Miami's hunt for defensive line prospects continues, and it might move forward without much traction in the recruitment of 4-star prospect Alister Vallejo.
The Hurricanes extended an offer to Vallejo on July 22, but the 6-foot-3, 300-pounder from Liberty Hill, Texas doesn't seem to be biting. Vallejo committed to Michigan on June 10 and has relatively shut things down since then.
Miami and Colorado recently offered Michigan DL commit Alister Vallejo. However, he remains firm with U-M and has locked in two fall visits #GoBlue. https://t.co/kraAOvwQfa pic.twitter.com/qxwgfIjFN2
— "EJ Holland" (@EJHollandOn3) September 17, 2025
If Vallejo continues to ignore Miami's overtures, the staff will have to continue widening their board to find an interior defensive line prospect to round out the 2026 recruiting class.
Searching for the man in the middle
Miami's number one target remains 5-star local prospect James "JJ" Johnson, who is currently committed to Texas. It looked like the Hurricanes were on the verge of getting the big man out of Miamii Northwestern High School to flip after beating Notre Dame in Week 1, but since then Johnson has said he's still locked in with Texas.
Both Miami and Florida have been active in recruiting Johnson, so it wouldn't be a surprise if he ended up at Hard Rock Stadium this weekend for the Gators game. He's already been to a Texas game this season, back on September 6 when the Longhorns played San Jose State, so it's safe to say Johnson is still playing the recruiting game, and it's probably a three-team race between Texas, Miami and Florida.
It's important for Miami to get one significant prospect on the interior defensive line. The Hurricanes will probably be in the market for a transfer as well, so who they can sign out of high school will determine how many resources they have to put forward to acquire a transfer defensive tackle. Remember, Miami might also be in the market for a quarterback and that won't be cheap.
Who's already in the house?
Four-star nose guard Anthony Kennedy Jr. is the top-rated defensive line prospect in the class. The perfect scenario for Miami is to pair Johnson with Kennedy for a potential destructive duo up front. There's also 3-star Alabama prospect Tyson Bacon, who could line up on the inside or the outside.
Miami also has one projected edge rusher committed, 4-star in-state prospect Asharri Charles. There is a bit of a battle for Charles, as Florida State has stayed active in his recruitment, but he canceled a planned official visit to Tallahassee in late August and appears to be locked in with Miami.