Mark Pope to visit Florida despite longstanding Miami pledge

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Mark Pope is committed to Miami and has no interest in taking all five of his official visits. Instead there will only be two.

Miami will only have to fend off Florida to hold on to the Rivals100 wide receiver. And while Pope remains solid to the Hurricanes, there may be some semblance of a fight on the road ahead.

“I told Miami I was going [to visit Florida],” Pope said on Saturday. “They just asked me ‘Why? Why visit?’ I just told them I want to look and see what’s best for me.” Pope is yet to set a date for his Florida visit and is also in the process of squaring away a weekend for his official to Miami.

A high four-star prospect, Pope is ranked as the No. 6 wide receiver and the No. 25 overall prospect in the class of 2018. He attends Miami’s Southridge High School.

IN HIS WORDS:

-- “Miami just talks to me about how everything is just a go with them. We basically just talk about how they want to use me when I get there.”

-- “Florida wants to show me the academics they have. That’s what I’m really going to school for anyway, you know?”

-- “Florida is losing five receivers. That’s why they really need me, but it’s going to be about my visit there and my visit to Miami. I just have to see.”

RIVALS REACTION: Pope’s ties too Miami are extremely strong and will be difficult to break. That said, even getting an official visit is a massive victory for Florida. Stranger things have happened down the final stretch in recruitment, but Miami has to still be seen as the heavy favorite to sign the four-star receiver.