Hurricanes 2024 Recruiting Tracker: Miami offers Top All-Around Florida ‘Athlete’ Cai Bates
The Miami Hurricanes are actively pursuing numerous class of 2024 prospects within the great state of Florida, as well as across the nation.
The goal is to back up the tremendous 2023 recruiting haul with another impressive list of players that provides The U with the resources to once again compete for national championships.
To make that happen, part of the continued efforts will be towards landing more and more of the top South Florida recruits. The prior recruiting class is an example of how things can change quickly. Miami’s ability to bring in top local talent is a prime reason why the last class is so well respected.
Check back often as this 2024 recruiting tracker will include breaking news, highlight commitments, scholarship offers, unofficial and official visits.
JANUARY 17
The Hurricanes were the latest to offer Oralndo (Fla.) Edgewater wide receiver/defensive back Cai Bates. He’s the proverbial long and lean athlete that programs from across the country come to Florida to recruit.
The question becomes, what position does this young man play at the college level?
Bates has seen action in the secondary, and if he does not out grow the position, cornerback could be ideal. He’s fluid enough to do it right now, but he may not be done growing. He’s already 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds.
The class of 2024 prospect can bend well at the knees, pivots from a backpedal well, and he’s capable of running by offensive and defensive players alike.
Some of the offers Bates already earned beyond Miami include Rutgers, Louisville, Liberty, South Carolina, Iowa State, Kentucky, and Indiana.
Based on how well Bates progressed thus far during his career, it’s a good bet that he’s going to see quite a few more offers, and probably several by the end of Florida’s high school football spring practices.
As an added bonus for programs recruiting in Florida, Bates lists his GPA at 3.8 on his Twitter profile page.
JANUARY 16
One of the most versatile 2024 defensive lineman in the country would be Champ Thompson from just outside of Atlanta.
He has played for Norcross (Ga.) Meadowcreek. This past season, Thompson made noise at multiple spots along the defensive front, as well as making plays at fullback and tight end on offense.
There were several plays where Thompson played defensive end and came off the edge and created plays in the backfield, and he also worked off of blocks as a nose guard and did the same thing.
That’s led to a plethora of offers for the 6-foot-2-and-a-half 275-pound prospect, Miami included.
Beyond the Canes, Thompson earned offers from the likes of Auburn, Texas, Texas A&M, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Ole Miss, LSU, Florida State, Notre Dame and Oregon. That stated, he’s named his top seven schools:
Thompson would be a welcome addition to the 2024 Miami recruiting class. He’s ranked as the No. 180 player in the country by the On3 recruiting rankings.
JANUARY 13
From the class of 2023, the Miami Hurricanes signed Bobby and Robby Washington from Miami (Fla.) Palmetto. Now, the Canes are back at the program looking for more.
Jacory Barney, Jr. is a wide receiver that’s already earned several Power 5 offers including Miami, Nebraska, Georgia Tech, West Virginia, Michigan, Utah, Pittsburgh, and Maryland among others.
The Canes only signed two wide receivers from the prior recruiting class, so signing at least three will likely be a priority for the class of 2024.
Watching Barney’s film, the 6-foot and 165-pound athlete showed the ability to go up and grab passes over the top of defenders much like a 6-foot-5 wide receiver would; Barney’s excellent leaping ability will be an asset within all areas of the football field. Barney’s timing was also superb as it related to when he decided to make his leap.
To help make those tough catches possible, Barney also showed the capability of making fingertip grabs, as well as excellent toughness with the football already within his hands.
Finally, like fellow wide receiver Washington, he’s proven to be elusive after the catch, which allowed him to take short passes and turn them into big gains. Barney would be a quality addition to the Miami football roster.
JANUARY 12
Head coach Mario Cristobal has recruited at Alabama and Oregon, two programs known for a national recruiting base. While Miami has certainly improved local recruiting tremendously, that has not slowed down the offers to elite players outside the Sunshine State.
Miami offered raw, yet talented, defensive lineman Benedict Umeh from Avon (Conn.) Avon Old Farms. Interestingly enough, Umeh actually hailed from Toronto before recently moving to the United States.
The 6-foot-5 and 260-pound defensive lineman has also picked up offers from Texas, Notre Dame, Penn State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Stanford, Southern California, North Carolina and Florida.
A player with a tremendous amount of upside much like Collins Acheampong from Miami’s 2023 haul, Umeh would be a tremendous addition to this next Hurricanes recruiting class.
Another talented player far away from Coral Gables that received a Canes offer would be cornerback Zabien Brown from famed Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei. He’s one of few prep cornerbacks that already possessed the prerequisite height and length that’s preferred for today’s college football playing style at 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds.
Brown has been offered by the likes of Georgia, UCLA, Southern California, Alabama, Utah, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Penn State in addition to The U.
Recently, Miami has made offers to several players outside the state of Florida, even a player from Iowa with Grant Brix now having the chance to play for The U.
He’s a 6-foot-6 and 270-pound offensive tackle from Logan (Iowa) Logan-Magnolia that’s also seen offers come in from Iowa, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Penn State, Auburn, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and Kansas State among others.
While the Canes have placed their eyes on local talent across Florida, finding some out of state help can also bolster the overall roster and depth chart.
JANUARY 10
After the Hurricanes brought in one of the nation’s best 2023 offensive line classes, Mario Cristobal and his coaching staff are not wasting any time attempting to sign more elite players in the trenches.
The Canes have been going after Josiah Thompson from Dillon (S.C.) High School for quite some time. Miami offered him in January of 2022. Now, he’s dropped his top schools with the Canes in Thompson’s top six.
Besides Cristobal and the Hurricanes, Thompson has earned offers from the likes of Clemson, Florida State, Kentucky, Michigan State, Georgia, South Carolina, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma among others. Thompson also visited the Hurricanes this past spring.
Thompson, who’s 6-foot-6 and 280 pounds and projects at offensive tackle, has been ranked the No. 58 overall player in the nation by the 247 Sports Composite recruiting rankings.
JANUARY 9
One of the very best defensive tackle recruits in the nation, Justin Scott from Chicago (Ill.) St. Ignatius, has already begun to narrow his list of college choices. Considering his incredible list of offers as a class of 2024 prospect, Scott has moved quickly in the recruiting process.
From coast to coast, here are some of Scott’s offers to date that are not already on the above list and inside the graphic: Penn State, Texas A&M, Texas, Washington, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Auburn, and Missouri.
This is a space-eating interior defensive lineman. He’s also a player that can be a one-gap defensive lineman that gets up the field to make big plays in the backfield.
The next step for the Hurricanes, like with any top prospect, is to get him on campus as many times as possible via unofficial visits, as well as an official visit. Due to Scott being from Chicago, this will be a challenge for Miami head coach Mario Cristobal and his staff. Then again, Scott already visited this past October, so he’s already familiar with The U.
AllHurricanes.com is your home for all things Miami Hurricanes football, recruiting, basketball and other athletics, all the time. Follow along on social media at @AllHurricanes on Twitter and All Hurricanes on Facebook for round-the-clock news and analysis.
JANUARY 7
Miami Columbus (Fla.) EDGE TJ Capers has announced his commitment to the Louisville Cardinals. Capers committed to “The ‘Ville” over USC, Miami, Georgia and Colorado.
The commitment to Louisville likely stings many on the staff as he’s one of the top targets for Miami in the 2024 class.
However, his commitment is one that Miami head coach Mario Cristobal will be constantly working to flip, especially considering Capers attends Cristobal’s alma mater. Capers had 70 tackles and seven sacks in his junior year.
Cristobal won’t concede to losing a top prospect from his alma mater. Capers’ recruitment is far from over.
JANUARY 5
One of Miami’s top 2024 targets is set to come off the board.
A source confirms to All Hurricanes that TJ Capers will announce his verbal commitment on Saturday. He will decide between Miami, Georgia, USC, Colorado and Louisville, the five finalists he announced before the New Year.
The Miami (Fla.) Columbus star pass-rusher has frequented Coral Gables as a prospect and of course the ties between the school and Miami are plentiful with it being the program that produced Mario Cristobal and Alex Mirabal.
The Hurricanes have one sole commitment in the class of 2024, from kicker Abram Murray, as Cristobal’s staff looks to follow up a top haul in 2023.
The decision is to be televised by NBC during the All-American Bowl.
DEC 31
With the University of Miami now beginning to push for top 2024 recruits, there will be few that hold as much punch as the following prep standout, assuming he ends up in Coral Gables, Fla.
Ellis Robinson has the quickness needed, the 6-foot and 180-pound frame to go with it, to be a top-notch college cornerback. He’s listing Miami, LSU, Georgia, Colorado and Alabama among his top schools, but those certainly have not been the only programs to have extended an offer to him.
From New Haven, Conn., the Florida transplant has seen offers from the likes of Florida, Florida State, Auburn, Kentucky, Oklahoma Notre Dame, Penn State and Ohio State among others.
DEC 28
One of the top edge defenders in the entire class of 2024 happens to play for the same high school program that head coach Mario Cristobal once also played for. This young man could end up playing for a second team that Cristobal played for and now coaches.
That player is TJ Capers from Miami (Fla.) Columbus. He’s already 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, and looks like a grown man from head to toe. He helped the the Crusaders to a 14-1 record, as they won the 4M state championship.
College teams have taken notice and his offer list is extensive. Miami, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, LSU, Tennessee, Michigan, Southern California and Ole Miss have offered among many others.
Capers is one of the primary prospects for Miami from the 305. There’s good reason.
Long term, Capers has the ability in college to come off the edge and be impactful in the passing game. He’s also athletic enough to chase down plays from behind with his natural athleticism.
This young man is a national recruit and definitely one that Cristobal and his staff would love to keep at home.
DEC 26
Miami is still after top offensive lineman. Even after the tremendous 2023 offensive line haul, Mario Cristobal wants to make sure he brings in another select group of players in the trenches to help get the Hurricanes depth chart back to where it needs to be.
The Canes signed five players from the 2023 class. At least three more will be needed for the 2024 class. The latest offer, one of the best from the Lone Star State.
Prior to his Miami offer, Max Anderson has received scholarships from the likes of Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Alabama, Florida, Arkansas, Michigan, LSU, Penn State, and Tennessee among others.
He is listed at 6-foot-5 and 300 pounds, and could project at either offensive tackle position. Playing for Frisco (Texas) Reedy, he’s just north of Dallas an used to playing against quality opponents week in and week out.
DEC 23
The Hurricanes were able to sign one high-upside defensive tackle with Joshua Horton from the class of 2023. For the next class, the Canes need at least two, if not three, defensive tackles.
One of the best in the country is David Stone, Jr., a 6-foot-4 and 270-pound interior defensive lineman with the quickness to play strong side end as well. He’s been offered by a plethora of programs, including Miami, Alabama, LSU, Florida, Florida State, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Colorado, Notre Dame, and Oregon among others. Here’s Stone’s release of top schools:
Stone is from Oklahoma City, Okla., but he also plays for Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy. That’s the same boarding school that Miami is awaiting on four players from the 2023 class to enroll: Antonio Tripp (interior offensive line), Francis Mauigoa (offensive tackle), Jayden Wayne (defensive end), and Riley Williams (tight end).
With Miami’s connection to IMG Academy, one can be assured that Mario Cristobal and his staff will be looking to get Stone down to Coral Gables for an unofficial visit sooner than later.
AllHurricanes.com is your home for all things Miami Hurricanes football, recruiting, basketball and other athletics, all the time. Follow along on social media at @AllHurricanes on Twitter and All Hurricanes on Facebook for round-the-clock news and analysis.
