Recruiting misses is a sore subject for Miami Hurricane fans and rightfully so. Time and time again, we've seen players that were top local prospects decide to take their talents outside of South Beach and thrive.
The Hurricanes can't sign every player out of the Miami area. There's too many of them, and it's just not possible to take them all, but for a long stretch it just seemed like none of them wanted to be 'Canes. That trend has started to change, but if we ignore the past, it's bound to repeat itself. So here are six of Miami's biggest recruiting misses since 2010 (in alphabetical order) and several more than just missed the cut.
Bosa was another St. Thomas Aquinas product that decided to go elsewhere, and he became a star in Columbus, helping the Buckeyes win the first College Football Playoff championship in 2014. He was a two-time All American (2014, 2015) and the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year (2014). Bosa was drafted third overall by the Chargers in the 2016 NFL Draft.
"Teddy Two Gloves" reached legendary status in his days as a youth football star in Miami-Dade County and eventually became a top prospect at Northwestern High. Bridgewater was the Big East Offensive Player of the Year in 2012 and was a first-round pick (32nd overall) by the Minnesota Vikings in 2014.
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The Seminoles dominated recruiting in the tri-county area for a short stretch under Jimbo Fisher and Cook was one of the many players from Miami Central High that went to FSU. Cook went on to set rushing records at FSU and was an All-American in 2015 and 2016 before embarking on an eight-year NFL career with the Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys.
Losing a player for Miami-Dade County always hurts, but when it's a top recruit from Northwestern High, the sting runs deeper. Cooper almost immediately became WR1 in Tuscaloosa and was a big part of the Tide's championship team in 2012 as a true freshman. He won the Biletnikoff Trophy in 2014 and was named an All-American. Cooper was selected fourth overall by the Oakland Raiders in the 2015 NFL Draft.
A five-star prospect, Joiner played high school football at Southwest Miami and St. Thomas Aquinas before heading to Tallahassee, where he became a unanimous All-American in 2013. Joiner helped the Seminoles win a national title before heading off to a solid NFL career with the Los Angeles Rams and Oakland Raiders.
Smith was rated by 247Sports Composite as the overall top prospect in his class and the blue-chip prospect from Chaminade-Madonna Prep lived up to the billing. The resume is deep and painful for Hurricane fans to see--an All-American that helped the Buckeyes win the CFP championship in 2024.
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Honorable Mention
DL Nick Bosa, Ohio State (St. Thomas Aquinas, 2016)
WR Kelvin Benjamin, FSU (Glades Central, 2011)
QB Jacoby Brissett, Florida/N.C. State (Palm Beach Dwyer, 2011)
RB Devonta Freeman. FSU (Miami Centrall, 2011)
QB Lamar Jackson, Louisville (Boynton Beach, 2015)
WR Jerry Jeudy (Deerfield Beach, 2017)
TE Nick O'Leary, FSU (Palm Beach Dywer, 2011)
CB Patrick Surtain II, Alabama (Pompano Beach Ely, 2018)
EDGE Dallas Turner, Alabama (St. Thomas Aquinas, 2021)
DL Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M (Monsignor Pace, 2022)
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