Advertisement
football Edit

Rivals100 Bandy picks hometown Hurricanes

Trajan Bandy

Trajan Bandy’s commitment to Miami shocked few.

The Rivals250 defensive back had been publicly eying the Hurricanes since long before he parted ways with Oklahoma, to which he was once committed. His Monday afternoon announcement was simply the culmination of a larger process.

That’s not to say Bandy’s commitment, which was kept between Bandy and the UM coaches for nearly a week, isn’t significant. It massive for the new Miami regime and is certainly a milestone for Bandy himself.

“Growing up down here, man, I’m a Miami fan.” Bandy said. “I watched all those guys play on TV. Then, after talking to my dad about Sean Taylor and hearing everyone always talking about Sean Taylor and what he left at UM … I mean, I always wanted to play at University of Miami. I’m from here and I see no reason to leave.”

His decision to stay close to his Miami-area family home was multifold. Location was key. Then, so was the chance to play for head coach Mark Richt and his new UM staff. Personnel, it seems, played a massive role in Bandy’s decision to stay close to home.

“The coaches at Miami are all genuine,” Bandy said. “It’s been real with them since day one. They broke it down for me and told me that they really need help. They told me I was a priority. The stuff they say to me, I took it down really deep. It all meant a lot.”

Bandy considered a handful of other programs in addition to the Hurricanes. In fact, he recently visited South Carolina. That said the trip didn’t shake his opinions. He didn’t know for a fact that he’d choose UM at the time, but he had a strong suspicion.

That much is clear.

“I’ve known for awhile. I told Coach [Mike] Rumph when I was out there about a week ago,” Bandy said. “I’m ready to shut my recruiting process down. He doesn’t want me taking any officials, so I’m not going to take any officials. I’m closing it down.”

A standout at Miami’s Christopher Columbus High School, Bandy is ranked as the No. 12 cornerback and the No. 118 overall prospect in the class of 2017.

Advertisement