Manny Diaz is out in Miami and Mario Cristobal is reportedly taking the job. Here are the first five prospects Cristobal should call to get in the Hurricanes’ recruiting class.
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The five-star offensive lineman lives close to Miami’s campus and the Hurricanes were under serious consideration throughout the last few months of his recruitment but were eliminated when his new top four of Alabama, Florida, Florida State and LSU was released. Cristobal’s first focus in recruiting should be to go back after Armella. The Seminoles are considered the front-runner now and he’s a legacy there but Cristobal works with the offensive line, Armella has shown significant interest in the Canes before and he has the ability to make immediate contributions right down the road.
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Throughout his recruitment, the four-star receiver from Stuart (Fla.) Martin County talked about the importance of staying close to home. That’s why he was so interested in Miami early on and why he preferred Florida over Florida State because of the distance. So it came as a surprise that Brown committed to Rutgers in March and his pledge has stuck this long. He has a great relationship with position coach Tiquan Underwood but if Cristobal pursues him really hard, it would be a tempting option.
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Oregon has always been a school that has intrigued Kelly and Cristobal had to play a factor in that thinking. Now that Cristobal is going to be coaching down the road from the Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Dillard four-star standout instead of 3,200 miles away the Hurricanes immediately becoming very intriguing again. When Kelly decommitted from Florida State in April, the rumor was he wanted to be closer to home. That faded in recent months but the option is back on the table and it’s a compelling one.
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Little is a Miami legacy but has been tied to Alabama for so long it might be hard to pull him away from the Crimson Tide. However, hiring Cristobal might change things especially if he makes the four-star cornerback from Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage a top priority. A lot of local prospects have been looking elsewhere because the Miami program was not really improving, not taking that next step. Cristobal could sell that vision to a legacy prospect and Little might listen although Alabama is tough to turn down.
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One of Cristobal’s first calls should be to the four-star defensive end from Opa Locka (Fla.) Monsignor Pace. Texas A&M looks like it has jumped out way ahead and Georgia is in the picture as well but over time Stewart has taken numerous visits to Miami and there has always been interest in the program. Cristobal making him a top priority and selling him as the next elite defensive end a la Kayvon Thibodeaux at Oregon could make things interesting.
