Mario Cristobal building Miami Central Pipeline

The recent commitments of four-star safety Amari Wallace and three-star linebacker Ezekiel Marcelin continued the pipeline of Miami Central to the Miami Hurricanes under Mario Cristobal. Miami has added five Miami Central players in the last three recruiting classes.

Linebacker Wesley Bissainthe was the first Miami Central alum to sign with the Hurricanes under Mario Cristobal. Bissainthe was the 188th ranked player, 18th LB and 23rd player in Florida in the 2022 class. In two seasons, Bissainthe has played in all 25 Miami games with 10 starts.

Bissainthe has 74 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks in his two seasons with Miami. With all 10 of his starts in 2023 Bissainthe improved on his freshman numbers with 44 tackles, 6.5 TFLs and 2.0 sacks. Bissainthe will likely start with Francisco Mauigoa and Jaylin Alderman for Miami at LB in 2024.

After a prolific career at Miami Central, there was a lot of discussion defensive lineman Rueben Bain was underrated in the 2023 class. Bain was the 63rd prospect, 11th edge rusher and 15th player in Florida in the 2023 class. Bain significantly exceeded those expectations in his true freshman season.

As a true freshman in 2023, Bain had 44 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, 3,0 forced fumbles and 1.0 pass breakup. Bain earned the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year. Bain's numbers could have been greater but he did not become a starter until the fourth game of the season.

A middle-of-the-season tear was the breakout for Bain. In consecutive games versus Clemson, Virginia and North Carolina in October, Bain had 18 tackles, 6.0 TFLs, 5.0 sacks, 2.0 forced fumbles and a pass breakup. Bain was the ACC Rookie of the Week for his performances versus Clemson and Virginia.

Five-star 2024 signee Armondo Blount was the 28th prospect eighth DL and eighth player in Florida. Blount was one of three five-star signees in the 2024 Miami class with defensive tackle Justin Scott and edge rusher Marquisse Lightfoot. Blount is a versatile DL who can play edge rusher or tackle like Bain.

Wallace is the 278th prospect, 24th safety and 40th player in Florida in the 2025 class, Wallace is the third highest-ranked 2025 Miami commit and top prospect on defense. Marcelin and Wallace give Miami Central two future Hurricanes to watch in 2024. Wallace had 28 tackles, three interceptions and six pass breakups in 2023.

In the past two seasons, Marcelin had 188 tackles, 34 tackles for loss, 19 sacks, two pass breakups, four forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. Marcelin has outperformed his three-star ranking. Marcelin is the 450th prospect, 47th LB and 61st player in Florida in the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Marcelin's ranking being below his production could be partly due to his 6'0 and 190-pound frame. Once Marcelin gets into the Miami training program, he must add more muscle mass to become a regular contributor. Expect the Miami Central pipeline to continue to Coral Gables with Mario Cristobal as the Hurricanes head coach.