Takeaways from South Florida High School Media Day
The Miami Dolphins hosted the annual South Florida High School Media Day on Saturday, with 110 of the high schools from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties turning out to meet with the media and discuss their upcoming seasons. With so many schools on hand there was also of plenty of news for recruiting fans to follow. Rivals.com Southeast analysts Rob Cassidy and Woody Wommack were on hand and share a few of their biggest takeaways from the event.
MORE: Coaches address issue of schools offering hundreds of prospects | Highly ranked WRs who are set to re-emerge this fall after transfers
State of the U
It’s only fitting that Saturday’s event was held at Hard Rock Stadium, the site of University of Miami’s home games, because the future of the Hurricanes roster was on hand. More than 20 Miami commits from classes 2019-2021 were in attendance, with most if not all reiterating that they remain solid to the Hurricanes. Since Mark Richt arrived at Miami a few years ago, the school has put an extra emphasis on recruiting local talent, and Saturday’s display was a perfect example of how those efforts are paying off.
While the Canes had more than 20 commits from the area, Florida State and Florida both failed to have a single commitment among the 110 South Florida high schools in attendance, further showing the current dominance on the recruiting trail.
Several uncommitted players also appear to be leaning toward the Canes, including highly ranked uncommitted running backs Kenny McIntosh and Marc-Antony Richards. Assuming Miami has another big season on the field, the grip on the talent in the 954 and the 305 area codes should continue to tighten, which is a scary thought for the two other members of Florida’s Big Three.
Ingraham back in demand
When the 2019 recruiting cycle started, three-star Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas defensive lineman Braylen Ingraham was shaping up to be one of the most sought-after recruits in the country. But a shoulder injury last fall that required surgery and a long recovery period sort of knocked him off the national radar. Now that he’s back healthy, Ingraham has once again seen his demand spike.
Over the past few months he’s taken official visits to Oklahoma and Kentucky and also made two unofficial visits to Alabama. During his time in Tuscaloosa, Ingraham received a personal recruiting pitch from Nick Saban and said he also got face time with Lincoln Riley and Mark Stoops on the other trips. Ingraham is also planning to visit Oregon next month and said Mario Cristobal is taking the lead on his recruitment.
The personal attention from head coaches around the country hasn’t gone unnoticed by Miami, the local school that Ingraham still continues to show him the “most love.” With a decision set for Oct. 23, it should be a fun close to Ingraham’s recruitment, especially if he returns to his old form on the field.
Bogle lays out visit plans
Four-star DE Khris Bogle, who recently took an official visit to Tennessee, says he plans to take official visits to Texas A&M (Sept. 8), Ole Miss (Sept. 15) and possibly Alabama at a yet-to-be-determined date.
“I’m looking at Miami right now,” Bogle said Saturday. “I’m looking at them more than ever right now.”
Bogle named Miami as his favorite, but said that his mother has a different school at the top of his list. According to the four-star defensive end, his mother has taken a shine to Ole Miss and says she would prefer him to spend his college career in Oxford because of the bond she’s formed with Rebel assistant coach Wesley McGriff.
Bogle is also high on Tennessee, where he intends to return in an unofficial capacity on Sept. 22.
Pitt is lit
Pittsburgh currently has six commitments from Florida prospects, and the program’s name was being tossed all over during South Florida High School media day.
Four-star running back Daniel Carter said he nearly committed to head coach Pat Narduzzi during an official visit and would have had his parents not convinced him to take other trips before making a choice. Four-star cornerback Tiawan Mullen also said he is extremely high on the Panthers. Even prospects not considering Pitt had good things to say about the work the school has done in the region, as Oklahoma pledge Jaden Davis offered his take on the Sunshine State-to-Steel City movement that has taken hold with his peers.
“Pitt is bringing all the South Florida guys in together, and that’s smart,” Davis said. “Now they all feel comfortable up there because they have other top players they know on the visit with them. If you go on a visit alone, you feel like you’ll be lonely at the school. It’s why smart schools – and it’s actually exactly like what Oklahoma did with us – they bring in groups that know each other.”
But according to Pitt commit Calijah Kancey, the allure of Pitt is more than effective official visits. He says the school’s elevated standing in South Florida is the product of honesty.
“They don’t fill our heads with lies,” Kancey said. “They told us all this stuff and when we got there we saw that it was all true. It’s that and the atmosphere up there.”
Kansas State raises profile in South Florida
It’s been years since K-State has experienced high-level recruiting success in South Florida, but things on that front seem to be shifting. The Wildcats already have a Sunshine-based commitment in tow, as Ft. Lauderdale-based linebacker Yahweh Jeudy made things official with Bill Snyder’s program last month. Now it seems the momentum may continue, as K-State is in line for official visits from a pair of four-stars from the region.
On Saturday, defensive back Tiawan Mullen and running back Daniel Carter both announced their intentions to take officials to Manhattan this fall. In the case of Mullen, things are set in stone. The four-star cornerback’s official visit will take place on Sept. 15. Carter is yet to set a date for his trip, but says K-State - along with Georgia and Oregon - will get officials during the season.