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Rivals national recruiting analyst John Garcia Jr. has predictions on Miami signing a top-five class, an IMG Academy standout staying in Florida for college and a former Maryland commit ending up in the SEC.
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CANTWELL COMMITMENT: Five pivotal moments that led Cantwell to Miami | Miami pulls off a stunner | Gorney: Kirby, UGA did everything right but it wasn’t enough | Cantwell’s decision stings Georgia the most | How often do No. 1 prospects flip from their original commitment? | Cantwell will be catalyst for Miami’s next top class | CanesCounty.com coverage
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MIAMI WILL FINISH WITH A TOP-FIVE CLASS
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Of course No. 1 recruit Jackson Cantwell is a major win for Mario Cristobal as his program works toward perhaps securing the top offensive line haul in the country, but the Cantwell addition will also help to push other recruits toward Miami.
The Hurricanes are currently No. 8 in the Rivals Team Recruiting Rankings, but I predict their climb to continue into the the top five.
The U never lacks on the trail, but the late-breaking win over Georgia and Oregon sent shockwaves through the industry and should allow for even more momentum to muster with additional elite targets.
Priority No. 1 going forward, and perhaps prior, is the top prospect in South Florida: Derrek Cooper. The five-star running back has a national offer list and just hosted Ohio State and Texas coaches for visits, but Miami and Georgia have been the front-runners in this race for quite some time.
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Sound familiar?
Miami is recruiting against the very best close to home and beyond, and Cristobal is coming up on the winning side more and more as time rolls on. Landing Cooper would represent the second-straight cycle in which the area’s top recruit stays home at The U after the Hurricanes secured Bryce Fitzgerald in 2025.
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DUYON FORKPA WILL PLAY COLLEGE FOOTBALL IN FLORIDA
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Georgia native Duyon Forkpa made the move to IMG Academy after his junior football season and he has fit right in thus far. The rocked-up linebacker, who clocked a sub-4.5-second 40-yard dash this offseason, has seen his offer list explode. Forkpa has also hit the visit trail hard since the move to the Sunshine State.
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Florida State hosted Forkpa earlier in the spring and the Seminoles built some buzz. It may have shifted to a rival, however, following a visit to Gainesville to check out the Florida Gators thereafter.
Michigan, Colorado and several other programs are working to get the blue-chipper out of the state, but the momentum is with Billy Napier’s staff at the moment.
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BRIAN HARRIS WILL SIGN WITH AN SEC PROGRAM
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An early Big Ten commitment to Maryland before seeing dozens of new scholarship offers come in, Brian Harris has a final five of Alabama, Michigan, Oklahoma, Penn State and South Carolina going into a May 23 decision. The Big Ten still plays a strong role in this one, and Penn State looked to be in the best shape earlier this spring, but we now see this recruitment staying closer to home for the Floridian – at least by conference standards.
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Harris should be considered an SEC lean, not only by the conference sporting the majority of the finalists, but also by the visits and offer trends late in this recruitment. ‘Bama is the most recent offer, shortly after a trip to Tuscaloosa. Oklahoma was a game-changer that also resulted in an immediate trip to Norman. South Carolina was the first SEC program to jump in and that vote of confidence has played a larger role as the recruitment has rolled on through spring football.
Sources close to the Jacksonville native point to the Sooners and Gamecocks as two of the major players jockeying for position down the stretch, for what it’s worth.
