lose

This past season was all the proof anyone needed to see when it comes to Mario Cristobal being able to build and sustain excellence at his alma mater of Miami. He and his coaching staff have recruited fantastically, both in the transfer portal and out of high school. Cristobal is building this thing the right way when it comes to winning big within the context of modern day college football. He is on fire now!

This is why Steve Wiltfong of Rivals said, "Miami is trending heavy" to land the five-star Nick Lennear.

According to the 247Sports Composite, Lennear is the No. 3 player from Florida, the No. 4 wide receiver in the country, and the No. 17 overall player nationally in the 2027 recruiting cycle. The Carol City High School standout has 20 official offers. Outside of Miami, teams who are vying for his five-star commitment include Florida State, Georgia, Indiana, Louisville, Michigan, Ole Miss, and Oregon.

For geographical reasons, it is imperative that Cristobal and his staff secure Lennear's commitment.

Miami needs to protect its home turf and not let Nick Lennear leave town

With Miami back to being a truly great program within the context of major college football, the Hurricanes have to continue doing what they do best: Protecting their home turf. Any player of note who hails from South Florida does not need to leave the region. Yes, having three other Power Four programs in-state in Florida, Florida State, and UCF present unique challenges, but it must hold serve.

Lennear hails from Opa-locka, which is in the Hurricanes' backyard of Miami-Dade County. While not everybody can come play for the Hurricanes, it is imperative that no five-stars or high-end four-stars leave the region. To be honest, letting a two-star leave for Cal is why Miami did not win the national championship on Monday night. It is why it has to learn from its mistakes and focus in on recruiting.

Because it is still early in the cycle, Miami can continue to leave a strong impression on Lennear to make sure he does not leave the state next January. Look. If an in-state team like Florida, Florida State, or UCF really wants him, they may have the ability to get Lennear to leave South Florida. That being said, Miami is going to have to royally screw up to not be able to land a player like Lennear here.

For now, Miami trending in the right direction to land Lennear's five-star commitment is a real positive.