Miami football setting good foundation in 2026 class

Four-star quarterback Deleon Coleman was the third commitment in the 2026 class for the Miami football program on Wednesday. Miami previously had commitments from four-star prospects, linebacker Jordan Campbell and wide receiver Malachi Toney. Miami is now fifth in the 2026 247Sports composite rankings.

Miami moved up from the eighth-ranked 2026 class. Florida State currently holds the top 2026 class. USC has the second-ranked 2026 class followed by Oklahoma, Syracuse, Texas, Penn State and Alabama. Florida State and USC have four 2026 commits. Everyone else in the top 10 has two or three.

Coleman is the 302nd prospect, 21st quarterback and 56th player in Florida per the 247Sports composite rankings. Campbell is the 91st prospect, sixth LB and 14th player in Florida in the 2026 class. Toney is the 188th prospect, 30th WR and 32nd player in Florida in the 2026 class.

Coleman committing to Miami on Wednesday gave Miami a QB early in their class for the second year in a row. Luke Nickel committed to the 2025 Miami class in August 2023. Having a QB early in the class provides a leader for the next generation of Miami football players.

Miami is setting the foundation for its fourth consecutive top 10 class. By the end of this week, Miami should have a top 10 2025 class. Four-star safety Hylton Stubbs is announcing his commitment on Thursday and four-star center S.J. Afofaituli will make have his announcement ceremony on Friday.

Alofaituli and Stubbs are both trending to Miami. Commitments from Alofaituli and Stubbs would move Miami to the seventh-ranked 2025 class between Oregon and Penn State. Mario Cristobal has elevated the recruiting for the Miami football program as expected.

Andrew Ivins the 247Sports scouting director praised Coleman for having a live arm with a lot of velocity with a quick release. Ivins observed that Coleman can escape pressure but needs to improve his internal clock and continue to develop physically. Coleman threw for 2,236 yards, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Greg Biggins who is a National Scouting Analyst for 247Sports complimented Campbell as having an athletic frame at 6'2 and 205 pounds. Biggins stated Campbell has shown versatility by playing edge rusher, LB and nickel. Campbell projects as a hybrid edge rusher/LB in college.

Toney has 84 receptions for 1,394 yards and 16 TDs with 251 return yards in his first two seasons in high school. Toney is the son of former West Virginia wide receiver and return specialist Antonio Brown who played one season in the NFL with Buffalo and two with Washington.

Under Mario Cristobal, Miami has often played the long game and had relatively slow starts in recruiting. The good start in the 2026 class puts Miami in a position early to sign another top-five class. Miami has arguably positioned itself to have the best staff of recruiters in the ACC under Cristobal.