Published Jan 23, 2007

Excitement on the Recruiting Front

This past weekend was an exciting one for a multitude of highly-rated recruits as they got to take in the sights and sounds of the University and the city of Miami itself. It was equally as exciting when all was said and done for Canes fans, especially after weeks of despair and uncertainty over coaching vacancies and possible decommits opting for rival programs.

The biggest shock of the weekend came when DeMarcus Van Dyke decided to make a surprise trip to Miami for an official visit. According to recent reports, Van Dyke had been wavering in his commitment to Florida, and his impromptu visit to Coral Gables just serves as further evidence to that fact.

A variety of reports suggested that solid commitments to other programs were somewhat swayed in Miami's direction by their weekend in Coral Gables. Joe Nicholas, a Rutgers commitment at safety, came out of the trip 50/50. He’s a great athlete out of Homestead, and has the physical tools to come in and contribute right away. Brandon Hicks, considered a solid Florida LB commitment, took an official to Miami this weekend and also came out of the trip not knowing where he would go when all is said and done. After the visit, both are on the fence between Miami and their prior schools, and will announce their decisions on signing day.

Equally important is that Miami made sure they kept their current commits happy and got them that much more pumped to be Hurricanes come Signing Day. Jermaine McKenzie came out of the weekend with all of his questions answered, and was even told that he could wear #85 when he joins the team. Leonard Hankerson gave no comments, but that should serve as a good sign as he’s been relatively quiet throughout the recruiting process ever since his commitment to the Canes.

Speaking of McKenzie, Tampa Plant QB Robert Marve, now a “very soft commitment” to Alabama, was reported to have had a great time, and carpooled with McKenzie down to campus for their visit. Marve would be a great get for this class that is desperately in need of at least one QB, if not two.

Also this weekend, aside from the visits, Miami received news about two prior commitments. One was Orlando Franklin, who has recommitted to the Canes after taking his visit to Georgia. There’s a definite possibility that Franklin could crack the starting OL rotation to bring some much needed aggression, athleticism, and fresh blood to the position. Chris Perry, a former Cane verbal who is a current Nebraska commit, was also said to be wavering in his commitment to the Huskers and reconsidering Miami. Both of these players could add depth, if not immediate on-field impact, to both interior lines this upcoming season.

Take a deep breath, people. The Shannon era of recruiting is looking to be at least more exciting, if not just plain better, than Larry Coker’s recruiting era.

Sideline Notes: Among the current Canes who hosted recruits this weekend were Kirby Freeman, Javarris James, Tavares Gooden, Kenny Phillips, and Willie Cooper. Brandon Meriweather was also heavily involved with the recruits……Tim Walton is shaping up to be a superb recruiter from the sounds of things—his time with Hicks and Nicholas wasn’t used up by inane talk about what could happen—he got out the playbook and showed them what they should be doing for the team next year in black and white. I believe it helped to put it right in front of their faces instead of making promises like other recruiters elsewhere may want to do……in a recent Brandon Hicks article, he made mention that he went through the training room and saw prototypes of new uniforms that the Canes will be wearing as early as next year. Be on the lookout for those, and we’ll have them posted on CanesOverHere.com if and when they become available. As an aside, there were no reports that the new uni's were going to integrate the Green "U" helmets, so we can rest easy.

About Brad Ketron * Articles Index * Home * Forums

© 2007 CanesOverHere.com