Even though head coach Manny Diaz and the Miami Hurricanes missed out on some highly sought-after recruits on National Signing Day, they did get good news including the first player to sign that has received national attention. Since Diaz took over, the Miami football recruiting class picked up a few more commitments, as well as a high-level group of transfers heading into next season.
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A few weeks ago, the program's 2019 recruiting class was ranked as one of the worst in school history since college football recruiting rankings began. But with the addition of a few players late in the process, they finished at No. 28 in 247Sports' class rankings and 34th by Rivals in the all of college football.
https://twitter.com/BarstoolUMiami/status/1093164851596324871
The biggest reason for a jump in the rankings was the flip of Christian Williams, who was previously committed to the Alabama Crimson Tide. Williams, a defensive back out of Alabama, had committed to play for the Tide in April 2018, but there were signs that he may flip throughout the last week or so. He is a consensus four-star recruit and ranked the 141st player in the country by Rivals.
Williams wasn't the first signee for the Canes on NSD though. That happened hours before the day even started. Louis Hedley, a former Australian rugby player from San Francisco, signed his National Letter of Intent the night before, as NSD comes a little earlier down unda'.
Say hello to @CanesFootball's new Aussie punter 😳
(via @LouisHedley1) pic.twitter.com/nlNujoONDN
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) February 6, 2019
Because of his size and tattoos, he has been the talk of the college football world over the last 24 hours. At 6'4" and 215 pounds, he is a load as a punter. He played a year at the City College of San Francisco and now transfers with three years of eligibility. For most schools, fans may not be as excited for a punter, but the last two seasons has seen some rough punting and could have possibly helped tip some games in Miami's favor.
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Between the time Headley signed and Williams announced, there were also some disappointments. Defensive end recruit Khris Bogle decided to flip from Alabama in favor of the Florida Gators to start the day, and then offensive tackle Darius Washington chose Florida State. And even though he was probably a long-shot for the Canes, George Pickens, the fourth-ranked receiver in the country, chose Georgia.
The players the Hurricanes did get are more important, though. Transfers who already announced their intentions of joining Miami such as safety Bubba Bolden were joined by defensive end Trevon Hill, who was kicked off Virginia Tech's football team in 2018. He is a former three-star recruit and left Blacksburg, Va. with 20 career tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks. He will have one year of eligibility in Coral Gables.
Manny Diaz Signing Day Press Conference https://t.co/TaWMgrZ0La
— Miami Hurricanes Football (@CanesFootball) February 6, 2019
The 2019 class really came together with the help of some transfers since Diaz took over at the end of December. Currently, there are three players enrolled on campus already and 14 others in the class that will join them with 17 prospects total. With the addition of Hill, there are now seven transfers who will join the team.
2019 Recruiting Class
- Jeremiah Payton, Wide Receiver
- Jahfari Harvey, Weak-side Defensive End
- Zion Nelson, Offensive Tackle
- Christian Williams, Defensive Back
- Keontra Smith, Defensive Back
- Avery Huff, Outside Linebacker
- Jason Blissett, Defensive Tackle
- Te'Cory Couch, Defensive Back
- Cameron Williams, Weak-Side Defensive End
- Jared Harrison-Hunte, Defensive Tackle
- Larry Hodges, Tight End
- Samuel Brooks, Outside Linebacker
- Jalar Holley, Defensive Tackle
- Adam ElGammal, Offensive Tackle
- Jakai Clark, Center
- Peyton Matocha, Quarterback
- Louis Hedley, Punter
Transfers
- Tate Martell, Quarterback (Ohio State)
- K.J. Osborn, Wide Receiver (Buffalo)
- Asa Martin, Running Back (Auburn)
- Tommy Kennedy, Offensive Tackle (Butler)
- Chigozie Nnoruka, Defensive Tackle (UCLA)
- Bubba Bolden, Safety (USC)
- Trevon Hill, Defensive End (Virginia Tech)
