Mario Cristobal's goal of bringing a top recruiting class to the Miami Hurricanes became more of a reality after adding two top recruits to the program Sunday.
The first weekend of official visits was a rousing success, with the Hurricanes grabbing commitments from four-star defensive tackle DeMarco Jenkins and four-star linebacker Noah Glover. The moves pushed Miami's national ranking up to third at 247Sports, behind Oklahoma and Texas A&M. The Hurricanes are fourth nationally at Rivals/On3, behind Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Texas Tech.
Miami is up to No. 3 in the @247Sports Team Rankings following a pair of commitments on Sunday evening.
— Gaby Urrutia (@GabyUrrutia247) June 1, 2026
More on what the Hurricanes are building:https://t.co/euqquNIAHr pic.twitter.com/YYKqiRjwYT
Mario Cristobal flipped the script in a late-month recruiting surge
Miami has been a recruiting machine for much of the past 12 months, and it seemed like that machine was going to just keep rolling. Then the second week of May happened. In a short span, the Hurricanes fell short in the recruitment of five-star offensive tackle Mark Matthews (Texas A&M), a local recruit that Cristobal coveted, five-star offensive tackle Oluwasemilore Olubobola (Notre Dame), four-star defensive lineman Xavier Muhammad (Michigan) and five-star defensive lineman David Folorunsho (Notre Dame).
But Cristobal is no stranger to a little adversity, whether that be on the field or on the trail. He wasn't going to let the disappointment carry over into a slump and by the middle of May, the Hurricanes were back on track. The flip of five-star cornerback Donte Wright from Georgia really seemed to ease the disappointment of the recruiting losses. Not only is Wright an elite talent, but he's an energetic presence that's truly all-in on being a Hurricane. He has been very vocal on social media about getting other elite prospects to join him in Coral Gables.
🏡🏡🏡#GABOS @CanesFootball @coach_cristobal @CoachWillHarris @CoachTJefferson @dtrain2901 @ChadSimmons_ @GregBiggins @adamgorney @Rivals @On3 @247recruiting @LBPoly_Football pic.twitter.com/FvgBWV9Ow7
— Donte' Wright Jr. (@DonteWright_11) June 1, 2026
From there, the floodgates opened, and it's been a seemingly endless cycle of top kids committing to the Hurricanes. Four-star linebacker AJ Randle, four-star offensive lineman Jatori Williams, in-state edge rusher Jayvon Dawson and four-star cornerback Al'King Hall, a flip from Oregon, have all come aboard in the past two weeks.
What does Miami have to do to get a No. 1 class?
If the Hurricanes want to have a chance to get in contention for a top overall class, it's probably going to have to include flipping two of the three five-star players they have been aggressively recruiting. Matthews' recruitment is going to be one to watch as we get into the fall. The pull for the St. Thomas Aquinas product to play for the local team is going to be huge. This past weekend, Miami hosted Jaiden Bryant on a visit and made up significant ground with the LSU commit. The big X-factor is edge rusher DJ Jacobs, who is committed to Ohio State, but continues to speak highly of the Hurricanes.
Miami also hosted four-star wide receiver Eli Woodard and five-star linebacker Kaden Henderson on their official visits. The Hurricanes are trending highly for both players and now the staff will have to wait to see if those impressions will stand up. But there's no question that Cristobal has Miami rolling right now and the players coming in will assure fans that the future is brighter than ever.
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