Grading the class: Late flips give Miami star-studded defense
With Miami’s early signees now officially inked to the Hurricanes, CaneSport is doing an in-depth evaluation of this year’s commits to assign letter grades to the offense and defense. Here, we’ll take an in-depth look at Miami’s defensive signing class, although the Hurricanes could still add No. 24 overall prospect Zay Mincey, who is waiting to announce until the All-American Bowl.
Miami added three blue-chip defensive linemen, three four-star EDGEs, a pair of explosive linebackers and three local stars in the secondary Wednesday among a few other prospects in this year’s cycle. Miami could also add several more defensive transfers, but here, we’ll only look at high school signees.
Defensive line/EDGE
5-star recruit, No. 2 DL Justin Scott | 6-foot-4, 315 pounds5-star recruit, No. 3 DL Armondo Blount | 6-foot-3.5, 250 pounds4-star recruit, No. 22 DL Artavius Jones | 6-foot-2, 285 pounds3-star recruit, No. 105 DL Daylen Russell | 6-foot-3, 255 pounds4-star recruit, No. 5 EDGE Marquise Lightfoot | 6-foot-5, 220 pounds4-star recruit, No. 27 EDGE Booker Pickett | 6-foot-2, 185 pounds4-star recruit, No. 33 EDGE Elias Rudolph | 6-foot-3, 200 pounds3-star recruit, No. 65 EDGE Cole McConathy | 6-foot-5, 225 pounds
Miami made it clear heading into the year it planned to have a heavy emphasis on the defensive line in this year’s cycle, and while there were bouts of uncertainty about how the class would shape out, the Hurricanes closed with a defensive line/EDGE group unlike anything seen in Coral Gables in recent memory.
There was a time where some fans feared Miami wouldn’t land Scott, Blount or Jones, but a strong final month gave the Hurricanes the edge they needed to finish with a massive defensive line signing class. Scott is an undisputed superstar and could have an immediate impact in South Florida next season, and Blount, who is still 16 years old after reclassifying from the 2025 class to 2024, is far ahead of schedule in his development. Both could see the field in some capacity next fall.
Jones and Russell could likely benefit from a redshirt season, although it shouldn’t be viewed as a knock against their abilities. Both earned interest from multiple ACC schools.
Miami will have serious talent on the edge, too.
Lightfoot was one of the biggest climbers in the 2024 class, starting the year as a middle-of-the-pack prospect with a handful of Power Five offers but finishing the year as a top-50 prospect, the No. 5 EDGE and an All-American Bowl selection. Lightfoot’s ceiling and motor are through the roof, and while he may still look to add 15-to-20 pounds during the offseason, he’ll be an early impact candidate next fall.
Pickett was a sack machine at the high school level but was far more of a pure pass rusher and almost closer to a linebacker than a true EDGE, so we’ll be intrigued to see Miami’s long-term vision for him. Rudolph is more of a raw product with tremendous upside, and McConathy is a long, lanky, versatile weapon capable of attacking off the edge or dropping into coverage.
In other words, Miami covered its bases in this year’s defensive line class.
CaneSport Position Grade: A
Linebacker
4-star recruit, No. 5 LB Adarius Hayes | 6-foot-3, 210 pounds3-star recruit, No. 40 LB Cam Pruitt | 6-foot-2, 185 pounds
There wasn’t a need for a massive linebacker class this season after the Hurricanes signed a stacked group last fall, but Miami’s ability to flip Hayes from Florida on signing day gave the Canes another blue-chip star in this year’s class. Hayes was one of the most popular targets in this year’s class, and Pruitt earned his share of attention as well, including landing a committable offer from Alabama in late July.
Both are solid additions, but each is a different types of player: Hayes is a big, physical, traditional linebacker who could end up playing Mike or Will, and Pruitt is a fast, explosive, versatile and athletic raw prospect who did everything from come off the edge to line up at safety for his high school.
CaneSport Position Grade: B
Secondary
4-star recruit, No. 3 S Zaquan Patterson | 6-foot-0.5, 190 pounds3-star recruit, No. 38 CB Ryan Mack | 5-foot-11, 170 pounds3-star recruit, No. 73 CB Romanas “OJ” Frederique | 6-foot-1, 175 pounds3-star recruit, No. 68 S Dylan Day | 5-foot-11.5, 175 pounds3-star recruit, No. 71 S Isaiah Thomas | 6-foot-2, 195 pounds
Miami’s secondary class would look far more impressive if the Hurricanes managed to flip No. 1 cornerback Ellis Robinson IV from Georgia earlier this year and if Miami signs Mincey in the coming days, but for now we’ll look at the players who put pen to paper Wednesday.
Patterson is undoubtedly the headliner in this class after a massive senior season that saw him shoot up to No. 58 overall in the On3 Industry Ranking, and his pure athleticism rivals almost any prospect in this class. He still has work to do in man and zone coverages but took massive steps forward from last year to this year, suggesting he’ll only continue to grow in college.
Mack and Day are both expected to play nickel back at Miami, so Frederique and Thomas are the only true cornerback and safety, respectively, the Hurricanes have signed in this year’s class. It’s clear Miami still needs long-term help in the secondary, but the Canes have continued to take steps in the right direction.
CaneSport Position Grade: C+
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