Eye on the U

Report: Incoming UM quarterback Kevin Olsen charged in one-car crash

BY SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN, sdegnan@MiamiHerald.com

The University of Miami’s quarterback of the future, Wayne Hills, N.J., High School senior and soon-to-be graduate Kevin Olsen, was charged with “leaving the scene of an accident after he smashed his car into a vehicle in his hometown of Wayne” on May 25, according to court records reported Monday by The Wayne Patch local newspaper. 

Olsen “was additionally charged with failure to report an accident and careless driving” after the incident was witnessed by a bystander who said the quarterback “crashed his car into a tree and drove away,” according to the Wayne Patch. 

After checking out the damage, the report said, Olsen hit another car “parked on the road” in the neighborhood while leaving the scene. 

According to the paper, the police report said Olsen’s face appeared to have blood on it and that he “appeared to be under the influence of something.” 

He is reportedly scheduled to appear in Wayne Municipal Court on June 20. 

Olsen’s older brother Greg was a tight end for the Hurricanes and now plays for the Carolina Panthers in the NFL. Kevin Olsen is scheduled to report to UM to begin his collegiate career this summer.

The university said Tuesday it was unaware of Olsen's legal situation. "We are still trying to gather information about what happened," said Chris Yandle, UM's director of communications for athletics.

Photo credit: AP Photo/Tampa Bay Times, Lara Cerri

Canes miss out on Michel, but tailback tandem of the future could be at Miami Central

Heralded Plantation American Heritage five-star running back Sony Michel made his college announcement Friday and it wasn't what the Hurricanes were hoping for.

Two thirds of this talented Miami Central trio -- Joseph Yearby and Trevor Darling -- are trying to convince Dalvin Cook (right) to commit to the Canes too.

Michel, considered the fifth best recruit regardless of position according to Rivals.com, chose the Georgia Bulldogs over the Hurricanes because he "wanted something different."

Michel (5-11, 205) is the second straight highly-touted running back from Broward County to choose an SEC school over the Hurricanes. In February South Plantation star tailback Alex Collins chose Arkansas over Miami. 

As disappointing as those losses may be, Canes fans shouldn't be totally heartbroken. Something different could end up being a good thing come February when Michel and the rest of the 2014 signing class has to put their commitments to paper and sign National Letters of Intent.

As it stands, the Hurricanes have Miami Central standout Joseph Yearby, the sixth-best running back in the country according to Rivals, as a 2014 commitment. And getting his teammate, Dalvin Cook, rated the fourth-best running back in the country by Rivals, to saddle up with the Canes may not be far-fetched. Cook, currently committed to Florida, said earlier this week continuing his college career alongside Yearby and UM-bound offensive tackle Trevor Darling, another Miami Central standout, is something three have been discussing plenty.

"We talk about it a lot. Playing together at the next level would be a fun experience," Cook said. "This recruiting process is crazy. Things happen. A lot of it changes. All of us are graduating early. Miami? I'm letting them recruit me. We'll see what happens."

Yearby, who has shared the backfield with Cook for the defending Class 6A state champions the last two years, sharing it in college is no big deal to him. 

"Our families want to see us stay together because they say me and Dalvin are the best duo they've seen in years," Yearby said. "They would love to see us play at the next level again. Coach Golden, too. Playing at home is very attractive. It's not like we've got to go build ourselves up. Everybody knows us and will come support us."

Of course, it's no guarantee Cook, Yearby and Darling pick Miami as the place where all three play together at the next level. USF hired their former high school coach Telly Lockette two months ago and teamming up together in Tampa isn't something the three say is out of the question.

"What's exciting about that is we could go play for a coach we had for three years, so it would be a very good choice for us to make, too," Yearby said.

Yearby (5-10, 185) said USF and USC continue to pursue him.

Cook (5-11, 195), once a Clemson commitment, also has an older brother, new Canes' basketball guard Deandre Burnett, pushing him to stay home.

Canes await Michel's announcement Friday; talented RB said he made up his mind, parents will be happy

The last time Hurricanes fans held their breath when one of the country's premier high school running backs to make his college choice on television it was only the beginning of a long, strange winding road to disappointment. 

When highly-touted Plantation American Heritage running back Sony Michel makes his decision around 4:45 p.m. on ESPN Friday we could end up down a similar path -- only this time don't expect his mother to run off with his National Letter of Intent.

Michel (5-11, 205) told me face-to-face Wednesday he expects for his parents to be happy with the school he announces for and for his pursuit by college football programs to come to a peaceful, non-dramatic end. Michel, choosing between the Hurricanes, Georgia, Florida State, Notre Dame and Florida, said he's already made up his mind. Friday is just about letting the rest of the world know.

"I went on a visit last weekend and it had me thinking. But last night and the night before I slept on it and had my decision made. [Friday is] going to be a happy day for me and my parents because I can finally make a decision and just celebrate," said Michel, who run circles around upperclassmen since he was an eighth-grade phenom to the tune of 4,819 yards and 58 touchdowns in his career.

"At the end of the day I don't care what anybody else thinks. It's about me and football and where I'm going to be happy."

Even though he won't be signing a National Letter of Intent until National Signing Day in February, Michel said he plans on shutting down his recruitment after Friday's announcement.

While that may not stop schools from recruiting him, he said the whole point of Friday's announcement is to avoid distractions and allow him to keep his focus on the football field this coming season. Heritage has had one of the best programs in Broward County each of the past two seasons, but has knocked out of the state playoffs in the first round. Michel is intent on not letting that happen again.

"I chose to get this out of the way early just so I can focus on the football season," Michel said. "That's the only way I can focus on winning that state championship ring. I don't really care about the whole stats situation. If I only get 200 yards this year I'll be satisfied as long as I got a ring. If I run for 2,000 yards and I don't get a ring I'll feel like I failed as a senior.

"Opening things back up and dragging it out to Signing Day is just not something that's been on my mind. I feel like once I commit I will be a solid commit and stop the recruiting process."

Although UM coaches have been on campus plenty this spring -- speaking to Michel's coach, former Hurricane Mike Rumph -- Georgia is considered the favorite to land Michel according to most experts.

Asked what he likes about the Bulldogs and other finalists Wednesday, Michel said: "What they did there was give both of their freshmen the opportunity to showcase their talents. That's what a player likes to see. They have a great coaching staff."

"Miami has always had a good program, great running back history. They've got a great back there now. Miami has always just been Miami. What they do with the running backs is they showcase the running back a lot.

"Florida changed their offense to pro style and just had a running back go to the NFL. They have a top running back coming in. Florida State also."

While Michel expects Friday's decision to be final, Rumph doesn't.

"To be honest, I just wish he would wait," Rumph said. "Because recruiting never ends until Signing Day. Whoever he picks you know the other guys aren't going to stop coming after him."

UM adds highly-touted Texas WR/TE Derrick Griffin to 2013 signing class

Just when you thought the Canes had wrapped up the 2013 Signing Class, Brennan Carroll's bat signal on Twitter went off again Tuesday evening.

Derrick Griffin, a 6-6, 210-pound receiver from B.F. Terry High School in Rosenberg, Texas who also is a budding basketball star, faxed a signed a National Letter of Intent to Coral Gables Tuesday afternoon, UM's sports information staff confirmed.

Griffin, listed as a four-star receiver by 247Sports and the third-best receiver in the country overall by Rivals.com, becomes the third player to sign with UM after National Signing Day. The 2013 signing class is now up to 19 players total.

His signing comes as a bit of a surprise since he hadn't even officially visited UM yet and had long been a commitment to Texas A&M and was also talking to Auburn. InsideTheU.com reported Griffin will take his official visit to UM this weekend.

"I had a [basketball] tournament down there for AAU and I liked the surroundings," Griffin told 247Sports.com. "I just really liked the area and what they are about as a program. They have sent a lot of top players to the NFL.

"The Miami coaches were really excited when I told them I wanted to commit. They were all yelling and telling me they were happy to have me as a part of their family now. That made me smile."

Griffin finished his senior season with 592 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns on 36 receptions. He has been clocked at a 4.5 in the 40. He also becomes the second wide receiver in UM's 2013 class, joining Broward's top player, Northeast High star Stacy Coley.

Griffin could also end up playing basketball at Miami. Listed as the 26th-best small forward in the country by ESPN, Griffin is reportedly averaging 25 points a game for his high school team.

"This year Miami's basketball team is looking really good," Griffin told InsideTheU.com. "They are No. 2 in the country and they have a real chance to win a National Championship. I want to try and play college basketball too, so that is a big reason why I like them too."

Canes land commitment from hungry, versatile, athletic 2014 Hialeah QB Alin Edouard

Just when you thought the recruiting news had reached an end point down in Coral Gables, here is some more for you: Al Golden and his coaching staff have landed a commitment from another quarterback of the future -- 2014 Hialeah High standout Alin Edouard.

The 6-2 3/4-inch, 185-pound signal caller, who stood out at UM's Junior Day last weekend, picked up three new offers around lunchtime Wednesday: Boston College, Penn State and Miami. By dinner, he made up his mind. He called UM associate head coach Mario Cristobal and told him he wanted to be a Hurricane.

"When I went to Junior Day at Miami I felt like I was already home," Edouard said. "I was the only QB there. I got a chance to speak with [offensive coordinator James] Coley for awhile just one-on-one. He basically wanted to find a quarterback who could run and throw, have accuracy and be a leader on the field. He said I had all those tools.

"When I called Coach Cristobal tonight I don't think he saw [my commitment coming]. I kind of caught him off guard. But he was very happy. So was Coach Golden."

Hialeah coach Mark Berman, a coaching veteran of nearly 30 years in Miami-Dade County, said the Hurricanes have landed a rising star. After starting in a handful of games a sophomore, Edouard started all nine games for the 5-4 T-Breds this past season and put up decent numbers in a Zone Read spread offense. He completed 64 of his 132 attempts for 926 yards, 9 TDs, 9 INTs and ran for a team-leading 559 yards and seven touchdowns. Berman said Edouard has a lot of room to grow because he's only been playing football since the ninth grade.

"When it's all said and done everybody is still going to offer the kid," Berman said. "Miami got in at the right time. He had a great junior day and has really been doing well during 7-on-7. I think Coach Coley saw his arm strength and saw what he can do when he takes off running. Alin runs a 4.6.

"Everybody in college football today is running a zone-read, whether it's in a two back or one back spread. UM ran a lot of zone read last year. I think Coach Coley's philosophy is similar to Coach Fisch. What Alin gives you is that extra ability. He can take off any moment and break off a long run. He reminds me of a young Vince Young."

Edouard, the first Hialeah player to commit to UM since defensive lineman Adewale Ojomo, said he grew up a Canes fan since middle school. "I used to watch Jacory Harris in the seventh grade a lot and always admired him," Edouard said. "I've even built a little bit of a relationship with Stephen Morris from going to games.

"I'm going to say this is it for me. I know there are always other opportunities that might come. But I'm sure I'm going to Miami. They want me to play quarterback and that's what I want to do."

Edouard said he had previous offers from Ole Miss, FIU and Louisiana-Lafayette before Tuesday. Berman said Canes fans should follow Edouard closely his senior year and take a look at his junior highlights to see "the kind of hungry player he is."

"He can throw every ball out there. His arm strength is as good as you're going to find. Maybe I'm prejudice. I think he's the best quarterback anywhere around here," Berman said. "He goes all out all the time. The first game of the year we had a running back break like a 70-yard run down the field. You know who was his lead blocker? Alin. He's done it two or three other times. He just loves football."

> Berman said UM has shown interest in a couple others of his talented juniors at Hialeah including center Alique Terry (6-2, 285) and defensive tackle Tony Baxter (6-3, 300). Neither of those players though have offers from the Canes.

Collins tells NBC-6 its still going to be Arkansas

Don't expect any more zaniness Thursday. South Plantation running back Alex Collins should sign a National Letter of Intent with Arkansas before noon a source told The Miami Herald.

As our Susan Miller Degnan detailed in her story, Collins' mom ran off without signing his NLOI Wednesday because she wanted him to stay home. But the former UM recruit told NBC-6 during its South Florida Recruiting Show tonight he's still going to Arkansas and nothing has changed.

He posted the following on Twitter around midnight.

Goodnight twitter fam, thanks 4 the love and support I've been getting from every1, I really appreciate it! I READ all. It will be over soon

— alexander collins (@Budda03) February 7, 2013

Here is Collins' interview with Joe Rose late Wednesday night.

UM's 2013 signing class list

Here is the list of 16 names we've received upon arriving here for Al Golden's press conference.

Stacy Coley, WR, Oakland Park Northeast High, 6-1, 173
Jermaine Grace, LB, Miramar High, 6-1, 210
Augustus Edwards, FB, Staten Island (N.Y.), 6-2, 230
Sunny Odogwu, OT, Hargrave Military (Va.), 6-8, 311
Beau Sandland, TE, Los Angeles Pierce College, 6-6, 255
Artie Burns, S, Miami Northwestern, 6-0, 183
Alquadin Muhammad, DE, Bosco Prep (N.J.), 6-3, 230
Kevin Olsen, QB, Wayne Hills, N.J., 6-3, 200
Jamal Carter, S, Miami Southridge, 6-1, 190
Standish Dobard, TE, New Orleans Edna Karr, 6-4, 255
Ufomba Kamalu, DT, Butler CC (Kan.), 6-5, 280
Alex Gall, OT, Cincinnati Moeller, 6-6, 280
Hunter Knighton, DT, Princeton Hun School, 6-5, 265
Alex Figueroa, DE, Fork Union (Va.), 6-3, 225
Ray Lewis III, RB, Lake Mary Prep, Fla., 5-9, 190
Devante Bond, Sierra College (Calif.), 6-3, 230

Grace picks Canes; Booker T. duo talks about their decisions

The University of Miami ended the round of televised announcements Wednesday by landing All-American Miramar High linebacker Jermaine Grace, a four-star recruit tabbed the 17th-best outside linebacker in the country by Rivals.com.

He picked the Canes over Sugar Bowl-champion Louisville. Getting Grace gives UM two recruits from Broward County and two from Dade in this 16-player class.

Grace said he made his decision "a week ago" and is looking forward to reuniting with his Miramar teammates at UM: cornerback Tracy Howard and receiver Malclolm Lewis.

"I feel like we're going to stay together, stay tight," Grace said. "They were telling me I have chance to get on the field right away just like them.

Despite the addition, UM struck out adding a defensive tackle to its class. The Canes missed out on Keith Bryant, who announced shortly before Grace he was heading to Florida State. UM also missed out on Jaynard Bostwick and Terrell Brooks in the last 24 hours.

In the end, I still like UM's class a lot. The Hurricanes landed their QB of the future in Kevin Olsen, the nation's top fullback in Augustus Edwards and JUCO tight end in Beau Sandland, a standout receiver in Stacy Coley, a top-flight defensive end in Al-Quadin Muhammad, an All-American linebacker in Grace and two standout defensive backs in Artie Burns and Jamal Carter. That's pretty good in a small class. 

> So why did Denver Kirkland opt for Arkansas and Matthew Thomas pick Florida State instead of Miami? Here's what they talked about Monday morning.

"I have a better bond with Arkansas coaches than any other coaches that recruited me," Kirkland said. "Miami came in second place because of the things that have been happening these past couple weeks. That's the only reason they came in second. After that I was leaning toward Florida State and Arkansas."

UM pulled Kirkland's scholarship last Thursday, but met with him and his mother Saturday, putting the offer back on the table. Kirkland said while it was tough to leave his parents, heading off to college was the best decision for him.

"He wanted to make the decision for himself and do something different," offensive coordinator Tim Harris Jr. said of Kirkland. "We were surprised by his decision. I was personally. I knew Arkansas was in the thick of it and heard about the relationships he built with the offensive line coach you started thinking it may be spot for him. But I thought it was going to be Miami.

Miami never really rose to the top, meanwhile, for Thomas.

"I think second place was USC, he said. "I liked USC a lot. Things work out for a reason, happen for a reason. I think its a family atmosphere at Florida State. It's not that far away. My whole family can come watch and see me."

Did UM have a chance? "They had a chance," Thomas said. "The bottom-line: I don't think what I was looking for was at Miami so I took my talents somewhere else."

Asked if he thought the pulled scholarship deal with Kirkland would affect Booker T.'s relationship with UM in the future, Harris Jr. said: "Our relationship is just as what it was before this recruiting season started. They're going to come in here and recruit Chad Thomas, Treon Harris, Nigel Patten and Lamar Parker. There's no bad blood between us. These guys just decided this was the best decision for them. We look forward to a future relationship with them. UM is my school. I put in four hard years there. That will never change."

> Northwestern cornerback Artie Burns, ranked No. 2 overall in Miami-Dade County, signed his National Letter of Intent to UM Wednesday with a smile on his face. Burns had four interceptions this past season and has been the fastest high school hurdler in the nation each of the past two years.

“It’s my hometown team and I knew for a longtime it’s where I wanted to be at,” Burns said. “A day like this means a lot because a lot of us have been together since the 10th grade. There’s a lot of talent at UM and looking forward to accomplishing my goals.”

Broward's top player WR Stacy Coley picks the Hurricanes over FSU, USF

Wearing a UM hat with the word Swag draped across the front of it, Oakland Park Northeast wide receiver Stacy Coley -- the top player in Broward County -- announced he was signing a National Letter of Intent with the University of Miami Wednesday.

Rated the fourth-best player at his position by ESPN, Coley said he chose the Hurricanes over schools such as Florida State and South Florida after sitting down with his family and talking it out on Sunday.

"I thought it was just beneficial for me and my family," he said. "Just stay home. I just hope I have the same success in high school and just help the U out with a national championship."

Coley, a two-time member of The Miami Herald All-Broward first team, finished with 29 catches for 513 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. He runs a 4.57 40-yard dash.

The 6-1, 173-pounder said he appreciated the fans he had in current Canes Tracy Howard and Deon Bush and was looking forward to playing with them rather than against them like he did in high school. Coaching changes at FSU did not affect his decision, he said.

His high school coach, Donnell Bennett, is a former UM fullback.

"It feels good," said Coley, who was crying during the ceremony. "I relieved a big stress off my shoulder and I can be an average kid again."

-- HERALD WRITER CHRISTINA DE NICOLA

Brooks hasn't made announcement; coach says it's going to be Miami or Baylor

By all accounts, Terrell Brooks has eaten lunch by now. It's his college decision he hasn't been able to digest yet.

ESPN reported Monday night the 6-4, 300-pound defensive tackle from Navarro JC in Corsicana, Tex. would make an announcement on his college choice around lunchtime Tuesday. But lunch has come and gone and all his JUCO head coach Brian Mayper said he's heard is that Brooks is down to Miami or Baylor. Kansas State is apparently out.

"I've had about six phone calls since lunch asking what he's doing. I don't know," Mayper said. "I'm sure when he reaches a decision he'll let everyone know."

Brooks, selected as an NJCAA All-American honorable mention, racked up 46 tackles, 11 for loss last season. He's one of three defensive tackles UM is in the hunt for. The others are Palm Beach high schoolers Keith Bryant and Jaynard Bostwick.

"Terrell's a hard worker, gets after it, a big physical kid that gets after it on the d-line," Mayper said. "When he came here out of high school he wasn't guaranteed a spot and he came in and won a starting job and did a great job for us. Great kid, great competitor. Wish I had him for one more year, but we don't.

"He's got great technique, strong and physical, really quicker. He's an every down player, doesn't take any plays off. It's something he takes pride in. He's in great shape. He's not a fat kid, doesn't have flab hanging over his belt. He's a good looking d-tackle."

Canes should find out about DT Brooks Tuesday around lunchtime

The next recruiting sweepstakes involving the Canes will take place around 1 p.m. Tuesday when Navarro (Corsicana, Tex.) junior college defensive tackle Terrell Brooks (6-4, 300) chooses between Kansas State, Baylor and Miami.

“I have a pretty good idea, but I want to get a few things cleared up before that happens,” Brooks told ESPN. “I’ve pretty much come down to the nitty-gritty, and me and my family have been talking about everything. [Tuesday] morning, I’m making my decision where I’ll be signing.”

Brooks was named all NJCAA honorable mention after racking up 46 tackles and 11 tackles for loss. He helped Navarro win the school's third consecutive Southwest Junior College Football Conference championship and finish the 2012 season ranked No. 4 in the final NJCAA poll.

A source said last Thursday Brooks was the player UM had received a silent commitment from, prompting the Hurricanes to temporarily yank a scholarship offer away from Miami Booker T. Washington All-American offensive lineman Denver Kirkland. UM has since put offer back on the table after meeting with Kirkland and his family over the weekend.

Brooks signed with North Texas coming out of high school in 2011.

The Hurricanes remain in pursuit of two highly-touted defensive tackles out of Palm Beach: Keith Bryant and Jaynard Bostwick. Florida State and Florida are said to be leading for their services, respectively.

Collins picks Arkansas over Canes

He's Arkansas bound.

South Plantation five-star recruit Alex Collins, rated the No. 1 running back in the country according to 247Sports.com, broke the hearts of Hurricanes fans late Monday night when made his college choice known on FoxSports South's New College Football Show in Atlanta.

"I like the fact they run the ball," Collins said when asked why he picked Arkansas. "I personally know the coaches. I've been recruited by them for two years now. So I think I can trust them. I feel like they can lead me to where I want to be on the next level, academically and athletically. I feel like if I have a problem in school they'll provide that extra help to lift me."

Collins (5-11, 204) had been a key recruit for UM. The Hurricanes need to add a running back who can come in and provide depth as a true freshman behind ACC Freshman of the Year Duke Johnson.

Instead, Collins opted for Fayetteville and the Hogs, who addressed a huge need with just three scholarship running backs on the roster.

Arkansas became a contender for Collins when the Razorbacks hired Bret Bielema from Wisconsin in early December. Assistant coach Charlie Partridge, who was the lead recruiter for Collins at Wisconsin, followed Bielema to Arkansas and assumed those same responsibilities. Collins took his official visit to Arkansas on January 25th. Bielema hired former UM coach Randy Shannon to his staff.

Wooooo pig sooooie!Great night to be a Razorback!

— Bret Bielema (@BretBielema) February 5, 2013

Collins ran for 1,275 yards and 14 touchdowns on 155 carries as a senior and helped lead his team to a district title. As a junior he led Broward County in rushing with 1,640 yards and 24 touchdowns on 221 carries.

UM was the first school to offer Collins and he committed to the Canes back in Jan. 2012. He de-committed from Miami in November, but never ruled the Canes out. He took his official visit to UM on January 18th and raved about his experience rushing the court in the Canes win over Duke. But apparently it wasn't enough.

The Hurricanes remain in the running for Tottenville Staten Island, N.Y.'s Gus Edwards, considered the No. 1 fullback in the country by Rivals.com. Edwards (6-0, 215) visited UM this past weekend and is said to be down to the Seminoles and Hurricanes.

I apologize to every fan and coach the I disappointed or let Down but it had to be a decision I made for me because this is where I will be

— alexander collins (@Budda03) February 5, 2013

Late night with Alex Collins; plus a podcast with David Lake of meaningless recruiting predictions

Tonight's the night South Plantation blue-chip running back Alex Collins tells the world where he's headed to college.

The announcement will be made on FoxSports South around 10 p.m. Collins, deciding between Miami and Arkansas, flew up to Atlanta to be in studio for the announcement. 

I want to thank everyone for the support , I love you all but unfortunately I can't make everyone happy even though I wish I could so bad 😔

— alexander collins (@Budda03) February 5, 2013

> Booker T. Washington coach Tim "Ice" Harris said he thinks UM is once again in the mix for offensive lineman Denver Kirkland.

Here's all you need to know about the situation: Kirkland's parents want him to go to UM and he was favoring them before his offer was pulled and Miami has put it back on the table, leaving it in his shoes to decide what he wants to do. We'll find out Wednesday at around 9:20 a.m. what he wants to do. But the last time Kirkland or his family spoke it was either going to be Arkansas or Florida State.

> ESPN recruiting analyst analyst Corey Long said that unless the Canes address the defensive tackle position on Wednesday with real talent they will have failed to fill their biggest need on Signing Day. 

"They needed to get stronger on the defensive line and I don't think they've done that," Long said. "They could bring in a kid like Matthew Thomas and if there's nothing up front to stop the initial push he becomes irrelevant. I don't think of the defensive tackles they have right now on that roster are really good, just average if that. They needed big bodies. Giving up eight yards a run just is not good enough."

Even though the Hurricanes are ranked as having the 64th-best class by Rivals.com, 46th by Scout.com and 25th by 247Sports.com, if you break down their average stars per commitment they rank in 247Sports.com and 17th in both Scout.com and Rivals.com.

"It's a small class, but they've got some players," Long said. "[Defensive end Alquadin] Muhammad is a very good player. [Cornerback] Artie Burns has a lot of potential, athleticism, might go the Olympics. Kevin Olsen gives them a quarterback of the future. [Tight end Beau] Sandland is going to be a big time weapon and I like [defensive back] Jamal Carter. But after that, it's kind of blah. If they can close strong here and actually get some of these kids they obviously improve that. But defensive tackle was what they needed to address."

> And now meaningless recruiting predictions for you from InsideTheU's David Lake and yours truly.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO PODCAST

Kirkland drama continues; family to meet with UM coaches at 3 p.m.

Been a crazy 72 hours to say the least. But this is what recruiting is all about.

According to Shanton Crummie, the stepfather of Booker T. Washington All-American offensive lineman Denver Kirkland, UM coaches have agreed to meet with the 6-5, 330-pound senior and his family at 3 p.m. to discuss the situation and see if a resolution can be reached.

Canesport.com first reported the meeting.

"We're just going to go down there as a family, me, his mom and Denver and talk things through," Crummie said.

Crummie told Brandon Odoi of CanesInsider earlier this morning UM coaches reached out to him Friday to discuss the situation and after taking time Kirkland told them he was moving on and choosing between Arkansas and Florida State.

UM coaches then reached back out to Crummie this morning -- he said assistant Micheal Barrow called him around 11 a.m. -- to see if Kirkland was willing to come in for a meeting. The family agreed.

FYI, Crummie, a local youth football coach in Overtown, is a huge UM fan and told Kirkland UM is the best situation for him. Kirkland had UM as his leader according to Booker T. coaches until the Hurricanes pulled the scholarship from him Thursday after the team's state championship parade citing limited number of scholarships. 

Recruiting is a crazy game. Stay tuned.

Burns never worried about possible NCAA sanctions, followed heart to UM

Even though he committed to Miami last summer, Artie Burns never stopped receiving interest from other schools.

"Every time a school has come in here, they've asked about him and asked to talk to him, Northwestern High coach Stephen Field said.

When you are the nation's fastest high school hurdler and considered one of the best cornerbacks in the country it's only natural to draw eyeballs. But the 6-1, 183-pound senior from Miami Northwestern said he's never once thought about straying from the Hurricanes. No matter what.

"I never thought about [the potential NCAA sanctions]," Burns said recently even though others brought it up. "Even if they did get penalized I would still go to UM. They're on the road to becoming back where they were at. That's why I chose to go there.

I'm excited. We're all coming in hungry to get that championship. The hunger is going to help us prevail."

With less than a week to go before Signing Day, UM has 13 commitments.

Here is a link to my feature on Burns which ran in Saturday's paper.

A day later, cooler heads have prevailed at Booker T.; Matthew Thomas still in play for Canes

Sometimes you just need to talk things out. 

In the case of Booker T. Washington offensive lineman Denver Kirkland, coach Tim "Ice" Harris and the University of Miami it appears better communication between the parties involved could have prevented some hurt feelings and an ugly situation. But a day later, after a night to sleep on things, I can tell you UM hasn't poisoned itself in Overtown or burned any bridges permanently. There are grown ups involved here. Lessons have been learned.

For starters I spent about 30 minutes this afternoon chatting up Ice Harris and his son, offensive coordinator Tim Harris Jr., to get the real story of what might have gone wrong here. Ice told me afterward he didn't want to be quoted other than to say "I don't want to beat a dead horse." But without knowing UM's side of the story here -- coaches aren't allowed to discuss recruits publicly -- here is what I gathered from the situation:

Kirkland, a 6-5, 333-pound All-American offensive lineman, obviously wasn't the big fish UM was hoping to catch at Booker T. All-American linebacker Matthew Thomas, a consensus five-star recruit, has always been the guy Miami has gone after at Booker T. first and foremost. When Al Golden visited Booker T. on Thursday afternoon with a couple of his assistants he spent an hour and a half with Thomas and 10 minutes with Kirkland. 

Don't mistake for a second Booker T. coaches aren't aware Thomas is the guy everybody in the country wants or that Kirkland isn't "a shade below" Thomas in terms of being in the same league. Kirkland, Harris Jr. told me, didn't get a Miami offer until this past summer, after he had attended UM's camp.

But this is where the communication break down begins. In the eyes of Booker T.'s coaches, who spend every day with their players, there was no difference between Kirkland and Thomas. Once they got an offer from a school, they assumed schools were willing to go the distance with them -- all the way up until Signing Day -- to wait for a commitment. 

Ice Harris, having spent three years on Randy Shannon's staff at UM, is well aware of the recruiting game. He understands schools can pull scholarship offers and go in another direction if things change. Recruiting is a fluid game that changes from second to second. Ice Harris knows offers aren't guaranteed. He just never imagined in his wildest dreams -- not after Al Golden visited Booker T. Washington and spent time with both players Thursday -- that Miami was considering pulling Kirkland's scholarship. Why? Because there was no talk of a deadline according to them. 

"They might have told him it was getting a little tight for them or he needed to give them an assurance, but he wasn't ready to do that," Harris Jr. said. "But we told them -- told assistant Micheal Barrow -- we felt strongly he was going to go there. He just had to go through the process and make sure he was going to go there."

Why did Kirkland need more time? Because according to Booker T.'s staff, other college coaches were still coming in to talk to Kirkland. After Golden and his staff walked out the door Thursday, Harris said Jimbo Fisher and FSU was waiting to talk to Kirkland. Like it or not, it's a process. And now we know why. Because at any moment a school can decide to change directions -- the same way athletes can. Recruiting is fluid. 

Harris and Booker T.'s players just never expected to be jolted like that, especially not when they were telling Barrow it looked better for UM that they would land Kirkland than it did as far as netting Thomas. And maybe in the end, that wasn't good enough for Miami.

Maybe, Canes coaches thought Kirkland wasn't going to Miami (maybe new offensive coordinator James Coley had some better insight into the situation). Or, it really was a numbers crunch and UM knows it has other top tier recruits as silent commitments. Maybe the Canes just don't have room for an All-American offensive lineman because they've got six or seven other blue-chip talents in the bag. 

Still, it's just odd the way all this went down. For six months Miami wanted Denver Kirkland. Then six days before National Signing Day they decided they didn't want him anymore. I guess if you have six or seven better players you know for sure you are getting it makes sense to make room, toss out the trash.

But if you don't know that for sure then why do this? Why surprise a two-time state championship winning coach by yanking a scholarship away from one of his best players after you've told him for six months you want him and he's told you that you are likely to get him?

And that's where the confusion lies on Booker T.'s side. Ice Harris trusted his word to Barrow was good enough, that it was infiltrating the offices at UM and that the offer Kirkland had wasn't going to vanish. He still trusts Barrow, insisting he's " a great guy and the way he recruited his players is the right way." Ice Harris said his conversation with Barrow Friday morning "went well" and both sides are "trying to smooth things over."

It's the guys making the decisions down in Coral Gables, inside the offices, Ice Harris isn't sure about. After all, if Golden was already at Booker T. Thursday morning why not tell Kirkland yourself the bad news? Why send Barrow back to do it after a championship parade?

"I don't think the relationship as a whole between Miami and Booker T. is ruined," said Tim Harris Jr., a UM grad and former track star. "You have to look at every situation differently. I think everybody here can all agree this situation was handled bad and us being a pipeline here in the backyard of UM it shouldn't have come to this. But all of us here are professionals and I don't think anyone here wants to give the idea we would steer kids away from the University of Miami. If anything, we're just going to have to ask more questions. When they come in and say you have an offer we're going to ask 'Is there a deadline?' That goes for all schools. At the end of the day, UM is my school, it always will be. But I'm a coach here at Booker T. and we're here to protect the kids and keep them away from having something like this happen to them. So we will be smarter. We've learned a lesson."

And now, maybe, Miami will learn a lesson, too.

Star linebacker Matthew Thomas is still very much in play for the Canes. Harris assured me of that. UM coaches were with him last night in his home -- after they broke his teammate's heart. Thomas was shocked to hear what happened with Kirkland, Harris said. But he hasn't ruled the Canes out -- at least not as of noon Friday.

Then again, UM has never been the program at the top of Thomas' list. The way Harris Jr. explained it to me, Thomas didn't really care about Miami, didn't want to go there for most of the season. When Barrow or UM coaches would call him, Harris Jr. said, he wouldn't answer. It wasn't until Harris and his assistants urged him to open his ears and at least hear what UM had to offer that Thomas really began to listen. Florida State, they say, had always been Thomas' quiet leader. Now, USC is involved "and making a strong late push." Alabama has been in the mix, too.

Does UM really have a chance to get Thomas?

"Yeah they've got a chance," Harris Jr. said. "But it's not like Denver. We honestly don't know where he wants to go. It was FSU for a long time and now it's anybody's guess. I think we all feel like we're going to be surprised on Wednesday."

For Miami's sake, let's hope that surprise isn't like the one Kirkland got Thursday afternoon. That one stung.

Booker T. coach Tim "Ice" Harris says he's stunned UM pulled scholarship from Kirkland

This isn't the type of finish UM coach Al Golden had in mind.

With less than a week before National Signing Day, the Hurricanes have pulled a scholarship offer from a top recruit at a major high school power in Miami-Dade County and angered its head coach.

Booker T. Washington coach Tim "Ice" Harris said Thursday it was grossly unfair for the Hurricanes to pull their offer from All-American offensive lineman Denver Kirkland right after the team's state championship parade through Overtown.

Harris, who himself worked on UM's staff under Randy Shannon and whose son Brandon was a standout cornerback at UM, said he had assured UM coaches privately Kirkland had decided to sign with the Canes and was simply waiting until National Signing Day to announce. But because Kirkland wasn't willing to commit before then and make the announcement public, Harris said, assistant Micheal Barrow told him the program "was moving in a different direction."

"This had nothing to do with academics and everything to do with UM doing something unfair to a local kid," Harris said. "Denver has a 2.8 GPA and has the test score.

"Coach Golden visited the school today before our parade and told Denver everything he wanted to hear. Then, a couple hours later, everything changed. I told them Denver was all set to go there for the academics. This isn't the way UM should be doing business, not with the kids in their own backyard."

Harris said Barrow asked for a private meeting following the parade and asked Kirkland flatly if he would commit. Harris said Kirkland told Barrow UM was in the top three, but he wanted to wait until Signing Day to announce.

"I just don't understand why they couldn't wait," Harris said. "The same way [linebacker] Matthew Thomas is a big-time kid, Denver is the same big-time offensive lineman. Let the kid enjoy his moment. If they were going to do this to him, why not let him know well ahead of time so he could plan another visit. Don't come to us in the end and say you're going in another direction because of a defensive lineman."

Asked if this would affect Thomas' recruitment, Harris said: "I just look at this from a loyalty perspective. If we commit to something and show you love and tell you we're going to do something, just wait for it to happen. I've never seen anything of this magnitude. I'm not sure what this does for UM in Miami as a whole... I'll never tell a kid not to go somewhere, but it's tough for me to tell my kids to trust UM at this point.

"They don't know when an offer is going to get pulled, if they're going to do what they did to Denver today. He's an All-American. I just don't understand how they let him get out of here. I won't stop anybody from going to UM, but I can tell you I'll never help them again."

Kirkland: UM is out of the picture

Guess I should have stuck around for the end of Booker T. Washington's state championship parade.

All-American offensive lineman Denver Kirkland confirmed Thursday night UM is no longer in the picture for him, just a couple of hours after saying he loved the coaches and the program. 

What led to this surprising news? Kirkland said he had a private conversation with UM assistant coach Micheal Barrow and Booker T. head coach Tim "Ice" Harris following the parade in which they discussed an issue that came up with him going to UM.

Is it that you didn't have the grades or test score to get in? "No, not that," he said. 

Are you upset? "No. I'm still going to play college football somewhere," he said.

Kirkland said his final four is now South Florida, Florida State, Ole Miss and Arkansas.

CanesInsider, which first tweeted the news, said Kirkland was told by UM coaches he no longer had a scholarship available to him.

From CaneInsider: Kirkland’s stepfather, Shanton Crummie, informed XOFan/CaneInsider of the news earlier tonight. He said the explanation he’s receiving from the Miami coaching staff is that they over signed defensive lineman and therefore Kirkland’s scholarship was used up.

The Hurricanes have 13 commitments and are still in play for some major recruits. But Kirkland was expected to pick UM. This obviously will not sit well with teammate Matthew Thomas, who was also considering UM.

Denver Kirkland, other top UM targets ready to make announcements on national TV

Booker T. Washington's state championship football team finally celebrated its state title Thursday with a parade through Overtown.

Among those to savor the moment: hulking 6-5, 333-pound offensive lineman Denver Kirkland, who along with star linebacker Matthew Thomas have been highly-coveted and recruited by Al Golden and UM coaches. 

Now with all his official visits behind him and decision day right around the corner, Kirkland said Thursday he's enjoyed the process, but is ready to get in front of a national TV audience on ESPN's networks and tell the world where he's headed for college. Kirkland isn't alone. He's one of six highly coveted UM recruits who are planning to make their college announce on ESPN on National Signing Day.

The announcement list -- always changing -- looks as follows at the moment:

- Port St. Lucie Centennial DL Jaynard Bostwick, 8 a.m.
- Booker T. Washington LB Matthew Thomas, 9:15 a.m.
- Booker T. Washington OL Denver Kirkland, 9:20 a.m.
- Northeast WR Stacy Coley, 10 a.m.
- University School WR Jordan Cunningham, 10:15 a.m.
- Miramar LB Jermaine Grace, 1:30-2 p.m.

Golden knew he was going to have to wait until late in the game to find out if he was going to land South Florida's top players. Plan B? I'm not sure there really is one. But most recruiting experts don't believe the Canes will strike out. Grace and Kirkland are the two players Charles Fishbein of Elite Scouting Services said he's confident UM will land. The others? Iffy.

Thomas, who wasn't around for the parade Thursday at Booker T., is down to Miami, Florida State and Alabama. Kirkland said he's still down to a top five: "Ole Miss, FSU, USF, UM and Arkansas."

"The recruiting process went good, I really enjoyed it, got to know a lot of people," said Kirkland, whose mother is pushing him to stay in Miami. "I got to see the fans being open with the players and how much they love the players. I had steak on every one of my visits, biggest one was 16 ounces. The most fun was the house parties, track meets and basketball games.

"I like the Canes a lot. They're academic program is good and the bonds I have with the coaches are good. Micheal Barrow was my recruiter. He's a good guy. UM is recruiting me as an offensive tackle just like everyone else."

MORE RECRUITING TIDBITS

> Northeast coach and former Hurricanes running back Donnell Bennett said "mum's the word" with his star receiver, Coley, who had an in-home visit with UM coaches Wednesday night. "I tried to corner him today. I couldn't get him to talk," Bennett said. "Florida State will be visiting him Saturday morning. I think that will be it. Then, he has to make a decision."

> Bostwick's coach Ron Parker Going confirmed the big defensive tackle will be visiting Florida this weekend. "He's going to take a final visit and then sit down and decide what he's going to do," Parker said. "Miami was here yesterday. Alabama was on a final visit this week. He'll have Monday, Tuesday to decide.

"He said he had a good visit at Miami [where cousin Thurston Armbrister plays linebacker]. Is his mom is pushing Florida? I don't know. Maybe it's the setting she likes. Maybe that's the setting he needs versus Miami Beach. But it's going to come down to Jaynard. I asked him if he was going to commit after this weekend and he said 'No.'"

> Staten Island (N.Y.) Totteville's Augustus Edwards, considered the top fullback in the country according to Rivals, has officially decommitted from Syracuse and will visit UM this weekend. FSU is also in the mix. New Hurricanes offensive coordinator James Coley loves him, I'm told, and thinks he'll be just like Orange Bowl MVP Lonnie Pryor.

> Why is South Plantation blue-chip running back Alex Collins flying to Atlanta to make his announcement Monday night instead of waiting until National Signing Day? Not because he wants to avoid heat from UM fans if he chooses Arkansas instead, his coach said. 

"FoxSports called me and said they were doing a Countdown to Signing Day Show and wanted to have [FSU commitment John Franklin] and Alex talk about how the recruiting process goes," South Plantation coach Doug Gatewood said. "I didn't really get involved in it. I told Alex and John and they said yes. John's dad is the chaperone. They've pretty much taken care of the details on their own. They fly up Monday afternoon and film it in studio at 10 p.m. They will stay overnight before they fly back home in the afternoon.

"I can't speak for Alex, but if he waited until Signing Day he's just a blurb with 100 other kids. If he does it on Monday it's all him. That's why he's doing it."

UM compliance office urges fans to stay away from recruits; twitter war over Alex Collins continues

The University of Miami's compliance office took to Twitter Thursday morning to send a message it hoped its fans would receive and heed: leave recruits alone.

"Canes fans: We love when you support #TheU, but remember, only coaches can recruit prospects. #AskBeforeUAct," the tweet at around 10 a.m. from @UCompliance read.

Why the concern? Fans from both Miami and Arkansas have been a little too interested lately in trying to sway South Plantation blue-chip running back Alex Collins to pick their school. Collins is set to announce his college decision in an Atlanta TV studio Monday night after 10 p.m. on FoxSports Network.

It's against NCAA rules for fans -- especially those who provide financial aid to the schools they love -- to get involved in the recruiting process. Lucky for them, the NCAA doesn't have the time or resources to chase everyone down. But in this case, with Miami being under investigation, it's probably a good idea for Hurricanes fans to stop.

Collins, whose Twitter account is @Budda03, has been relatively happy with "the love" he's been receiving. But messages have been getting nasty lately. Some UM fans believe Collins' high school coach Doug Gatewood is steering him away from Miami because of an alleged connection to Arkansas.

Here is one example of one of those Tweets from Cane Flexin @ThatCaneZo: "Hey @Budda03 don't let your coach make your decision for you. It's your decision and yours only."

This morning Collins responded to some of those tweets: "It's crazy how people can make things up or assume things that's no where close to being true.. I've been hearin crazy things thats not true."

Gatewood has vehemently denied the claims and told The Miami Herald Thursday: "I get paid $3,100 to be a head coach and have caught more [expletive] this year than you can imagine. People sitting there saying I'm profiting from this, I'm going to send them a picture of my truck. It needs a paint job and is missing a window.

"I guess it happens. But I've never been a part of it. Everybody talks about my relationship with [Arkansas assistant] Charlie [Patridge]. At the end of the day, I use every resource I have to help my kids get recruited. I call every person I know when I have a kid. When [Collins] started playing last year nobody was recruiting him. I called everybody and said 'I got a kid. You got to come look at him.'"

"As much as I care about him, he cares about me as well. Nobody wants people talking [expletive] about their coach."

Some UM fans have responded positively to the UM compliance office's request. Victor Castro ‏(@BudussyCanes) tweeted Collins: "Mr. Collins, wherever U decide 2 play ur college ball, we Canes wish U nothing but the best of luck. #GOCanes"

Arkansas fans, meanwhile, have continued to pursue Collins. The running back shared a picture of a chain of papers he got in the mail which reads: WOO PIG SOOIE GO HOGS!

Here's a list of some of the tweets Collins has received from both Miami and Arkanas fans and retweeted:

From Randall Baker ‏@RSB416
"@Budda03 if you came to arkansas, I'd convert to Buddism."

From Kel Clarke ‏@kclarke56
"@Budda03 @HogCaller90 can u imagine 80,000 fans wearing dreads at all the games.. I know id buy one - that would be sick - RAZORBUDDA!!!"

From Purple Cane ‏@PurpleCane41
"I'd take a blindside hit from @raylewis if it got #AlexCollinsToTheU"

From Gene Esposito ‏@GeneEspo69
"@Budda03 u gonna play for Miami and hit up south beach or play for Arkansas where marrying your cousin is common?"

From Jonathon Zenk ‏@jzenk42
"@Budda03 You should go to Miami, unless you would enjoy getting your teeth kicked in by Bama and LSU every year..."

Perhaps the most interesting tweet came from Arkansas coach Bret Bielema himself. Of course, it wasn't directly sent to Collins. But it did mention Budda -- Collin's nickname. Bielema sent it to his running backs coach.

Here is the message: "Found a Budda in Dallas. Lucky charms everywhere we go. #wps #gohogsgo @coachjoelt"

The picture Beilema tweeted is below. Wonder if the NCAA will question Bielema for the Budda reference?

InsideTheU's David Lake discusses where UM stands with its top targets a week before signing day

Here's the latest edition of Eye On The U's recruiting podcast with Herald Sports Writer Manny Navarro and InsideTheU reporter David Lake. 

The two discuss where Miami stands with its top targets a week before National Signing Day. Among the players discussed: LB Matthew Thomas, RB Alex Collins, RB Augustus Edwards, WR Stacy Coley, WR Jordan Cunningham, OL Denver Kirkland, DT Jay-nard Bostwick, DT Keith Bryant and LB Jermaine Grace.

PODCAST LINK

Mike James gets a late invite to Saturday's Senior Bowl

Didn't get a chance to pass this along earlier because I was working the phones, but Canes running back Mike James has been invited as a late addition for Saturday's Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.

James, replacing injured Clemson running back Andre Ellington on the South roster, will be the 63rd Miami Hurricane to play in the Senior Bowl and the first Canes running back since Cleveland Gary in 1989.

It will be James' second postseason college bowl invite; the Haines City, Fla., native rushed for 21 yards in the 2013 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl held on Jan. 19 in Carson, Calif.

James started all 12 games at running back for the Hurricanes in 2012, finishing as the team’s second-leading rusher with 642 yards and six touchdowns. He piled up 1,386 rushing yards and 17 TDs, while catching 67 passes for 585 yards and five touchdowns in his career. He was one of 11 FBS players named to the 2012 AFCA Allstate Good Works Team in September.

Kickoff Saturday is set for 4 p.m. The game will be televised on the NFL Network.

COUPLE ITEMS

> Be sure to follow our Michelle Kaufman for all updates on tonight's big Canes-Duke basketball game. Canesport.com reported earlier today that several big time recruits will be attending the game, set for a 7 p.m. tipoff. Among those expected in the crowd: Booker T. Washington linebacker Matthew Thomas, South Plantation running back Alex Collins, Oakland Park Northeast receiver Stacy Coley, Northwestern safety Artie Burns, Southridge safety Jamal Carter and Ely cornerback Rashard Robinson. Yes, there will also be tributes and moments of silence during the game for legendary baseball coach Ron Fraser. 

> Miramar linebacker Jermaine Grace, who was originally set to make his college announcement on Tuesday, will now make it sometime next week according to his coach Damon Cogdell. Louisville, whom Grace visited last weekend, is taking advantage of the extra time with an in-home visit this week. Cogdell said the delay is due to the fact he's working with producers to get Grace's announcement made on television.

PODCAST: Recruiting talk with InsideTheU's David Lake

Herald Sports Writer Manny Navarro talks recruiting with InsideTheU's David Lake after the Hurricanes' big weekend.

Among the players discussed: South Plantation RB Alex Collins, Port St. Lucie Centennial DL Jay-nard Bostwick, Ely CB Rashard Robinson, Booker T. Washington OL Denver Kirkland and LB Matthew Thomas and new commitment Butler (Kan.) JUCO DL Ufomba Kamalu.

PODCAST LINK

NCAA investigation, Canes' recruiting chatter

Long day Monday and I fully expect the rest of the week to be busy now that the NCAA appears ready to hand the University of Miami and others its notice of allegations any day now. 

> Ultimately what I've come to understand through two sources is that the NCAA reached out verbally to the lawyers of the parties involved in the investigation last week (that includes schools where former assistants are now at) to let them know what they will be receiving in the coming week and to be prepared for it. All parties are expected to receive their notice of allegations via email sometime soon (UM should be in the same boat because this is how the process works). All parties then have 90 days to respond in writing to the NCAA before appearing at a hearing in front of the NCAA Infractions Committee in four to six months. So, as has been reported many times, we are far off from the punishment phase. You can look at it as the first half of this 22-month investigation being over.

> A source close to former UM recruiting coordinator and receivers coach Aubrey Hill told me Monday what what CBSSports.com first reported -- that Hill is expected to be cited for "unethical conduct," better known as a violation of Bylaw 10.1. Hill resigned at the University of Florida prior to the 2012 season and had far less interaction with Nevin Shapiro according to my source than Clint Hurtt. But both will reportedly face the music for not being as forthcoming as they should have been when being interviewed by the NCAA.

> A source told me two former UM assistants who are not expected to be hit hard by the NCAA are Alabama's Jeff Stoutland and Joe Pannunzio because they were honest and up front with investigators. Pannunzio is now the director of operations at Alabama; Stoutland the offensive line coach. What they could and most likely will face as punishment for driving recruits to see Shapiro are suspensions and fines, but not the dreaded 10.1. FYI, information on all coaches at non-private schools is public record. So eventually what all former assistants are facing will come out. UM, being a private school, does not have to share its NOA. 

> Don't be surprised in the end if certain individuals who played big roles in the NCAA's investigation are not named in the report and do not face any charges. As we've mentioned in the past, some who cooperated with investigators are granted immunity. In some cases, as I was told by a source interviewed by the NCAA, people who broke rules may only end up being referenced in the report and not face charges. 

> In the meantime, as the NCAA investigation continues to unfold, UM coach Al Golden and his staff are busy recruiting and preparing for National Signing Day. After it's big recruiting weekend UM picked up just one commitment -- from Nigerian-born JUCO defensive tackle Ufomba Kamalu. But another commitment could soon be on the way this week in Miramar outside linebacker Jermaine Grace.

The Rivals.com 4-star recruit visited Louisville this past weekend and was supposed to announce his college choice Tuesday morning, but Miramar coach Damon Cogdell told me yesterday Grace will now wait until Thursday or Friday. Cogdell said he was "working with TV" to have the announcement broadcast. Grace, who has long thought to be a Hurricanes lean, will choose between UM, Louisville and Tennessee.

"He likes them all," Cogdell told me on Monday of Grace's final three. "Louisville is coming off the win against Florida and talking national championship. UM is young, but loaded. Tennessee has a new coach. We're going to sit down tomorrow and figure it out."

I'm fairly confident Grace will elect to stay home. He is close friends with Hurricanes cornerback Tracy Howard, his former Miramar teammate and Miramar's coaches believe he can come in and help UM's defense right away.

> Although the mother of Port St. Lucie Centennial defensive lineman Jaynard Bostwick told Canesport.com Sunday her son's "heart is at The U" and that she thinks he'll end up there, his coach sounded a little less confident Monday it was a complete slam dunk.

"He has a trip to Florida this weekend or next weekend and then he'll make his decision," Centennial coach Ron Parker said. "I think he wants to wait until National Signing Day. I told him if you want to let the coach of the school know ahead of time, that's fine too. But he'll make the announcement on Signing Day. It's between Miami, Alabama and Florida."

Bostwick, 6-3, 305-pounds according to Parker, is the cousin of UM linebacker Thurston Armbrister and has a sister that lives in Broward County. Parker said UM coach Al Golden already did an in-home visit with Bostwick last week. He finished his senior season as a third team all-state selection, registering 60 tackles, two sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss while also being a big-time run blocker at tight end.

"He's a moose -- strong, explosive," Parker said. "We had him mostly on the edge. His junior year he had a better year because he had better players around him. This year we had nobody of that caliber. We moved him around inside and out. If he gets a little more flexible he can play on the edge at the next level."

Parker said Bostwick maxed out at 353 pounds on the bench press and squated 535 pounds. "He's just a big kid -- not fat at all," Parker said. "He's only the third kid I've had to play all four years at the varsity level in my 23 years of coaching."

Parker said Bostwick still has some work to do in the classroom. He said Bostwick, rated a 4-star recruit by both Rivals.com, 247Sports and ESPN, has a 2.3 GPA and scored a 20 on his ACT.

"We don't want him to be close; we want him to have everything he needs," Parker said. "I want him to take on online class to replace some D's he made his freshman and sophomore year. By doing that he'll bring his GPA up."

> Rivals.com recruiting analyst Robert Cassidy said of the three JUCO recruits UM has in its class tight end Beau Sandland is clearly the best and the most ready to contribute right away. Sandland was rated the No. 1 JUCO tight end by 247Sports.com after catching 24 passes for 267 yards and 3 TDs at Los Angeles Pierce College this past season.

"There's going to be some work with [outside linebacker] Devante Bond and Kamalu, but Sandland is more of a slam dunk," Cassidy said. "He's a major Division 1 football player right now. All the tools are there. Good hands. He shines with blocking too, not afraid of laying a guy on his back. He's one of my favorite JUCO players in the country."

Cassidy said he's a bit surprised Sandland ended up at Miami, even though Sandland liked UM's tradition at tight end and sees himself as sort of Jeremy Shockey-type.

"Every school in the country was recruiting him. He had a bunch of offers. But he basically had to ruled out the entire SEC because they don't take online math he took as credit," Cassidy explained. "He really liked Florida. He was all geeked to visit Florida. But it ended up coming down to Miami, Arizona State and Nebraska and he felt like he could make the bigger impact at Miami."

> As far as UM's vacant offensive coordinator position goes, I haven't heard anything serious yet. Some have wondered if Mario Cristobal would do it. That's not happening. Cristobal isn't a play-caller. He's a great recruiter and very good offensive line coach.

Alex Collins wants to see if he can envision himself as a Hurricane on his official visit

Alex Collins has been down to the University of Miami at least a handful of times since the Hurricanes became the first major FBS program to offer him a scholarship last year when he was a junior.

But those unofficial visits down to Coral Gables, Collins explained Wednesday, were usually just trips to have fun. Friday, Collins will head back down to UM with a different mindset -- to see if playing for coach Al Golden and the Hurricanes is something he can really envision himself doing.

"When I went there before I didn't go there with the mindset of 'Can I be here for the next four years of my life? Is this a school I can see myself at? Am I comfortable here?,' " said Collins, rated the No. 1 all-purpose running back in the country by 247Sports.com.

"I always would go down there and was just sort of happy to be there, like 'This is a nice place. I'm happy to see the coaches, players.' I never went there to envision 'Is this my future?' "

Collins (5-11, 200) hopes to figure that out soon. Once committed to the Hurricanes for almost a year until he decided in November to pull back and look at all of his options, Collins said he's still mulling over a top five or six with three weeks to go before National Signing Day.

So why has it taken Collins so long to narrow things down? Well, as his coach Doug Gatewood explained Wednesday, "it's hard for Alex to tell anybody 'No.'"

"I like to make everyone happy," said Collins, who ran for 1,276 yards and 14 touchdowns in 11 games his senior season. "It's always hard to make everyone happy. But to tell coaches no thank you makes you feel like you're missing out on an opportunity.'

"My worst fear is that after I make my decision I say 'Dang I made a mistake.' That's why I've tried to take every visit so I don't have a doubt in my mind."

AUDIO OF COLLINS INTERVIEW WITH MANNY NAVARRO

Collins, who already visited Florida, Wisconsin and Florida State, did say 'No' to somebody on Wednesday: Louisville assistant coach Clint Hurtt, who visited South Plantation in hopes of trying to sway him to take a visit there before Signing Day.

As it stands, the Hurricanes are a bit fortunate to be getting a visit from Collins this weekend. The University of Texas, who began recruiting Collins after he went out to California and played in the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl in California, was pushing for Collins to take a visit to Austin this weekend instead of Coral Gables. But in the end, Collins decided to stick with his original plan.

Next week, though, Collins will take his last official visit to Arkansas, where former Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema and assistant Charlie Partridge are trying hard to sway him.

Collins, who at one point had a top three of Miami, Florida State and Wisconsin, explained Wednesday how coaching changes at FSU and Wisconsin really shook up the big picture for him. At one point after de-committing from Miami, Florida State was Collins' leader. But once FSU running backs coach Eddie Gran left to become the offensive coordinator at Cincinnati last month, that changed everything.

"Now as it sit down and think about it I don't have a leader," Collins aid. "Everybody is level. Everybody has the same opportunity."

As far as the Hurricanes are concerned, Collins said looming NCAA sanctions are no longer a serious negative for him because the program decided to self-impose a second bowl ban and is "starting to punish themselves" so the NCAA's sanctions "shouldn't be as harsh."

Ultimately, Collins said, reaching a decision on where to sign will not be easy. He said he's already tried sitting down and making lists of positive factors and negative factors for each school. "It's hard to go by a list," Collins said.

He's studied rosters; which majors are available at each school (he wants to study either criminal justice, broadcasting or sports medicine) and is listening to his mother (who is pushing UM because she wants him close to home) and his coach (a Hurricanes fan who wants Collins to make the best decision for himself in the end). Collins said ultimately it will probably just come down to where he feels most comfortable.

In terms of personnel at the respective schools and the way these programs utilize running backs, Gatewood said Collins "wants to be at a program that more of a featured back than a back by committee."

"That's what he always liked at Wisconsin," Gatewood said. "Even though they used three running backs, Montee Ball was the running back. Whenever he needed a break, they brought James White in. Whereas Florida and Florida State use the back by committee approach. Arkansas has the same staff as Wisconsin so you assume they'll do the same thing as Wisconsin.

"Miami is hard to tell because depth was an issue. They really couldn't do back by committee because there wasn't enough of a committee. Florida isn't going to change. They're going to be the same as they've always been. Florida State is going to be same. Jimbo [Fisher] is not going to change because Eddie [Gran] left."

The Hurricanes are looking for a bigger back like Collins to compliment ACC Freshman of the Year Duke Johnson, who will have senior Eduardo Clements and redshirt freshman Danny Dillard backing him up in 2013. Collins, who maintains a friendship with Johnson on Facebook and talks to him occasionally, said Wednesday he feels like there is an opportunity to play at Miami and that he can "come in and perform and get playing time as a freshman."

Said Collins of Johnson: "I would hate to go down there and take his spot."

Gatewood, who has maintained long-term friendships with Bielema, Gran and Partridge through recruiting in his time as a coach in South Florida, said anyone who gets the idea he wants Collins to leave South Florida "is off base." He said he would love to see Collins play at Miami, but is staying out of the decision-making process.

"In the end, I'm just hoping to get an answer after these next two visits," Collins said. "It's not going to be easy. I'm going to have say 'No' to a few people on Feb. 6.'"

> Miami Northwestern safety Artie Burns, who received a visit at school Wednesday from LSU coach Les Miles, said he and fellow UM commitments Jamal Carter and Kevin Olsen will take officials visits to Miami this weekend to help solidify this year's signing class. 

"We got a few guys like Alex Collins, Denver Kirkland and others we want to make sure become Hurricanes," Burns said. "Coach Golden has a good thing going. We're turning things around."

PODCAST: The latest on Canes' big recruiting weekend with InsideTheU's David Lake

The Miami Hurricanes have three visit weekends left before National Signing Day, but this next one will be a big one for Al Golden and his coaching staff.

Three four-star South Florida recruits -- South Plantation running back Alex Collins, Booker T. Washington offensive lineman Denver Kirkland and Port St. Lucie Centennial defensive tackle Jay-Nard Bostwick -- will be visiting Coral Gables this weekend. 

The Hurricanes, who currently have one player signed and 12 other commitments as part of its 2013 class, have another five to six spots they could end up filling (thank Thomas Finnie and Gionni Paul for the extra slots) by Feb. 6. Golden told WQAM last week the Canes were willing to wait until the end to land some big-time kids late. We'll see if the gamble pays off. 

I caught up with InsideTheU staff writer David Lake, who covers Canes recruiting about as deeply as anyone, on Tuesday to discuss the latest on the Canes recruiting front and this big weekend.  If you've got about 12-13 minutes tune in.

EYE ON THE U PODCAST

COLLINS UPDATE

As for Collins, considered the nation's No. 1 running back according to 247Sports.com, South Plantation High coach Doug Gatewood told me this afternoon the former UM commitment is really undecided with what he'll do. Miami, Florida State, Wisconsin, Florida and Arkansas are all in the picture.

Texas, Gatewood told me, is trying to make push to get Collins' last official visit next weekend. He's currently scheduled to visit Arkansas.

"I asked Alex today to try and give me some sort of idea of what he's really looking for to separate the school and he really couldn't. He has no idea," Gatewood said.

"As far as he's concerned the education, the campus, weight rooms, facilities, all that stuff is pretty equal in his eyes. You talk about playing time, Miami has Duke Johnson. Florida State has the kid from Central [Devonta Freeman]. Wisconsin has James White coming back. Arkansas has kids. Florida has quite a few coming back. He's been to Miami about five or six times on unofficial visits. Hopefully this weekend helps clear some things up for him."

Canes land big commitment at U.S. Army All-American game

The Miami Hurricanes picked up a huge commitment Saturday afternoon at the U.S. Army All-American game when defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad, a standout at Don Bosco Prep (N.J.), announced he'll be heading to Coral Gables.

Tabbed the fourth-best weakside linebacker in the country by Rivals.com and the 97th-best prospect regardless of position, Muhammad (6-4, 225) had a sack and a forced a fumble he recovered in the first half of Saturday's all-star game in San Antonio. He picked up a second sack in the second half.

Rivals.com's Mike Farrell calls Muhammad that "a tremendous edge rusher" who "can stand up, work in space." Muhammad chose the Hurricanes over Rutgers, Notre Dame and Alabama.

"They showed a lot of support, they were hungry," Muhammad said during the NBC broadcast. "I went to the University of Miami and I visited. They came to see me and they showed a lot of commitment."

UM signed JUCO tight end Beau Sandland (6-6, 260) last month. He's considered the team's top recruit according to 247sports.com. Muhammad, the team's 12th, non-binding oral commitment, is considered the second-best commitment behind quarterback Kevin Olsen.

Olsen played six series and went 5-of-13 for 21 yards and no interceptions in Friday night's sixth annual Under Armour All-American game in St. Petersburg.

Defenses reportedly dominated the nationally televised game as offenses had difficulty earning first downs and quarterbacks were afforded very little time in the pocket. Olsen's two teammates on Team White combined for four interceptions. Receivers dropped a lot of catchable balls.

Booker T. linebacker Matthew Thomas likes UM's depth chart situation, but FSU appears to have inside track

Booker T. Washington senior Matthew Thomas showed up to school Wednesday wearing a Hurricanes hat.

That shouldn't surprise anyone when you consider the 6-4, 210-pound outside linebacker grew up rooting for the Hurricanes and idolizing Ray Lewis.

"But just because you like a team doesn't mean you should go play for them," Thomas is quick to point out. "You got to average everything out, weigh your options and see what is best for you and your family."

Truth is, the Florida State Seminoles appear have the inside track on Miami-Dade's top 2013 recruit. Thomas has an older brother, Jonathan, who goes to school in Tallahassee. He also has grown extremely tight with FSU assistant coach James Coley (a Miami native). Coley is also close friends with Booker T. coach Tim "Ice" Harris, whom Al Golden has maintained a good relationship with even though he didn't ask Harris to stick around at UM when he took over for Randy Shannon.

Are the Hurricanes completely out of it for Thomas? "No. Not in the least," he says.

Thomas said Wednesday UM and FSU are his top two schools with Alabama a close third (he likes their depth chart situation). But a big win by Florida State Saturday night (the Seminoles are three touchdown favorites) could go a long way in further pushing Thomas towards Tallahassee. Same with a lot of other local 2013 and 2014 recruits, whom the Seminoles have been hot and heavy on for awhile, and will be at Sun Life Stadium to watch Saturday's game in person.

"To be honest, Miami is in good shape as far as recruiting me," Thomas said. "I got a good relationship with Coach Barrow. He keeps it straightforward, keeps it real. He talks about how things are going to benefit me and how he can help me because he's been through it himself and done it.

"I could see myself in their plans and stuff. Coach Barrow talks a lot about how he needs linebackers and how some of their linebackers have been injured and how they've got a walk-on playing. He said I can come in and compete for a job right away. I think honestly the best place for me to play early is Miami. FSU's got a couple guys that are leaving and they got a couple guys committed at my same position, so that's a little bit of a drawback. But this is also more than just about playing time. I want to win a national championship. Everybody does, and right now Alabama seems like the best place for that."

Thomas said his mother, who works as a housekeeper, wants him to stay close to home. His father, whom he doesn't live with, is also pushing the Hurricanes. But the fact Thomas has a brother living in Tallahassee makes him feel comfortable about leaving home, too.

"We talk about going to Florida State, doing stuff together," Thomas said. "They definitely got a lot of love for me up there."

Do the pending NCAA sanctions at Miami play a factor for Thomas at all?

"Yeah I think about it," Thomas said. "People talk about it. But the stuff that happened, it's going to fly by. They're still going to be the University of Miami. If they got some stuff taken away from them, they'll eventually come back. So I'm not too much worried about it."

Thomas, who says he doesn't plan to make his announcement until National Signing Day, said what he plans on paying attention to Saturday night is how both teams respond to adversity and how coaches really utilize their players in schemes.

"In the end, what's going to matter most is how comfortable I really am with the coaches," Thomas said. "I'd also like to play right away and get my full experience of college as much as I can. So those two things."

> Thomas' teammate Denver Kirkland, also a high priority for UM and FSU, said he also is excited about attending Saturday's game at Sun Life Stadium. Kirkland, a 6-4, 330-pound right tackle and excellent run blocker, said he and many of his 2014 Booker T. teammates -- QB Treon Harris, WR Lamar Parker -- will be at the game.

"FSU is a great program, great football team. They just catch my attention in different ways," Kirkland said. "Miami is just a regular school I grew up off of. I saw a lot of great players come out of there."

Kirkland, who said he has a 2.9 GPA and scored a 22 on the ACT, said his other finalists are Ole Miss, USC, West Virginia and South Florida.

"Matthew and I are trying to go to the same school, but if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen," he said.

FSU INFILTRATION

If you look at it, it's pretty remarkable what the Seminoles are doing in South Florida in terms of recruiting over the next two years. Not only are they in hard on Thomas and Kirkland, but they've already got the No. 1-ranked player in Dade in the Class of 2014 Miami Central running back Joseph Yearby all wrapped up.

FSU, which already has three Top 25 commitments from Dade and Broward as part of its 2013 class (Chaminade CB Adrian Baker, Booker T. CB Michael Johnson and Columbus WR Jesus Wilson -- UM didn't offer any), is also hot and heavy on at least three South Florida-area UM commitments according to Chris Nee, who covers FSU and statewide recruiting for 247sports.com.

Those players are: South Plantation star running back Alex Collins, Miami Northwestern safety Artie Burns and Delray Beach Atlantic defensive tackle Keith Bryant. FSU had Collins up on official visit last weekend according to Nee. They are working on getting Bryant up for an official visit as well, Nee said.

Of course there are also quite a few uncommitted seniors and underclassmen FSU is also trying to impress like Oakland Park Northeast receiver Stacy Coley. Coley and Collins are ranked No. 2 and No. 3 among the senior class in Broward by The Miami Herald. Kirkland is ranked fourth in Dade, teammate Michael Johnson (FSU commitment) is sixth and Burns is the seventh-ranked senior in Dade.

FSU's 2014 class also includes Coral Reef receiver Jacob McCrary (No. 4), Northwestern two-way star JoJo Robinson (No. 7) and South Dade receiver C.J. Warton (No. 8). The Semionles are also pushing hard for top juniors Ermon Lane (No. 3), a standout receiver at Homestead, Booker T. defensive end Chad Thomas (No. 6) and UM commitment Trevor Darling, a 6-5, 300-pound offensive tackle from Miami Central who is rated the 10th-best junior in Dade.

"FSU knows the importance of recruiting down here," said Charles Fishbein of South Florida-based Elite Scouting Services. "Just look at their roster now. Half their secondary -- Xavier Rhodes (Norland) and Lamarcus Joyner (Aquinas) -- are from down here. Their top two receivers -- Rashad Greene (Aquinas) and Rodney Smith (Archbishop Carroll) -- are too. If Miami were to lose out on some of those kids here in their backyard like Collins, Thomas, Kirkland it would definitely hurt them."

Former Canes assistant Don Soldinger plans to keep new recruit Jamal Carter in line at Southridge

Even at 67 years of age, Don Soldinger still has plenty of bite in his bark.

Southridge safety Jamal Carter shortly before making his announcement Thursday to commit to UM.

The former University of Miami assistant -- who helped mold some of the best running backs to ever wear a Hurricanes uniform and has two national championship rings -- was drawing up plays inside the Southridge High locker room Thursday afternoon when he was stopped and asked to give his thoughts on the Canes' latest Class of 2013 commitment: senior safety Jamal Carter.

"Who? The kid who [is built] like Tarzan and hasn't done anything yet?" Soldinger responded in a room filled with Carter's teammates. "What about Jamal Carter? What's he done? Third team All-Dade? That don't mean [expletive] to me."

Soldinger, as fiery and honest an assistant coach the Hurricanes have ever had (he was there from 1984-88, 1995-2005), has never been one to hand out compliments easy. He's been around the block too long. If you want to be praised, you have to earn it.

And as the new strength coach at Southridge High -- a program under the direction of his former USA Today National Defensive Player of the Year Lamont Green (1993) -- Soldinger has taken a special interest in Carter, the Spartans' best player. 

"I'm not going to let him get away with thinking he's better than he is," Soldinger said. "Because he can be pretty special if me and Lamont can kick his [expletive] into shape."

Carter, rated the 16th best safety in the country by 247Sports, "isn't a bad kid" if you ask Soldinger or Green. He's got a 2.6 GPA and scored an 18 on his ACT -- good enough to get him into UM when he signs in February according to Green. But while Green says Carter (6-2 3/4 inches, 215 pounds, 4.4-speed in 40) "has a little bit of Sean Taylor type playmaking ability," he also says the 17-year old senior-to-be has room to grow when it comes to maturity.

"I think what happened before we got here was he had the freedom to show up a little late to meetings, practices and didn't have to pay the consequences," Green said. "You know Coach [Soldinger]. If the meeting is at 2:30, he wants you here at 2:20 ready to go. Jamal is getting better at it. He and the rest of the guys here are learning we run a tight ship."

Soldinger said he brought in former Canes running back Clinton Portis to speak to the team earlier this month. Carter, he said, was the only player to miss the meeting.

"Pissed me off," Soldinger said. "I really wanted Portis to talk to him, help get his butt in gear."

Soldinger has extra incentive to make sure Carter gets his butt in gear. Carter's father Terrence Carter was a star cornerback on Soldinger's 1991 state title team at Southridge.

"He signed with Maryland. Three days later he was back home," Soldinger said. "I hate to see talent wasted."

If Soldinger has a say about it, this Carter won't fall short.

Soldinger said he's already been on the phone a few times over the past year with offensive line coach and close friend Art Kehoe to give the Canes updates on Carter. 

"You know me, I don't sugar coat anything," Soldinger said. "If he's screwing up, they'll know about it."

> Green said Carter recently power cleaned 270 pounds and squated 515 pounds.

"I think he's a natural safety. But he has the ability to play corner, safety, move into the box and play nickel linebacker too," Green said. "The sky is the limit for him. He can play offense, too. There's a lot of things his skill level allows him to do."

Last season, Carter returned seven punts for touchdowns. He said special teams is a big part of his game.

"I grew up admiring Devin Hester because he always took all the punt returns back," Carter said before unleashing a little Canes' swagger. "You saw my highlight reel right?"

One thing the Hurricanes have done since National Signing Day in February shut the door on some of the best defensive backs in the country who are in their backyard. If you close your eyes you can almost picture a South Florida dream team in the Canes' secondary: Northwestern's Artie Burns and Miramar's Tracy Howard at cornerback and Columbus High's Deon Bush and Carter at safety.

Carter said building chemistry with those guys won't be hard.

"I grew up playing with Deon on the Palmetto Raiders," Carter said. "I've known him since I was a little boy. He was a running back and I was a cornerback. I can't wait until we can be teammates again next year."

Southridge DB Jamal Carter said latest allegations in Yahoo! report won't affect his feeling about UM

So far the latest allegations facing Al Golden and the Miami Hurricanes haven't hurt their recruiting efforts. And it appears for the time being -- at least locally -- it hasn't deterred players from strongly considering UM.

A day after Miami Northwestern cornerback Artie Burns announced his intentions to sign with the Canes in February, Jamal Carter, a 6-1, 175-pound highly touted safety at Miami Southridge, told The Miami Herald the latest Yahoo! report won't play a factor in his college choice either.

"I read it," Carter said. "But I figured it isn't true. I believe Coach Golden. It won't affect my decision."

Carter, considered the 18th best safety in the country by Rivals.com, will announce his college choice at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. LSU, Florida State, Florida and Hawaii are the other programs he said he likes. 

New Canes recruit Artie Burns "has explosion like Travis Benjamin, can take over games like Darnell Jenkins," coach says

First-year Miami Northwestern High coach Stephen Field feels like he's got a good handle on talent. 

Artie Burns takes some instruction from coach Stephen Field before taking the stage Monday and picking the Canes.

As an assistant at Miami Central, Deerfield Beach, Belle Glades Central and Boyd Anderson, Field coached some of the most talented high school players to come out of South Florida in the past decade.

He feels like he's got another in Northwestern defensive back Artie Burns, a 6-1, 183-pound senior who committed to the University of Miami on Monday. Burns, an elite track and field athlete who is rated the 69th best prospect in the country regardless of position by ESPN in the Class of 2013, posted the fastest 110 meter hurdles time in the country last year (13.35) and the second fastest 300-meter hurdles time (36.06).

So what kind of athlete are the Hurricanes getting? A mix of explosiveness and intelligence according to Field.

"He's one of the best football players I've been around," said Field, who spent two years as a defensive grad assistant at UM (2006-07) before becoming the running backs coach and recruiting coordinator at Hampton University for three years. "He can explode like Travis Benjamin when I had him at Glades Central, and take over a game kind of like Darnell Jenkins did when I had him at Miami Central. He's a guy you can put all over the field and be successful."

Burns, a former Alabama commitment, is the first defensive back Miami has secured for the 2013 class. He has the ability to play cornerback or safety, but the Hurricanes are hoping to pair him with highly-touted incoming freshman Tracy Howard on the outside.

One reason Burns said he committed to the Hurricanes early in the process was because he wants to now become a recruiter for the team. "I want to tell the top recruits in South Florida to stay home," Burns said.

He said he plans to run track and play football at Miami.

What does Burns have to improve on before getting to Miami?

"Probably keeping his composure a little bit in certain situations," Field said. "He's so physical, gets so passionate, he can lose his composure every now and then. But he's a special player. Miami got a good one."

If he signs with UM on National Signing Day, Burns will be the first player from Miami Northwestern to go to UM since the infamous eight from Northwestern's 2007 National Championship team signed with the Canes. Northwestern has produced 16 players that have signed with FBS schools since then.

> UM coach Al Golden was asked Monday about the new allegations the team has faced since the latest Yahoo! report was released: "I'm not allowed to comment [on specific names], but we just got what we think is one of the best players in South Florida.

"At the end of the day anybody will tell you, you can have all the facilities in the world, but if you don't have a culture where kids feel loved and respected and like they're being developed on and off the field on a daily basis that's going to resonate with the recruits. They are going to know that. They are going to find that out. And I think what they're finding out at the University of Miami is that in addition to being a great institution and obviously a great football legacy that those things are happening. And that there is synergy there and we are making progress and certainly that is helping with us recruiting."

> Field said former Hurricanes Brett Perriman and Vernon Carey have joined his staff at Northwestern as assistants. Carey, who donated big bucks for a brand new weight room at the school, is a co-coach on the offensive line. Perriman will coach receivers. Defensive coordinator Luther Campbell, a big UM supporter in the past, has remained on staff as a carryover.

VIDEO: Behind the scenes at UM on Signing Day

Here's a good behind the scenes look of what National Signing Day was like for UM coach Al Golden and his staff by 3 Penny Films.

Negative recruiting against Canes was hurdle that led all the way up to Signing Day

CORAL GABLES -- The first thing Al Golden did after putting the finishing touches on UM's 2012 signing class Wednesday afternoon was thank everyone who helped him put it together.

Everyone got a shout out: UM President Donna Shalala; school professors; the wives of his assistant coaches who never saw their husbands; the fans and boosters who lent their private planes to allow Golden and his assistants to fly all over the country; the current players who hosted recruits; the recruits who became early enrollees and the longtime commitments who recruited the recruits on the fence.

Nope, this job wasn't easy. The way UM arrived Wednesday to a Top 10 nationally class of 33 recruits (second most in the nation behind Troy St. and Tempe who each brought in 35) was grueling process, a job only made tougher by looming NCAA sanctions, a 6-6 season and a whole lot of negative recruiting. 

"This was the most grueling six or seven weeks in my career in 17 years in the business," said Golden. "I can't remember any time when we were at Temple and we took over that we were facing anything harder than this.

"It was an incredible effort in light of all the things we encountered, all the obstacles in the last couple months. I won't sit here and tell you we didn't get absolutely crushed by opponents [with negative recruiting]. They saw a soft spot and they took it, went after it."

> The Hurricanes dealt with another dose of negative recruiting Wednesday after West Boca Raton linebacker JaWand Blue switched out of his commitment to Virginia Tech and picked Miami.

When Blue called Virginia Tech assistant coach Charley Wiles by phone, Palm Beach Post writer Matt Porter was there with Blue and overheard their conversation. According to Porter, Wiles tried to sway Blue by touting his program’s success in the ACC and cleanliness – a shot at Miami following the Nevin Shapiro scandal.

Without naming Virginia Tech directly, Golden fired back close to the end of his 40 minute press conference Wednesday: "At times [negative recruiting] can enter in the realm of vicious. I heard that happened today. You give them enough rope, they hang themselves. Let them say all those nasty things. At the end of the day when you're in the pressure cooker, how you react in front of recruits and their parents says a lot about you and the program. You lose kids, we wish them good luck."

Golden's fight is far from over. Until the NCAA hands down its punishment, UM will continue to get pelted. The good news for the Canes? None of it really appeared to affect the 2012 class Golden was able to put together.

Miramar All-American cornerback Tracy Howard said the NCAA investigation really didn't play a factor -- playing time did. Blue told 760 ESPN in West Palm Beach all he was thinking about was staying home and that he trusts the Canes aren't in big trouble. Same with St. Thomas Aquinas defensive end Jelani Hamilton.

QUICK HITTERS

> Golden said the reason UM's class grew to be so large wasn't because of fear of impending NCAA sanctions but rather the departure of key underclassmen. So how many scholarships are available should a player come along? According to Golden, none.

> Golden said of the class: " I think it personifies and embodies what we're looking for. Lot of guys that want to be Miami Hurricanes. Lot of guys that understand what it means to be part of the tradition, not only how they play, but conduct themselves off the field, the passion they exhibit, the toughness. [They come from] a lot of championship programs, a lot of captains. A lot of tough guys. I'm probably a little surprised we're ranked as high as far as all the rankings and that stuff goes. Primarily I'm surprised because so many of them came from [UM camps]. A lot of the guys that came from the camp are under the radar. We've never been catalog shoppers."

> Golden said he looks for in players at his camps is character. "Our guys, if they're under the radar guys, we really don't care," Golden said. "They came to the camp - Jake O'Donnell and Dwayne Hoilett come to mind. I didn't care if either one of them had any offers. What we saw at camp with their speed, the tenacity they exhibited. Those are guys we need to get in the program. Herb Waters is another guy who came to camp and did a good job. We're not worried about the stars. We're grateful we have the recognition that goes along with having a highly ranked class."

> So when did Golden begin to believe UM really had a shot at luring Tracy Howard? After his in-home visit two weeks ago.

"The last couple weeks we started to build some momentum there and I just felt he was listening more. Then we had an opportunity when we went into the home, I think I left out of there and I felt good. I sensed something different. I think the more we talked to Tracy about football, academics, commitment to core values, I think the more his family understood. I think Shaiy and Tracy Sr., they were looking for something to carry on with the young man."

> On late addition Dequan Ivery, a 6-1, 300-pound defensive tackle from Lake City Columbia, Golden said: "A lot of people chase stars down the stretch. I kept challenging the staff to find me another nose guard in this class or next class. He's on the strength team, over a 400 pound bencher already, has leverage, can bend. He wanted to be a Hurricane."

> Golden likes all four players UM got from Palm Beach County: "[Receiver] Angelo [Jean-Louis] had a great week at Under Armour. All the coaches said `Who is this kid?' He did a great job up there. Gabe Terry is one of those guys, finished runner up in wrestling in his weight class, has a 3.6 (GPA) and the tape that he had. A beautiful young man, had a chance to visit with him during the season. He'll play [strongside linebacker] for us. Jawand [Blue] is a late addition for us today not because of his talent but because of scholarships that were promised before we got to him. He communicated with us down the stretch. We're grateful that he decided to join us. He'll help us at linebacker. [Receiver] Robert Lockhart I think is going to be a really good player. He'll be with us in May. He brings us length. That's a really good group in an area we haven't done great in. "

> Westminster Christian quarterback David Thompson has the green light to play baseball, Golden said. " He's going to help both programs out, is a tremendous young man. We'll see which way it goes. Coach [Jim] Morris and I have talked about how we'll manage it; we're both on the same page there. The wildcard is pro baseball, the draft. We'll see where that goes. [Quarterbacks] Preston [Dewey] and Gray [Crow] are doing well. Those guys are doing a great job for us and we're really excited about them competing. I think we've improved that position."

> Golden said cornerback Brandon McGee isn't running track this year and is instead focused on football by his choice.. walk on linebacker Nantambu Fentress apparently has interest in playing baseball... Golden confirmed Dallas Crawford has been switched to running back. "Dallas was a wildcat quarterback [in high school]. We ran him on scout team, will take a look at him [at running back] in the spring. We can always move him back to DB."

Miramar CB Tracy Howard talks about picking UM

MIRAMAR -- Tracy Howard made a nation full of Hurricanes happy Wednesday morning when he announced he was picking UM over Florida.

So why is the All-American cornerback -- considered the best in the country at his position -- heading down to Coral Gables and not Gainesville, where he was locked in before taking his official visit to UM last weekend? Here's what he had to say about it not long after announcing his choice.

Your mom [Shaiy Howard] said you were kind of going back and forth with this the last couple days. When did you really say 'That's it -- I'm going to Miami'?

"This morning. I prayed about it. I asked God give me a sign. I'm locked on Miami. If this is the wrong choice, just give me a sign. I got no sign telling me it was wrong. My family was happy about the decision. I was happy about it."

What did your family say when you were finally done with the recruiting process and had chosen the Canes?

"Dad was the happiest man in the world. He's a Miami fan. Of course he wanted me to stay close to home, but it wasn't even about that. My mom was cool with it. My mom was actually a Florida fan and I knew when my mom was happy, I was going to be happy. I'm happy with Miami. I want to be a great player there and I'm going to be a great player there."

So who is going to wear No. 3, you or Norland running back Duke Johnson?

"I don't know. But to be honest, both of us can wear it. I'm not sure we're going to do that. But we could if we wanted to."

How much did playing with your friends: Duke, Deon Bush, Malcolm Lewis play a factor?

"It didn't really help. They were talking to me for months. I was like 'I'm going to Florida, I don't know what you're talking about.' I told Deon 'You go do your thing at Miami, I'm going to go do my thing at Florida. We'll go to the league and meet each other there.' But I mean I just looked at the opportunity and I couldn't throw it away. The opportunity there is great. I have to take advantage."

Do you think you'll start as a true freshman right away -- your first game?

"I'm not really a guy who is going to talk and say I'm going to start. It's up to me to produce. Do I feel like I'm going to produce and show out, compete and work hard? Yes. I do. If I do that I'm going to start. I feel like I'm going to go in there, work hard. Do I feel I'm the best? Yes, I feel I'm the best. Even if there's a senior in front of me, this is about business. I'm going in there working. I'm going in there hungry. I want everybody to know that. I can't tell you I'm going to be starting, but that's what I really want to say. I want to say you'll see me starting opening game. But I'm a humble guy. And I feel like if I handle business the way I have throughout my life, then why not. I did great on the optimist level. I did great on the high school level. So why would I not succeed on the college level?"

Who did you really rely on to make the decision?

"My dad. Me and mom are very close and everybody knows that. But at the end of the day, he means a lot. He molded me into the man I am today. We just talked about everything. He never told me go to Miami. He said whatever you do, I'm behind you 100 percent. I just weighed everything about Florida, Miami and Florida State and I felt Miami was the better fit."

Happy it's over?

A: Yes. I'm relieved."

What's next for you?

"I'll be running track in the spring. I'll run the 4x100 meter relay, the 100 and the 400 -- I want to run the 400 to get stronger."

Miami is coming off a 6-6 season, is facing NCAA sanctions, why didn't that affect your decision at all?

"It did. I talked to coaches about it. Nobody really knows what's going to happen. But I feel smart about it. The guys were suspended for what happened and they took a bowl game away. I think Coach Golden did a good job handling it. In the end, I prayed about it and God led me the right way."

What are your expectations for the signing class you are coming in with?

"National championship. Of course we feel we have the best football in South Florida. Same in Texas and California. But we feel if all of us get together, we're going to be dominant. I think we will be."

*****************************

Here's what teammate Malcolm Lewis also had to say about Howard picking UM.

VIDEO: Canes' National Signing Day Preview

RECORDED TUESDAY, JAN. 31 at NOON at the Miami Herald

With less than 24 hours before fax machines around high schools across the country start sending over signed National Letters of Intent, the Miami Hurricanes appear to be on the verge of landing a pretty good recruiting class (32 new players at the moment).

It will only get better if Miramar All-American cornerback Tracy Howard does what some considered a few weeks ago to be a longshot: pick the Canes. Howard will announce his choice at approximately 9:50 a.m. Wednesday on ESPNU. I'll be there for the festivities and will provide live updates on my Twitter account.

Where is Howard, the No. 1-ranked cornerback in the country, headed? Late last night I got word Florida coaches were no longer confident Howard was headed their way. Does that mean he's a UM lock? I'm not going to go that far. Kids change their minds all the time and the fact he built a close relationship with UF secondary coach Tavares Robinson over a long period of time is something he has to be weighing and will up until the last moment.

Outside of Howard, UM has had flirtations with a lot of other top-tier recruits: Palm Beach Lakes offensive tackle Avery Young (UF, Auburn, Georgia), Georgia-are linebacker Josh Harvey-Clemons (Georgia, FSU, UF), New Jersey-area Darius Hamilton (also likes Rutgers, UF) and Lake City Columbia defensive tackle Dequan Ivery (Louisville commitment).

From other reports and conversations I've had with recruiting analysts and coaches, Howard, Ivery, and West Boca Raton linebacker Jawand Blue (Virginia Tech commitments) are likely the only players UM will add. Jacksonville First Coast outside linebacker Reggie Northrup, who has long wavered on his Canes commitment, is the only player counted in the class the Canes will likely lose. Many expect him to end up at FSU.

> For more in depth perspective on the class, check out the previous blogs I had with Rivals.com state of Florida recruiting analyst Chris Nee.

> Nee by the way thinks the last player UM received a commitment from over the weekend, Tampa Plant athlete Antonio Crawford (5-11, 180), is a nice pickup for the Canes and "an excellent athlete." Crawford was previously committed to Georgia Tech.

"He can play on both sides of the ball, slot receiver on offense or corner or safety on defense," Nee said. "He will have to be groomed at whatever position he ends up at, be taught the position, the ins and outs of it. But he has really nice top end speed. He has a really nice burst. I think on defense he'd be a great guy in nickel dime schemes. On offense, he would be great in the slot, take that quick pass and make something happen in the open field. Just a really nice athlete. It sounds like they're going to play him at corner. That's probably the best place to put him. He's also going to be very good on special teams both as a cover man and return man."

Crawford ran for 471 yards and 5 TDs, caught 10 passes for 129 yards and a touchdown and had 45 tackles, 4 INTs and 19 pass deflections at corner. He averaged more than 32 yards on kickoff returns and brought one back for a score for the Class 8A state champs.

> We'll have coverage on MiamiHerald.com throughout the day as we'll send writers to all the local high school. Expect to see video interviews and much more here. Hurricanesports.com will provide updates on recruits once they officially receive those signed National Letters of Intent. Be sure to follow them as well.

> American High cornerback Larry Hope said Tuesday he will be enrolling in classes at UM as early as Wednesday. Hope said he was "waiting on a clearinghouse issue" to get in. "I'm excited, but I've got to go," Hope said. "I'm walking around campus now."

Hope gives UM nine early enrollees for the spring. 

Sizing up UM's 2012 recruiting class with Rivals analyst Chris Nee (Part 2)

In this installment with Rivals.com recruiting analyst Chris Nee we cover what he thinks of UM's three incoming quarterbacks, their defensive linemen, if UM took players it shouldn't have and if they missed out on guys in their backyard they should have gotten.

Q: What are you thoughts on the three QBs UM has lined up? Any of them really have the potential to be big time?

"Preston Dewey got banged up during Under Armour and prior to getting banged up he really didn't show much. I thought he struggled. He had a couple nice passes on the week, but not anything that grabbed your eye or caught your attention. David Thompson always has question of baseball hanging over his head. But he has good talent. It's tough to grade him against his level of competition. He didn't do anything or play anywhere that showed us what he could do against different players. Gray Crow has great arm strength, looks great in camps. But in games he's inconsistent, throws a lot of interceptions. His feet are a huge concern for me. I don't know how he's going to handle a pass rush at the D-1 level. He's got really heavy feet. I think it's something he understands. I just don't know how much room for improvement there is."

Q: What about on the defensive line, did UM address its needs?

"[St. Thomas Aquinas'] Jelani Hamilton will end up on the inside. Early on he'll play on the outside. But when he's healthy Jelani is a great football player. [Tampa Jefferson's] Tyriq McCord is a great speed rusher. You want to line him up as an outside rusher, put him in space. The up position is kind of what he was made for. [Vero Beach's] Dwyane [Hoilett] is a bit of project in that he has to add strength and improve as a football player. But I like him a lot because he has a good first step and he does a good job getting in the offensive backfield. He just has to develop physically. [Palm Beach Central's] Gabe Terry is a pass rushing specialist. I don't know if he can defend the pass. He's a little bit small to play defensive end. So if you put him at linebacker I don't know if he's a liability. All of the film I saw of was he was a speed rusher of the edge, which is what he's good at. I don't know if they got a guy on par with an Anthony Chickillo. I don't think they got that complete dominating force at defensive end. But a guy like Dwyane Holiett is a guy you shouldn't grade after this year. Grade him after 24 to 30 months."

Q: Who ultimately makes an immediate impact on defense as a freshman?

"Jelani Hamilton assuming he recovers from knee surgery. I think he can. [Safety] Deon Bush, [Linebacker] Raphael Kirby can. [Tampa Jefferson defensive end] McCord can if you put him as an outside linebacker type. If you want him at defensive end he will need to add weight. I think Rayshawn Jenkins can make plays at safety. He'll be raw back there. But athletically speaking, physically speaking he's ready to contribute."

Q: All in all, a good job by UM recruiting or did they miss?

"I think they did a good job. The one thing about Miami is when all the [Nevin Shapiro] news broke they kind of rushed a little getting some commitments. At that time they may have taken a guy or two they may have not needed -- [Leesburg receiver] D'Mauri Jones -- that they could have gone out and gotten that was better. But all in all I grade them as doing a pretty good job. Getting [Miramar cornerback Tracy] Howard -- if they can -- would be a nice cherry on top. But getting [Palm Beach Central receiver Angelo] Jean-Louis back in March or April was good. And they definitely added depth. A guy like D'Mauri Jones is a toss up. He may develop into a really good player. He may develop into nothing. I don't think it's always bad to take a guy like that."

Q: Still, and I've heard this from a few scouts, did UM take recruits who aren't supposed to be Miami guys? Do you think that was panic setting in with the NCAA investigation?

"I don't know if it was so much panic. They just had some really deep needs. They had to load up on DBs. [Hialeah American cornerback Larry] Hope is a D-1 player. I don't think he's a bad player. I just don't know if he's a Miami-caliber player. I think at that point they did have to take some risks. A guy like [Tallahassee Godby tight end Brandon] Holifield they took him after he came to their camp. That's personal evaluation. That is what it is. He's only played one year of football and he wasn't even a primary contributor. He played off the bench a lot. He's extremely raw, more of a basketball prospect than a football prospect. But hey, Jimmy Graham was a basketball prospect and look what he's doing on NFL Sundays."

Q: Who would you say are the biggest risks, maybe not Miami guys that they took a chance on?

"[Countryside quarterback] Gray Crow. His feet are just really a concern as far as being able to evade anything in the pocket. I'd say [American High cornerback] Larry Hope falls in that category, [Leesburg receiver] D'Mauri Jones, [Tallahassee Godby tight end] Brandon Holifield, and then [Cypress Bay linebacker] Josh Witt. Witt's kind of a specialist at linebacker. I don't think he has a whole lot of versatility. It is what it is. But one thing Miami made evident in this class was they're really going to trust themselves. They do their own evaluations. They don't go after a kid if they truly believe they shouldn't have him. I don't think they recruit off a list. And I think that's what a lot of schools fall into. A lot of schools will go recruit a kid because a lot of people say he's really good, even though he doesn't fit what they're trying to do. You need glue guys to make you a better team even if they're not a superstar."

Q: Who did they miss out on in their own backyard?

"Well, if they don't get him, Tracy is a guy Miami has to keep home. I think Tracy arguably is the best player in the entire state. We consider him the top corner in the country. Now, they did a good job because they kind of started on the back of the bus with him and worked his way up. The fact they're getting him to visit is unbelievable. I think that's a real credit to how Al Golden is willing to recruit until the final minute and give his program a chance. Honestly, outside of him, Miami was a bit down this year. I'd say [Miami Beach athlete] Ricardo Louis is a guy you want to get. He'll end up at Florida State or Auburn. I know this is going to sound a bit crazy, but considering they needed three quarterbacks I'm surprised they didn't give more of a look to [Miami Northwestern's] E.J. Hilliard. He's a bit raw and has to develop. He's only started one year. But I thought that was a steal by FIU personally. [Northwestern receiver] Amari Cooper is probably the biggest miss, him going to Alabama. I think the world of Amari. He's got a ton of talent. He's a huge receiver. If he can stay consistent he's going to be unbelievable. They had [South Miami cornerback] AJ Leggett for the longest time. That had to do with academics. I wouldn't fault Miami for that."

Q: Is this a Top 10 Signing Class?

"I don't think it's one of the top seven, eight classes in the nation, but I think they did a good job building depth, getting some really good players. I think the top 10 players in their class are some very good football players. I'd say top 15, top 20 class for sure without a doubt. I think some of the inflated rankings has to do with having 31 kids committed. But guys like Duke Johnson, Reggie Northrup, Jelani Hamilton, Deon Bush, Angelo Jean-Louis, Ereck Flowers, Malcolm Lewis, Tyriq McCord, Danny Isidora are great players. Those are guys a lot of schools in the country wanted and they did a really good job bringing in some top tier talent that's going to help them next year because they have voids to fill."

Q: Surprised they've done as well they have?

"I think when you take everything into account, the mediocre record, guys leaving to NFL, the whole investigation and possible sanctions I think they did a good job. Anytime you get a guy like Duke Johnson to stay home -- I know he's a die-hard Cane -- but that's still a huge get in light of everything. I'd give the class a B, B-plus for sure. Tracy Howard pushes them up a letter grade because that would be a huge get. At that point it would be tough to argue against a class with two five star kids and 10 kids who were four stars or higher. And some of their three stars -- Danny Isidora, Dwyane Hoilett, Rashawn Jenkins are going to be major contributors as well."

Sizing up UM's 2012 recruiting class with Rivals analyst Chris Nee (Part 1)

As of midnight Thursday -- six days before National Signing Day 2012 -- the Miami Hurricanes had eight early enrollees and 23 other commitments expected to sign National Letters of Intent next Wednesday. Outside of a handful of kids who could either be added to the class or leaving it, Al Golden's first full-year worth of recruiting work appears to be over. 

How did he and his staff do with a class Golden himself said they couldn't afford to screw up? By most accounts, pretty good considering the Canes are coming off a 6-6 season and the Canes have been recruiting since August with looming NCAA sanctions hanging over head.

With 24 of the 31 UM recruits having played their high school ball in-state, I figured a good person to talk to about the class Golden has lined up was Rivals analyst Chris Nee. He's covered the state for quite some time and has been to All-Star games, playoff and regular season games, camps, just about everywhere in the state. If Larry Blustein is the Mel Kiper of high school football in Florida, Nee has to be Todd McShay. What I like most about Nee is he keeps it real -- no sugar-coating.

In this installment we cover if UM met its needs, where he thinks Miramar cornerback Tracy Howard will end up and who the Canes could end up losing from this class as well as if Palm Beach Central receiver Angelo Jean-Louis will get into school.

Q: Did UM address all of its needs -- cornerback, receiver, defensive line, linebacker -- in this recruiting class?

"I think they're on the way to addressing it. They've addressed some issues that they had, but not all. They still need to get a great cornerback. Obviously, Tracy Howard is the big name that's still out there that they're still involved with. And that's a spot where they need to improve. But they did get guys in the secondary that are going to help them get better, led by [Columbus defensive back] Deon Bush. Deon's an excellent player. He can be a corner. He can be a safety. So he can provide some help there. Then you have guys like [Coral Reef's] Vernon Davis, [South Fort Myers'] Nate Dortch. They're kind of a second level have to develop some and have to improve before they can really contribute. But they'll still help with depth, which is something Miami needs.

"Offensively, They did a great job. Obviously, [Norland running back] Duke Johnson is a beast. But they got a great offensive guard in Danny Isidora -- really talented kid. [Norland's] Ereck Flowers is a future NFL offensive tackle in my opinion. He's obviously going to help anchor one side of the line. Then, on the outside offensively they went out and got some really good wide receivers in Malcolm Lewis from Miramar. Excellent player. They did a great job keeping him home and then they plucked [Virginia prep school receiver formerly of West Boca Raton] Robert Lockhart who was a longtime Virginia Tech commitment. So they did a good job improving some things and they've done a good job overall adding some good top level talent and a lot of depth, which is two things they needed."

Q: Is Miramar All-American cornerback Tracy Howard the only non-commitment they're really still in the running for with a week to go?

"They are bringing in a few kids this last weekend to try and help sure up some spots, so they have a Plan B in case somebody changes -- like a Reggie Northrup. It wouldn't shock me if they looked at another linebacker. I know they were looking at Iowa State commitment Darius White. But he's decided to stick with Iowa State. So, it wouldn't shock me if they did bring in a linebacker. But it does seem like the only big fish left on the pond for Miami is really going to be Tracy Howard. They're in the picture with [Palm Beach Gardens offensive tackle] Avery Young, had him on campus last week, but I think he's SEC bound. [Daytona Beach Mainland defensive end] Leonard Williams is a kid they're bringing in this weekend. They'll have a puncher's chance, but I also think he'll end up in the SEC. So the biggest name out there for Canes fans to pay attention to is definitely Tracy."

Q: So what is your take with Tracy Howard? Where does he end up?

"He recently said he was down to the three in-state schools: Florida, Florida State and Miami. For a long time it seemed like Florida State had the upper hand and then in the last couple months it seemed like Florida turned the corner as the top school. At this point, I think Florida is the top school. But it's really a testament to Al Golden and his assistants that they're getting him on campus for a visit. They were persistent, stuck with it. For a long time they seemed like an after thought with the kid, but when he's the best player arguably in the entire area of South Florida there with the Duke Johnson's you have to stick with him. The fact they're getting him on campus for a visit. His best friend is going there in Malcolm Lewis and I mentioned earlier how Miami has a major need at that position -- they have a chance. It wouldn't shock me [that he picks Miami] despite the fact for so long they were the least likely school of any in-state school to land the kid. At the end of the day right now I still think he'll end up at Florida. But I don't think he's put this to bed. I don't think Tracy Howard has made his final decision."

Q: So if you had to make a prediction it's Florida for Howard?

"Yeah, if I had to put a prediction on paper it's Florida for Howard. But I don't think it's done by a long stretch. I don't think Tracy really has sat down and made the final decision of what he's going to announce."

Q: Now, there are a couple guys they could end up losing, guys who are taking trips elsewhere. What's the latest on the guys who could possibly stray?

"[Jacksonville First Coast linebacker] Reggie Northrup's dad went on the record [Tuesday] saying they're pretty frustrated by everything, they're kind of tired of the whole process. Word is Florida State made a really good impression on him in the last visit. He may visit Ohio State this weekend. I think what it comes down to in the end is it's between Miami, Florida State and Ohio State. Right now, I personally think he'll stick with the Canes. But Florida State does have a need at linebacker. They have a couple of other targets on the board. It's kind of domino effect. If they miss on some other kids they make one last big push on Reggie and they have a chance. Florida State has had a lot of success at Jacksonville First Coast over the years. But if I had to predict, I think he sticks with the Canes."

Q: What about as far as U.S. Army All-American defensive end/outside linebacker Tyriq McCord from Tampa Jefferson?

"It was quite a surprise when he picked Miami at the All-American Game. South Carolina had been his longtime leader and his family and himself were very high on the Gamecocks. But he decided Miami's proximity was nice. Miami's need for him was nice and he did like Miami in general. He is supposed to visit USC this weekend. As of right now what he told me in a text recently he's probably going to stick with Miami. But both Southern Cal and South Carolina are going to put in nice work. Southern Cal always pulls off one Florida kid. But I don't think it's going to be Tyriq this year."

Q: Anybody else UM really has a chance of losing?

"I don't think so. I'm looking up and down their list. [Louisiana defensive tackle] Jacoby Briscoe, I don't know much about him. But I do know Tennessee is trying to make a move on him. Texas A&M was trying to make a move on him. He's supposed to visit A&M this weekend. But I don't know a great deal about Jacoby."

Q: Under Armour All-American receiver Angelo Jean-Louis from Palm Beach Central is a kid who has loads of talent, but his academics are a concern. What have you heard regarding that and if he'll be able to get into UM?

"I chatted with him at the Under Armour game about the academics. He said he did have some more work to do, but he thought he would be able to make it. I think it's one of those things that's going to play out late into the summer and see if he'll be able to be cleared. Hopefully he does because he's an extremely talented kid. He could play on either side of the ball. He has great hands, great body control. He's a big kid. He can help them stretch the field. But he's one of those guys if you need a tough route, seven yard out, he's going to bump the guy with his hip and make the catch. He does a real good job of stretching out and making the catch. I was honestly surprised. In the system he played in high school he didn't get a whole lot of opportunities to get the ball thrown at him. I was honestly surprised what a well groomed receiver he was at Under Armour. Him and [Miami Beach receiver] Ricardo Louis are bigger type of receivers, good body thickness. They're going to be really tough on those outside routes."

Miramar All-American CB Tracy Howard giving hometown Canes 'a shot' this weekend

When it came to recruiting All-American cornerback Tracy Howard nobody was quicker on the draw than the hometown Hurricanes.

"UM was the first team to offer me," Howard recalled Wednesday. "I think it was the summer after my sophomore year. I can't even remember who it was that offered me. I know he's not there anymore."

The Hurricanes -- once first in the chase for the senior widely considered the No. 1 cover corner in the country -- are now hoping they can pull off a last-second come-from-behind victory for Howard's services. UM coach Al Golden secured an official visit from Howard for this coming weekend, the final recruiting weekend before National Signing Day next Wednesday.

While getting arguably the best player in UM's backyard to take a visit probably shouldn't be newsworthy, it is in this case. Until two weeks ago, Howard said he wasn't considering the Canes at all. LSU, Alabama, Florida and Florida State were the front runners. UM? They were that team coming off a 6-6 season and about to get hit by NCAA sanctions. Who in their right mind wanted to go there? Well, Howard's closest friends for one -- Miami Norland running back Duke Johnson, Miami Columbus safety Deon Bush and Miramar receiver Malcolm Lewis.

Suddenly, with a little added push from them and Hurricanes coaches, who visited Miramar on Tuesday, Howard said he now has something to think about.

"I see the guys they're getting, hometown guys, guys that can make an immediate impact. We could have freshman fever, if I happen to go there," Howard said. "I'm familiar with a lot of those guys, Duke Johnson, Malcolm [Lewis], Deon [Bush], Vernon [Davis]. Why not give my hometown a shot?"

Before the green and orange blood in your veins leads to hyperventilation and hyper-hope, realize first that Howard (5-11, 175, 4.4) has spent a long time building a relationship with his other finalists: Florida and Florida State.

While the Hurricanes clearly could put the nation's No. 1 high school cornerback right to work, right away (beyond senior Brandon McGee and sophomore Thomas Finnie there wouldn't be much competition), the Gators are just as needy when it comes to cornerback. And Howard knows it.

"I love Florida. I love the coaching staff. I love the opportunity to play early there. I love the players. Even the recruits, we get along very well," Howard said lovingly Wednesday. "Me and [Gators recruit] Brian Poole, we became close on my visit and things like that. The town of Gainesville is a nice fit. I'm a laid back guy. I wouldn't mind a small town like Gainesville, me being a chill guy."

Florida State, once considered the front runner for Howard, appears to have played itself out of the mix -- although Howard won't say it and says he'll choose between UM, UF and FSU next Wednesday. You can read between the lines of his comments in the video below (I did). Seems clear to me Tallahassee didn't make a great impression on him, no matter how much he likes the Noles staff and players.

Ultimately, after talking to him for close to 30 minutes Wednesday, I believe it comes down to the Canes and Gators for Howard. He'll make his announcement on ESPNU next Wednesday morning, roughly around 9 a.m. Florida is clearly the leader -- and the Gators earned it. It appears they've worked hardest to get Howard to like them, visiting Miramar High far more than any other team according to Howard.

"UM recruited me, but they weren't recruiting me as hard as Florida or Florida State," Howard said in a conversation not recorded on the video below.

"I'm not talking about calling all the time. I hate that. I don't answer the phone. Florida was always coming to the school, [defensive backs] coach [Travaris] Robinson. I was always seeing him. We built a bond, just got to know him a lot. I wasn't doing that with [UM defensive backs] coach Williams. I feel more comfortable with Coach T-Rob than I do with Coach Williams. If I had to go somewhere and made that choice two weeks ago, I would have gone to Florida because I feel more comfortable with that coaching staff. I know UM players just because some of them went to Miami, but I had better relationships with the coaches and things like that. I don't go to places where me and the coaches aren't real tight or I don't really know them."

But the Canes have earned their shot -- this final recruiting weekend. Howard said his relationship with Williams is "getting better and better by the day."

"We sat down and talked football yesterday. I like what he's coaching," Howard said.

He also likes what his Canes friends are willing to do for him. Duke Johnson, considered the Canes' top recruit, messaged Howard on Facebook Tuesday and offered up the No. 3 jersey Golden was saving for him (Howard wore No. 3 in high school too). Howard said he was blown away by the gesture. "I respect that, a guy to sacrifice a number he's had since he was 6 years old. For a player to do that is special, that's big for me. I liked that," Howard said.

Now, it's up to the Canes and Golden to blow Howard away Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Howard said he's visiting UM to see if the bond between players and coaches is strong, "see if they're really family."

Miramar coach Damon Cogdell -- accused by some of funneling too many of his players to his alma mater West Virginia -- will visit UM Saturday, too. "I just want to be there for Tracy," Cogdell said. "Coach Golden is a good man. I really like him and what he's doing."

After his visit, Howard said he plans to reach a decision by Monday or Tuesday at the latest.

"I didn't really think it was going to be this hard," Howard said. "Honestly, I'm not going to put any pressure on myself. I'll never let the pressure get to me in life, especially the football field. When I line up against the best receivers I'm not going to be panicking, 'God, I've got to live up to the hype, let me lock this guy down.' Just go out there and play loose. It's just like the recruiting process, be loose with it. I don't feel like I'm going to let nobody down. The only people I can let down are my parents, my little brother, my uncle and my head coach. Those are the five main people I look to for advice.

"My little brother, we've shared a room for 17 years. He knows me the most of anybody in the world. He knows what's best for me, just like I know what's best for him. Even my dad. He's a UM fan. He wants me to go to UM. But he respects my decision and he will if I decide to leave. My mom, she's always going to be there for me. Coach Cogdell will never steer me wrong.

"Fans, people don't understand how much work goes into this. Me and Malcolm [Lewis] were out at the park at 11 o'clock at night, battling, doing one-on-ones when the lights of the park went off every night. We lifted weights, ran bleachers when we didn't feel like it. We did sprints with my sprint coach, film studies for three hours every night, plus homework. Then, we woke up and did it all over again. The recruiting process is the easy part. You're just making a choice.

"They say if I don't go to Miami, Miami fans are going to be acting crazy and all that. Or if I don't go to Florida, those guys are going to be mad. I honestly don't care. They really don't know me. They weren't with me when I was there doing all the things I needed to do to get to where am. This is a selfish decision. You have to do what's best for you at the end of the day."

Canes have 'four-year starter' in All-American linebacker Raphael Kirby, coach says

When it comes to producing quality talent at linebacker, few have as good a track record lately as Corey Johnson, the linebackers and special teams coach over at Stephenson High in Stone Mountain Ga.

The 40-year old assistant has sent 19 of his linebackers to Division I schools over the past nine years including three who are currently in the NFL. They are: the Bills' Kelvin Sheppard (played at LSU, third round in 2011), the Redskins' Perry Riley (played at LSU, fourth round pick in 2010), and the Patriots' Jermaine Cunningham (played at Florida, second round pick in 2010). Johnson said he's confident he'll have another one headed to the NFL soon -- Hurricanes early enrollee Raphael Kirby.

Kirby, a U.S. Army All-American and one of seven players to sign with UM and begin taking classes last week, has all the tools according to Johnson to play right away and make an immediate impact.

"I think he's going to walk in and start right away. He's a four-year starter in my book," Johnson said of Kirby, who had 122 tackles, 20.5 sacks, 26 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and fumble recoveries and an interception return for a touchdown for 9-2 team that was upset in the first round of Georgia's state high school playoffs.

"A lot of times you get guys who kind of get stuck because of the changes to the formation or scheme. He's well versed on football, an extremely good athlete, very bright kid, quick learner. All of those things make him an asset to Miami.

"We ran both the 3-4 and 4-3 at times. We've got coaches who have played in college, a few had pro experience. We do a good job preparing the kids on what to expect at the next level. The system we run is pretty comparable to a lot of schools because we run college type defenses. That's why a lot of scouts spend time at our school. They know our kids are ready. The fact he's already down there, learning the system, he's going to learn what they do quickly. I can tell you this -- the last three years we've sent six kids to school early and all of them have played early."

Kirby, who played mostly middle linebacker and and at times weakside linebacker for Johnson, is listed at 6-foot, 208-pounds by Rivals.com and 6-1, 215 pounds by ESPN.com. So how big is he really?

"He's bigger than that," Johnson said. "He's more like 6-2, 220 pounds. He's got a nice frame too. As far as what he can work on, I'd say pass coverage, body control. But in terms of run play, strength and size, I think he has all that now. He's a guy that can run with running backs. He has all the tools. I think he's going to go into practice, learn the plays and get playing time as a freshman."

Johnson said Kirby, who was rated the fifth-best outside linebacker in the country by Rivals.com and 13th best by ESPN, had more than 30 scholarship offers by the time he began playing his senior season. Johnson said Kirby thought about straying from the Canes and going to the same school with his best friend and teammate Darreon Herring (a linebacker headed to Vanderbilt), but said Kirby opted to stick with UM and ultimately chose them over Vanderbilt, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina.

"He pretty much had the same opportunity to play right away at Vanderbilt and South Carolina, but he really liked UM and what Coach [Al] Golden was selling," Johnson said. "He's a unique kid. He's going to do well on special teams, be all over the place for them. Miami got a four-year starter."

The Hurricanes have plenty of youth and opportunity available at linebacker. Outside of the four returning veterans -- sophomore Denzel Perryman (second leading tackler, five starts), fifth-year senior Ramon Buchanan (14 career starts) and juniors Kelvin Cain (3 career starts) and Jimmy Gaines (8 starts, 58 tackles as sophomore), the other two returning scholarship linebackers -- sophomore Gionni Paul and redshirt freshman Eddie Johnson -- have only played on special teams if at all. 

> With a little more than a week left before National Signing Day (Wednesday, Feb. 1), UM has seven players already enrolled (their scholarships count backward, toward the 2011 class) and 24 other players committed to sign as part of their 2012 class.

 The other six besides Kirby already in are quarterbacks Preston Dewey (Austin, Tex.) and Gray Crow (Clearwater Countryside), offensive tackles Taylor Gadbois (East Paulding, Ga.) and Ereck Flowers (Miami Norland), defensive back Ladarius Gunter and linebacker Josh Witt (Weston Cypress Bay).

Of the 24 players committed to sign next Wednesday, two appear to be hedging -- Miramar receiver Malcolm Lewis, who will take a trip to UCLA this coming weekend according to his coach and Jacksonville First Coast linebacker Reggie Northrup, who took a trip to Florida State last week and will visit Ohio State this coming wekeend. Both are considered among UM's Top 10 overall recruits. 

> UM will get a visit from highly coveted All-American cornerback Tracy Howard of Miramar High this coming weekend. Odds are though Howard will opt for Florida or Florida State. He will announce his decision at 9 a.m. next Wednesday on ESPNU.

Canes land 2 U.S. Army All-Americans during recruiting spree

It's been a pretty special 24-hour span for the University of Miami's football recruiting efforts.

The Hurricanes, who lost a handful of key underclassmen last month who announced their intentions to enter the NFL Draft early, picked up four commitments including two U.S. Army All-Americans on Saturday -- Miami Columbus safety Deon Bush and Tampa Jefferson defensive end Tyriq McCord.

Bush (6-1, 185) is ranked as a consensus top five safety in the country by ESPN and Rivals.com and picked UM over Alabama and Auburn. McCord (6-3, 222), ranked 7th by Rivals at weakside end and 13th nationally at his position by ESPN, chose UM over South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

Bush is said to be done with his recruiting. McCord said before his announcement he still plans on taking an official trip to USC on Jan. 20.

Both are huge gets for coach Al Golden, should they still sign a National Letter of Intent with Miami on Feb. 1. Oral commitments are non-binding.

Bush will probably be able to help right away. While the Hurricanes return safeties Ray-Ray Armstrong and Vaughn Telemaque and veteran cornerback Brandon McGee, there are plenty of openings elsewhere in the secondary. Although Bush is tabbed as a safety, Columbus coach Chris Merritt, who was in San Antonio for Saturday's Army All-American game with his star pupil, said Bush is more than capable of playing cornerback and probably will start his career there with the Canes.

"What the Canes are getting is a very well prepared, long athlete. He is what people want in the secondary, a long tall body who can play corner or safety," Merritt said of Bush, who finished his senior season at Columbus with over 60 tackles, 11 pass breakups and four blocked kicks.

"People make a lot about how he didn't have any interceptions. Well, there weren't many people who threw his way. For us, he probably lined up at about 40 percent of the time at corner and did a good job when we had him there. He shut down [Miami Northwestern's] Amari Cooper [Alabama commitment] and did a nice job against Miramar's receivers in the state semifinal game. He's a big reason we held them to 14 points."

Bush, who will graduate in June, is the first player from Columbus High to head to UM since offensive tackle Joaquin Gonzalez walked on and eventually earned himself a scholarship.

Bush announced his decision, along with McCord, during Saturday's game.

"It was a hard decision," Bush said. "A lot of them were great schools. But I think I have to put my city back on the map right now."

He then put a Hurricane hat on his head.

McCord, who won the Class 3A state championship as a junior at Jefferson, did the same when he made his announcement for UM. "I am going to take my talents to South Beach," said McCord, who finished his senior season 6-4 on the field and with 59 tackles, 11.5 sacks, an interception and three forced fumbles.

"Coach Golden is leading that program in the right direction. I just want to be a part of it and they have a great broadcast communications program that I want to study in."

The other two commitments UM picked up were defensive tackle Jacoby Briscoe (6-4, 290) of Lafaeytte, La. and Fork Union Prep, Va. receiver Robert Lockhart (6-2, 180), who played his high school ball at West Boca Prep.

Lockhart was a Virginia Tech commitment and the prep school roommate of offensive lineman Taylor Gadbois, who is also headed to UM.Lockhart becomes the sixth receiver UM has in its recruiting class. Briscoe, unranked by Rivals and ESPN, is the second defensive tackle to join the class.

UM now has 31 commitments. Eight (including three prep school or JUCO recruits) have said they will attempt to enroll in school now in January and will count toward last year's signing class. Per NCAA rules, UM can only sign 25 on Feb. 1.

UM's recruiting class is ranked 12th by ESPN and 10th by Rivals.com.

Duke Johnson turns in MVP performance in 5A title game, final game for Norland Vikings

ORLANDO -- It wasn't the greatest performance of his career -- far from it actually. But even on a day he fumbled and threw an interception, Duke Johnson was still pretty special in his final game in a Norland Vikings uniform.

He turned in 266 all-purpose yards, five touchdowns and an MVP performance in leading Norland to a 38-0 win over Crawfordville Wakulla in the Class 5A state championship game Friday afternoon at the Citrus Bowl. (P.S. -- Don't mind the fat guy interviewing Duke after the game. Herald's Al Diaz shot it.)

"Today it was totally his show. Whether it was a run, a catch, a straight on return, you don't get any better than that. He's by the far best we've seen in the state this year," said Dwight Thomas, who coached a guy you might have heard of -- Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith at Pensacola Escambia High.

"That stuff he does where he's here one second and then over there the next, you can't emulate it. He's special."

Norland (15-0) probably could have beaten the overmatched War Eagles (12-3) without Johnson (5-9, 182). But the Vikings -- ranked eighth nationally by ESPN -- certainly would not have completed the climb to the crown without him.

Two weeks ago at No. 1-ranked Glades Central, a place no Miami-Dade or Broward team had won in 14 previous playoff trips, Johnson ran for 230 yards and four touchdowns. A week later, he posted the fourth-highest single game performance in Miami-Dade history, rallying his team from a 20-0 deficit at Palmetto by rushing for 375 yards and 3 TDs in a state semifinal win.

All Johnson did Friday was prove to a statewide television audience that hadn't seen him yet beyond grainy YouTube highlights is that he's not only the best present University of Miami coach Al Golden has under his Christmas tree, but one of the best players Dade has ever produced.

Johnson's final senior season rushing stats -- 208 carries, 2,087 yards, 29 TDs -- rank ninth all-time in Dade history. His career rushing numbers -- 504 carries, 5,109 yards, 70 TDs -- rank third all-time. But when you consider he averaged 10.0 yards per carry and had 103 rushing attempts fewer than the great Frank Gore (2,953 yards in 2000) this season, Johnson's performance stands out even more.

"To me, I once thought Duke was the most exciting player I'd ever seen," said Norland athletic director Ira Fluitt, a basketball star during his old playing days at Miami Springs. "But after what he did last week in running for 375 yards I think he's the best player I've ever seen. I'd put him right up there with the greats like Frank Gore, Elvis Peacock and Troy Davis."

Johnson, the state's Class 5A Player of the Year and a finalist for Florida's Mr. Football Award, gave Wakulla's defense credit for making him work for 130 yards on 21 carries. It wasn't until his final carry of the game -- a 40-yard touchdown run with 6:12 remaining where he stiff armed three defenders on his way to the end zone -- that Johnson was able to break a run longer than 15 yards.

Still, he displayed his big play ability plenty. He returned a kickoff following a safety 69 yards for a touchdown early in the second quarter, hurdling over and spinning off would-be tacklers in impressive fashion. Later in the fourth quarter, he leaped over two defenders to haul in a 23-yard pass at the Wakulla 2-yard line. It setup his three-yard TD run two plays later.

"Blocking for that guy has been a lot of fun," said Vikings left tackle Ereck Flowers, a 6-6, 315-pound wrecking machine who will follow Johnson to UM. "He's a beast."

Norland coach Daryle Heidelburg said Golden and UM are getting a player "that refuses to lose" and "is going to do what it takes to build that program and help other players around him." Heidelburg said Johnson and linebacker Feddie Davey performed "bed checks" of teammates Thursday night before he could get to it himself.

Johnson wore special black and gold socks and gloves Friday to honor Liberty City Optimist founder, Sam Johnson (no relation), who passed away last Sunday from a heart attack. After the game, he returned to the Vikings bench to find a hat sporting the beak of Hurricanes mascot Sebastian the Ibis waiting for him and put it on.

His mom, Cassandra Prophet-Mitchell, who sat between UM assistants George McDonald and Terry Richardson for most of Friday's game, said there is no other place her son is going but UM.

"Can't wait to get there," Johnson said when asked if he's already thinking about the Canes.

But first, he says, "I'm resting for the next month. Then, it's track season. I want got to get faster."

PODCAST: Canesport's Matt Shodell on UM's 1st two recruiting weekends

Here is the podcast I recorded with Canesport's Matt Shodell on Monday morning covering UM's last two recruiting weekends. Download it for your listening pleasure.

DOWNLOAD: EYE ON THE U PODCAST 12-12-11

 

Duke Johnson a special weapon in waiting for UM

PALMETTO, Fla. -- Maybe it's silly of me to say this since I'm supposed to be objective, but man is it fun watching Duke Johnson run the football.

Last night, I got a chance to watch the Miami Norland senior and University of Miami commitment up close as he rallied his team from a 20-0 deficit to a 35-27 win over the Palmetto Tigers in a Class 5A state semifinal game. Duke, widely considered the best player in the state (somehow he didn't win Florida's Gatorade Player of the Year), finished with 375 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns on 27 carries by my count.

He had six runs over 25 yards in the game: a 49-yard gasher on a sweep, a 67-yard sprint around end for a touchdown, a 32-yard barreling burst up the middle for a touchdown, a 71-yard zig-zagger for a touchdown, a 25-yard power run up the middle and a 33-yarder off tackle. He had 98 yards on his other 21 touches, four of those carries went for negative yards.

It was a career night for Johnson (5-10, 180), who finished 44 yards shy of tying Frank Gore's record for rushing yards in a game. Afterward, he told me he had Gore's mark of 419 on his mind, but with his team nursing an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter he was more concerned about running out the clock. By the way, he also punted and finished the game on defense as Norland's defense held on late for the win.

Johnson reminds me very much of Gore in terms of speed, explosiveness, vision and toughness. Coaches in the area who were on the sideline and had never seen Johnson play until Friday were blown away by his stiff arm. It's impressive. 

The Hurricanes of course still have Lamar Miller. He hasn't announced he's going pro yet (although many expect he will considering he's been tabbed by experts to be the 2nd best running back in the country behind Alabama's Trent Richardson). If Miller leaves, the Canes still have senior Mike James, junior Eduardo Clements and sophomore Darion Hall all available to carry the rock. But assuming Johnson signs with Miami -- and there is no reason to believe he won't -- it's impossible to imagine he won't get plenty of touches. He's simply too gifted.

I don't have all his highlights from Friday night at Palmetto. But we did get what I thought was his most impressive run of the night on film -- his 32-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. In the highlight, Johnson powers through the line of scrimmage and barrels over Palmetto linebacker Da'Quall Randal, who by the way is 6-foot, 230-pounds. Randal keeps a souvenir as Johnson slams past him -- Johnson's shoe. The running back, however, isn't affected by it and still outruns the Palmetto secondary into the end zone.

Watch the play here...

Like I said, maybe I've got a man crush on Duke Johnson, but the kid is special. 

By the way, Johnson was approached by Gators fan after the game who told him 'Please come to Gainesville.' Johnson laughed it off and responded: "No way, bro."

Norland (14-0) plays in the Class 5A state title game next Friday at The Citrus Bowl in Orlando at 1 p.m. against Crawfordville Wakulla (12-2).

Johnson, who has only played about a half in most of his games because they've been blowouts, has run for 1,957 yards and 25 touchdowns on 197 carries. He's run for 800 yards and 10 of those touchdowns in the playoffs.

Here is his post-game interview

What will Canes 2012 depth chart look like? Here's my best guess minus Lamar Miller

When the Hurricanes football season ended Nov. 25 it felt like we had a firm grasp as to who was coming back next season and who might be leaving early.

The consensus feeling was running back Lamar Miller would probably go and there was a chance defensive end Olivier Vernon and safety Ray-Ray Armstrong could join him. Since then, none of those three have announced anything, but receiver Tommy Streeter -- who at one point said he was coming back -- and defensive tackle Marcus Forston, who missed two seasons worth of games with injuries, decided they were heading out the door.

Could other unexpected third and fourth-year juniors follow suit? Absolutely. Who will leave? I've got no leads. But the more I think about the situation with Forston, the more I believe Al Golden had no problem letting him out the door. Anyone who has battled injury or has sat on the bench for 2-3 years without making an impact will probably be encouraged to leave, freeing up precious scholarships the school needs to load up on this next signing class.

Although Golden said in his press conference he believed "the worst was behind us" in terms of what sanctions UM could be facing from the NCAA, I've heard on my travels throughout Miami-Dade and Broward high schools over the past two weeks Golden and his assistants have been telling recruits "scholarships are limited." Several local coaches have told me UM is anticipating losing scholarships and thus is doing its best to create room by encouraging some current players to walk. Again, just what I'm hearing from outside -- nothing concrete from UM.

That being said, UM's depth chart will look awfully young next year. That's an enticing sell for freshman who want to play right away, but not necessarily a good look for an improvement from 6-6. Here's is the projected depth chart at the moment, assuming Miller leaves (rated second best RB by NFLDraftScout.com) and everyone else returns:

OFFENSE
QB: Stephen Morris, Jr. | Ryan Williams, Jr.
RB: Mike James, Sr. | Eduardo Clements, Jr. | Darion Hall, R-So.
FB: Maurice Hagens, Jr. | John Calhoun, Sr.
WR: Allen Hurns, Jr. | Rashawn Scott, So.
WR: Phillip Dorsett, So. | Kendall Thompkins, Sr.
TE: Clive Walford, R-So. | Dyron Dye, R-Jr. | Asante Cleveland, Jr.
LT: Seantrel Henderson, Jr. | Jermaine Johnson, R-Jr.
LG: Brandon Washington, Sr. | Jeremy Lewis, Sr.
C: Shane McDermott, R-So. | Jared Wheeler, R-Jr.
RG: Brandon Linder, Jr. | Malcolm Bunche, R-So.
RT: Jonathan Feliciano, R-So. | Jermaine Barton, R-So.

DEFENSE
DE: Anthony Chickillo, So. | Shayon Green, R-Jr.
DT: Adewale Ojomo, Sr. | Jalen Grimble, So.
DT: Curtis Porter, Jr. | Darius Smith, Sr.
DE: Olivier Vernon, Sr. | Olsen Pierre, So.
WLB: Denzel Perryman, So. | C.J. Holton, Sr.
MLB: Kelvin Cain, Jr. | Gionni Paul, So.
SLB: James Gaines, Jr. | Eddie Johnson, So.
CB: Brandon McGee, Sr. | Dallas Crawford, So.
CB: Thomas Finnie, So. | Kacy Rodgers, Jr.
SS: Ray-Ray Armstrong, Sr. | Andrew Swasey, Sr.
FS: Vaughn Telemaque, Sr. | A.J. Highsmith, R-Jr.

SPECIAL TEAMS
K: Jake Wiecalw, Sr. | Matt Goudis, So.
P: Dalton Botts, Jr.
KR: Phillip Dorsett, So. | Davon Johnson, Sr.
PR: Phillip Dorsett, So. | Kendall Thompkins, Sr.

> Now, this depth chart didn't have a single incoming freshman included in it because obviously they haven't officially signed a National Letter of Intent. But if you look at the players UM has committed at the moment, it's obvious receivers Angelo Jean-Louis (Palm Beach Central) and Malcolm Lewis (Miramar High) and running back Duke Johnson (Miami Norland) all have an opportunity to come in and help right away on offense and special teams.

Defensively, there are huge glaring holes and needs in the secondary and at linebacker. The most college ready linebackers are considered Raphael Kirby (Stone Mountain, Ga.) and Reggie Northrup (Jacksonville First Coast). The true freshman corner that could make an impact is Coral Reef's Vernon Davis. Little known JUCO corner Ladarius Gunter -- a recent commitment -- could also play right away as well as any other junior college additions. 

So what do you think of this depth chart and the outlook for 2012? Discuss.

Could Norland LB Keith Brown end up back in UM's class? Plus, Golden visits Booker T.

Two weeks ago Miami Norland linebacker Keith Brown parted ways with the Hurricanes and joined Ron Zook's recruiting class at Illinois after the Fighting Illini agreed to give scholarships to both him and his brother.

Now that Zook has been fired, though, Brown's plans have been "thrown up in the air" according to Norland coach Daryle Heidelburg. So is there a chance Brown, a 6-2, 230-pound All-American inside linebacker, could end up back in UM's class alongside current Norland teammates Duke Johnson and Ereck Flowers? 

"It's definitely a possibility," Heidelburg said Tuesday night. "Miami was one of the schools that called me up today. They still want him. Even though he de-committed and went to Illinois, they have not lost interest. The kid is a good player and wherever he goes he's going to be an impact player."

According to Heidelburg, Brown is declining interviews because he wants to concentrate on football. The Vikings (12-0) will take on Belle Glades Glades Central (12-0) on Friday in the Region 3-5A final.

But it's clear the future of his brother, fellow Norland linebacker Lamar Atkins, is weighing heavily in his decision. Brown told Rivals.com on Nov. 20 a major reason he switched his commitment to Illinois was because they were also willing to take his brother. "I could have gone to a bunch of places that offered both of us. But Illinois was clearly the best decision for both of us," Brown told Rivals.

Atkins (6-0, 225) isn't rated by Rivals or considered by anyone to be a major prospect. Although the Canes like Brown, UM apparently wasn't willing to go for the 2-for-1 special. Could that change? It's hard to tell at this point. But if you take Heidelburg at his word, it's clear UM still has interest and would love to have the services of Brown, who is considered by Rivals to be the 4th best inside linebacker in the country.

Brown, who plans to enroll at a school in December, could end up sticking with Illinois. But it's more likely he will switch to a school willing to take both him and his brother. Heidelburg said Ohio State, South Florida and Florida all called him Tuesday expressing interest in Brown.

"Right now he's just going to take his time," Heidelburg said. "He has two visits left. The fact Al Golden got an extension is good for Miami. He wanted to make sure the guy wasn't going to Penn State or nothing like that.

"My job as far as his high school coach is done. It's up to him to decide what's best for him. I'm pretty sure he's going to sit down with his parents and decide what is best for his household. As his head coach, I'm going to support him no matter what he decides."

Heidelburg said Johnson, considered one of the nation's premier running backs, and Flowers, a 6-6, 325-pound offensive tackle remain committed to UM. "They're locked in," Heidelburg said. "There's no changes with that."

GOLDEN SWINGS BY MIAMI BOOKER T. WASHINGTON

Former University of Miami special assistant Tim "Ice" Harris got a visit from current Canes coach Al Golden Tuesday as his team prepared for its Class 4A state semifinal showdown against Cocoa.

Harris, the father of former Canes cornerback Brandon Harris and UM track star Tim Harris Jr., said Golden stopped by to wish his team luck and to check out some of the Tornadoes talented underclassmen. Among them: Ice Harris' youngest son, sophomore quarterback Treon Harris (5-11, 185).

"Golden watched Treon throw a couple passes and was pretty impressed," Ice Harris said. "He likes a lot of our young guys. I'm pretty sure UM is going to be down here a lot over the next couple years."

The Tornadoes have two of the top juniors in the state in offensive tackle Denver Kirkland (6-4, 300) and middle linebacker Matthew Thomas (6-4, 210). The sophomore class is loaded and led by Harris (80 of 134, 1,262 yards, 14 TDs, 5 INTs, 94 rushes, 811 yards, 17 TDs) and 5-9, 165-pound receiver Lamar Parker (22 rec., 329 yards, 5 TDs).

As for Ice, who returned to Booker T. after Randy Shannon was fired and Golden took over, he said he was shocked when Yahoo! Sports released its series of allegations that players at UM received impermissible gifts from former booster Nevin Shapiro.

Brandon Harris, a second round pick of the Houston Texans in April, was never implicated by Yahoo! in its investigation.

"I'm not sure where my head must have been at when that was going on, but I never saw that guy [Shapiro] and I never heard about any of that stuff they said he was doing," Harris said. "Brandon was never around any of that. He knew the rules. When he went out he wouldn't take pictures or accept anything from anybody he didn't know. If somebody strange came around, he would just leave."

> UM announced Tuesday spring football is tentatively scheduled to begin March 1. The spring game is also tentatively set for April 14.

> Clemson receiver Sammy Watkins (South Fort Myers High) was named the ACC's Rookie of the Year on Tuesday. UM defensive end Anthony Chickillo finished third in the voting. Virginia coach Mike London was named ACC Coach of the Year. The ACC will announce its overall, offensive and defensive players of the year Wednesday.

> On Monday, the All-ACC First and Second Teams were announced. UM linebacker Sean Spence was the only Hurricane to make first team. Running back Lamar Miller and center Tyler Horn were named to the second team.

Golden's contract extension helped pave way for commitment from Cypress Bay OL Danny Isidora

If anybody wants to know why giving Al Golden a four-year contract extension last Friday was important for the University of Miami's recruiting efforts, Cypress Bay High offensive lineman Danny Isidora is willing to explain.

Tuesday morning, the 6-3, 340-pound offensive lineman for the Lightning called Golden and UM and committed to be a part of the Canes' 2012 signing class -- all a result of what transpired last week according to Cypress Bay coach Mark Guandolo.

"He had Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina and Florida State all after him, but on the back of his mind UM was always his favorite," Guandolo said. "He's been a UM fan since he was a young kid. He always dreamed of playing there. But he was a little apprehensive with all the talk about the NCAA sanctions and Coach Golden and the Penn State stuff. When coach got the extension that helped him make the final decision."

Isidora, rated as the 13th best offensive guard in the country by ESPN and the 29th best at his position according to Rivals, was being recruited by UM offensive line coach Art Kehoe to be a pulling guard according to Guandolo.

That relationship with Kehoe, Isidora said, ultimately paid off. Isidora said he and Kehoe spoke on a weekly basis. In fact, the first person he called to give his commitment to was Kehoe. But with the coach on a flight and unavailable, Isidora said he called Golden directly and the coach was thrilled to hear the news.

“I just love the coaches -- Coach Golden, Coach Kehoe. I’ve talked to Coach Kehoe once a week all season about everything, football, life. He’s a good guy,” said Isidora, whose mother is from Nassau, Bahamas and father is from Curacao. “Coach Kehoe kept me informed with everything regarding the NCAA [investigation], so I felt like they were being upfront and honest.”

In high school, Isidora served as the Lightning's starting left tackle for three years. Guandolo said Isidora benches 350 pounds, squats 450 pounds and power cleans 350 pounds. Guandolo said Isidora is a bright kid (3.9 GPA) who has always excelled picking up the diverse blocking schemes his team has used in its Wing-T offense.

Isidora said he would like to shed about 10 pounds "of baby fat" before he gets to UM. He doesn't mind redshirting either, but will play right away if needed.

"He's a hard worker, really dedicated young man with a great attitude. He's a quiet kid and not boastful, a great demeanor kid you like to be around," Guandolo said. "He got bigger and stronger as time went on here. He's very explosive and is a heck of an athlete. Great, great feet for a big guy. I think he's going to be physical in that running offense, be a pulling type guy for them."

Isidora is supposed to meet with Golden Thursday. He's the second senior at Cypress Bay to commit to UM. Linebacker Josh Witt (6-2, 220) committed back in the summer.

The Lightning have a trio of talented juniors including star receiver/defensive back Alex Montgomery (6-1, 190), running back Matthew Dayes (5-11, 190) and quarterback Jaranta Lewis (6-0, 180).

Isidora becomes the third offensive lineman to join UM's class. The Canes also have commitments from Miami Norland left tackle Ereck Flowers (6-6, 305) and Fork Union Military Academy's Taylor Gadbois (6-8, 300).

Here is a highlight reel of Isidora. He's No. 74

Canes' commitment Malcolm Lewis has Miramar 3 wins away from 2nd state title

With the Canes season officially wrapped up, I'll be passing through a few local high schools over the next couple weeks to catch up with some of the top local players and teams as the playoffs wind down. Monday, I got a chance to catch up with Miramar High receiver and Canes commitment Malcolm Lewis. Here is the longer version of the feature story I turned in tonight.

Marlene Lewis and her husband Marvin like to get into playful arguments over where their youngest son Malcolm -- a star receiver at Miramar High and University of Miami commitment -- got his athletic talents.

Marlene, a mother of five and information management technician at Orange Brook Elementary in Hollywood, says Malcolm got his 4.3-speed in the 40-yard dash from her. In high school, Marlene ran on the 100, 200 and 4x100-meter relay teams at American High in Miami.

Marvin, a former defensive tackle at American High who now serves as a cook for inmates at various Miami-Dade County jails, takes credit for Malcolm's size (5-11, 190) and toughness -- and some of that speed, too.

But Malcolm's passion for football? That's all him.

"You watch him on the field and no matter what, he always gives his best effort. Whether they throw the ball to him or not, he always runs full speed," Marvin Lewis said. "I tell him he's better than me. I wouldn't run that hard every play."

Said Marlene: "He's been that way since he was a little boy. I'd take him to the grocery store with me and he would run around, make all these cuts and spins like somebody was trying to tackle him. I always used to have to scream at him, 'Boy you aren't on the field.' He just loves the game."

Lewis has grown up to be one of the best high school receivers in the country -- and a bonafide leader for the Patriots, who are just three wins away from winning two state titles in three years. Friday night, Miramar, 11-0 and ranked No. 4 in the nation by USA Today, will host Palm Beach Gardens (9-2-1) in the Region 3-8A final.

According to Rivals.com, he's rated the 26th best receiver in the country. He's also considered an ESPN Top 150 recruit (146th) regardless of position. Statistically, though, his numbers hardly represent his talent. Lewis, who caught an 8-yard touchdown pass in his team's win playoff last week against Cypress Bay, has just 37 catches for 535 yards and six touchdowns this season -- middle of the pack numbers compared to other elite receivers in Broward County.

But a big part of that is the number of double and triple teams he draws, setting up opportunities for others on his team to succeed. Lewis is hardly bothered by his lack of big numbers and his coach, Damon Cogdell, said Lewis is an example of a selfless player.

"I don't pay attention to stats," Lewis said. "It's going to come to me. I'm just going to do what I do when I get the ball in my hands."

In the past, whenever Lewis has had the ball in his hands it's usually resulted in big plays. As a sophomore, he caught the winning touchdown pass from Ryan Williams (now at UM) in Miramar's state semifinal win over Miami Central. Earlier this season in Miramar's stunning upset of St. Thomas Aquinas, he caught a touchdown pass in the back of the end zone on fourth down to help rally the Patriots.

"Just a great kid and a real Patriot," Cogdell said. "He's the type of kid you want your daughter to bring home. Don't let the dreads fool you. He's a very humble kid. And truthfully, he's probably the most talented kid I got out here.

"He doesn't complain. I remember last year there was many games where he was wide open and we didn't get the ball to him. He never complained. It was kind of scary. He just never complains."

Tracy Howard, Lewis' best friend and an All-American cornerback at Miramar, says Lewis remains the best receiver he's had to face in high school.

"He's just so fast. Once he gets up field, he's gone," Howard said. "He's 190. You don't expect him to be that fast. I like to play press. You play press and he beats you, that's it. I think that's what separates him from most guys. He's physical enough to break away and he's fast."

Miramar has sent quite a few receivers to college over the past few years: Ivan McCartney (West Virginia), Stedman Bailey (West Virginia) Donte Chambers (Morgan St.), Rashad Gholston (Florida State), Terrance Gourdine (Eastern Michigan), Denzell McCollum (leaving junior college now).

Cogdell won't go as far as calling Lewis the best of the bunch out of respect for all of the receivers who have played for him, but calls him special. Cogdell said Lewis has dropped just two passes thrown his way this season.

"Great hands, strong hands, good route runner, just overall good kid," Cogdell said. "I would love to have him on defense at safety or corner. But we try to utilize him on offense and special teams.

"The scary part about it is I don't think colleges are giving him due justice. He's got a lot of offers, but there aren't many schools who really followed up on him and recruited him that hard. Miami did and stayed on him. But I thought for sure there would be more teams on him. To me, he's one of the best in the country."

Lewis orally committed to UM coaches two weeks ago and says the decision is "a done deal for right now." While other schools continue to recruit him, he said it's doubtful he'll change his mind because he wants to stay close to home.

"For me, it's really all about family," said Lewis, who had LSU, Florida State, Alabama and Florida as his other finalists.

"I took a visit to West Virginia and I liked it. But it's so far away. I know if I stay down here I can play in front of my family. I live right down the street from [Sun Life Stadium]. On gamedays, this whole section over here [at Miramar] is filled with my family and friends. My granddaddy, cousins, nieces. I just want to play close by for them."

> Two Florida State coaches were on hand at Monday's practice at Miramar to check out Howard, who is considered the No. 1 cornerback in the country by Rivals.com.

Howard told me Monday, "Florida, Florida State, LSU and Alabama are the four schools that are really in it" for his services. Asked if the Canes have no shot at him Howard said: "They're still in the running, but not like those four schools.

"Malcolm picked Miami because it was the best school for him. They recruited him the hardest, showed him the most love. I feel like it's the best for him, especially with the quarterback situation. You got Ryan Williams who played with him two years ago. But I have to look at what the best fit is for me."

Is Howard closer to a decision? "I'm still in the same place," he said. "Everyday it changes. Somedays I want to make a decision, the next day I'll be like 'No.' Malcolm and I always told each other we might go to the same school. But when you look at it, you always want to do what's best for you. But it's still possible we could play together."

Joyner, FSU hoping to humble Streeter, UM offense; recruiting notes; Lemming on Golden/Penn St.

TALLAHASSEE -- Some leftover notes from this week to get you ready for today's game at Doak Campbell Stadium:

> Former St. Thomas Aquinas star and FSU starting safety Lamarcus Joyner never got a chance to line up against former Miami Northwestern receiver Tommy Streeter in high school. So it's safe to say he's looking forward to trying to slow down Streeter and UM's vertical passing game Saturday.

Joyner, who grew up in Liberty City while despising the Hurricanes and loving the Seminoles, was named USA Today's High School Defensive Player of the Year in 2009, opposite UM offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson, who was named USA Today's Offensive Player of the Year.

> FSU's defense has given up just 39 points over their last four games combined -- the stingiest four-game stretch for the Seminoles since the start of the 2003 season. FSU leads the ACC in defense, ranks 3rd against the run (78.89 yards per game), 4th in total defense (268 yards per game) and 5th in sacks (16 over their last four games).

Of the eight teams FSU has played that employ a single quarterback, the Noles have held seven below their season average for passing yards including holding Oklahoma's Landry Jones to just 1999 yards passing -- nearly 200 yards below his season average.

"Our main focus is to handle the line of scrimmage," Joyner said. "As for Jacory [Harris], he was already a great player. Everybody knew his potential. The guy is smart. So this is a big challenge for the secondary which is always a gift for me. We love opportunities like this. We just want to see where we're at with a quarterback who puts up those numbers Jacory is. With the great receivers he's got and the great running game with Lamar Miller, we embrace this challenge."

> Al Golden, who always speaks more candidly on WQAM's Hurricanes Hotline, said Wednesday offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch turned to him last Saturday when backup Stephen Morris threw a perfect strike to Travis Benjamin in the end zone that was dropped and raved about Morris' "elite arm."

"Sometimes that ball just jumps off his hands," Golden said of Morris. "The best thing for his career has been this year. Not just to see Jacory [Harris] flourish, but to listen to learn and get better everyday. The next time he plays for us he's going to be a very successful quarterback. If we had a better situation depth wise we probably could have redshirted him."

The Hurricanes have three quarterback commitments for next season -- St. Andrew Episcopal School's Preston Dewey (who came down for the Duke game) is really the only one considered elite. But Golden is confident Jedd Fisch, who is teaching an NFL system, will get the most out of all of them.

"I think he's one of the best quarterback coaches in the country," Golden said. "We got three young guys that can come in here, learn the system, get reps. There's not a lot of quarterbacks who are on the team. They'll be getting reps, they won't be just standing there.

"There's not one thing that we teach them that will not carry forward. Everything is putting money in the bank. Everything we teach them over the four years there here is gaining interest because when its time for the combine and questions about whatever they'll know exactly what they're talking about. Even on the [Jon] Gruden shows, ESPN guys, they all talk the same way. That's the language we're teaching these guys. A lot of programs don't do that right now. [They've got] gimmick offenses and might put up a lot of numbers and be successful and everything, but it doesn't carry over to the NFL. They're paying the quarterback too much money to carry the ball in the NFL."

> Here's what Fisch told me last week he thinks of transfer Ryan Williams, who has been running the scout team: "I don't get to spend too much time with him because he's been running our scout team. But he works super hard at things. He's done an excellent job of coming in extra, spending more time in the building, early, late.

"I would say his approach to the game is fantastic. It's a matter now that he hasn't been able to take reps with our offense because he's on the scout team. The spring will be huge for him, but mentally I think he'll be in a position where he's ahead of anybody coming in. He can make all the throws and obviously comes with great size. That always helps in the pocket."

> Getting back to Henderson for a second, Golden said he jumped up from getting about 10, 15, 17 snaps in his first three games since back surgery to around 50 plays in his first start of the season versus Duke. It sounded to me like Golden is happy redshirt freshman Jonathan Feliciano is back this week to cut into that workload. "Between these two guys we should get real good production over there," Golden said.

> In his five games back since a shoulder injury, FSU quarterback EJ Manuel has completed 83 of 125 attempts for 1,290 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions -- a 167.8 passer rating. He's now 12th in QB passing efficiency. Manuel has also run the ball 51 times this season and recorded a first down 18 times and scored a touchdown four others. "What we can't have him do is what the Virginia Tech kid did. We can't let that kid a two-headed monster," Golden said. "We have to make him one dimensional -- run it or pass it, but not both."

> ESPN's Corey Long weighed in on a few UM recruiting topics with me, including giving me his two cents on the Canes' latest commitments: Venice High running back Danny Dillard and Lakeland High receiver Ricquan Southward.

"He's extremely underrated and a heck of a pickup for them," Long said of Southward. "As for Dillard, he kind of fell off this year, had some injuries. He's a good powerful back, powerful legs, should be higher rated than he is, not a speedster. I think he's like a Mike James, same type of productivity. Good character kid. He might be 85 percent of what Mike James was. He gives Duke Johnson a nice compliment, a good combination."

Who makes the biggest impact of the incoming freshmen? "That's easy, Duke," Long said. "Lamar [Miller] isn't going to stay. I think he's too good. I think this kid Duke comes in there and has potential to be Miami's Reggie Bush. He's off the charts. I think he's the best high school football player in state of Florida. That's a guy if I'm starting a team in the state, he's the guy I choose. I have not seen a young man have the effect on a team like he does. He's awesome. He will be my favorite for ACC Rookie of the Year next year."

Long said he thinks defensive end Jelani Hamilton (St. Thomas Aquinas) and linebacker Reggie Northrup (Jacksonville First Coast) will eventually de-commit and head to other schools. But he thinks Miami Norland linebacker Keith Brown, who is visiting other schools, will stick.

"The more and more I know about it, I can see Brown sticking to that commitment. Keith Brown is just taking his visits and playing some games. I don't think he's confused," Long said. "The QB I do like is Preston Dewey. He came down this weekend. He's doing some recruiting. They've done a good job solidifying this class. There's still a lot of excitement of playing for The U and Coach Golden. At the end of the day it will be a solid class and a couple solid kids like Duke. They're going to fill in a lot of holes this year. Special teams. Linebacker. They just need bodies. You look at their roster right now, the numbers are just low."

> Norland coach Daryle Heidelburg said Johnson, Brown and a few other high school teammates would be visiting Illinois this weekend. Don't read much into it.

> For those of you worried about Golden leaving, the fears are legit. Penn State will make a run at him. But national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming, who has known Golden pretty well since his days at Temple, thinks Golden will stay in Miami.

"He was on my show a couple weeks ago. He seems happy, focused on the job ahead of getting Miami back to the elite schools. However, it's got to be both ways," Lemming said. "Miami would be foolish not to give him a long term contract and entice him to stay. They've got one of the premier young coaches in the country. If they lose him, it's their own fault. Who are they going to replace him with? At Penn State, Bradley is the head coach, but there is no AD, no President. It may take awhile to name a coach. It gives Miami long enough time to get Al secured."

Canes receive commitments from two in-state offensive stars

Al Golden and his coaching staff were busy bees this summer, landing a collection of 24 verbal, non-binding commitments before the start of the season.

After blowing out Duke Saturday, UM got back to work on the recruiting front Sunday, landing commitments from two in-state stars: Venice High running back Danny Dillard (6-2, 215) and Lakeland High receiver Ricquan Southward (6-2, 190). 

Dillard, who grew up in the Miami area before moving to Venice when he was 9, told his hometown newspaper the Sarasota Herald-Tribune Sunday he chose the Canes over offers from Kentucky, Marshall, Ohio, Pittsburgh and UCF. Dillard has gained 724 yards on 105 carries for a 6.9-yard-per-carry during seven games this season, battling through injuries throughout according to the Herald-Tribune. He also has scored 14 rushing touchdowns, five in just more than two quarters against Sarasota Booker, and one through the air with five catches for 50 yards. Last year, he rushed for 1,245 yards and 23 touchdowns.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pounder is ranked as the nation's No. 32 running back by Rivals.com and the No. 92 overall recruit in the state of Florida.

Southward, a first-year starter for Lakeland who attended Saturday's game against Duke, has over 700 yards receiving and 13 touchdown catches in eight games this season. He told Canesport.com Sunday night it's "a soft commitment."

"I'll still visit other colleges just to look around - I'm set up to see Ohio State [Nov.] 19th," Southward told Canesport. "I've never been up there. Right now that's only official I have set up."

The UM offer was Southward's third offer, joining Ohio State and Mississippi.

Here is highlight video on YouTube for Dillard.

UM cornerback recruit Larry Hope released from hospital with stitches following big scare

Luckily for 2012 UM cornerback commitment Larry Hope the six-inch gash in his head he sustained Thursday night turned out to be "nothing more than a really, really big scare."

Hope, a 5-11, 174-pound senior at American High in Miami, sustained a nasty gash running from below his left eye to the back of his head after he was sliced by an opposing player's facemask while making a tackle in a game against Braddock at Tropical Park. Hope was injured because his helmet was jarred loose, leaving his head exposed to a pile of oncoming players coming to help make the tackle.

Hope, who was bleeding profusely according to witnesses, was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital and accompanied by his father. That's where he said he was treated and given "about 10 to 12 stitches and released shortly before 6 a.m. this morning."

"It was definitely a scary experience -- first time I'd ever been in a helicopter and not for the reason I wanted," Hope said. "My helmet was buckled up right. It was just one of those freak things. Now, I have to wait for the stitches to come out in five days before I can get cleared and back on the field. But believe me, I'm trying to put my helmet and shoulder pads on quickly as I can again."

Hope is one of many local recruits invited by coach Al Golden and his staff to attend Saturday night's game at Sun Life Stadium against Ohio State. "I'm still going to try and make it if I can," Hope said. "I'll probably just wear a skully or a cap to protect my head."

Hope, considered a 3-star recruit by Rivals, said he remains committed to the Hurricanes "despite the whole Nevin Shapiro, booster thing."

"I'm still a Hurricane," Hope sai.d. "They know I'm committed. Just like other commits, I'm speaking to the coaches on a daily basis, observing what's going on. Teams are still coming at me, offering me. Texas Tech and Duke are the two coming at me hard. But right now, unless things change a lot, I'm going to be a Cane."