Miami lands 5-star WR Joshisa “JoJo” Trader: Why the South Florida recruit’s commitment is significant

Five-star wide receiver Joshisa “JoJo” Trader of Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna Prep announced his commitment to Miami on Thursday evening. Here’s what you need to know:

Rated the No. 25 overall player in the 2024 class in the 247Sports Composite, Trader chose the Hurricanes over offers from Florida, Florida State, Georgia , Ohio State and others.

Trader is the first five-star prospect coach Mario Cristobal has landed in the 2024 cycle after Miami signed two a year ago. With his commitment, the Hurricanes’ 2024 class jumped up to No. 21 overall in the country.

The Hurricanes have 17 commitments and three top-100 players committed.

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

What is the significance for Miami?

This commitment has to feel really good for Miami. The Hurricanes, of course, really wanted to land five-star receiver Smith, but he chose the Buckeyes. You can bet that Miami is going to continue to pursue Smith with Trader in the fold, but this is a significant commitment for Cristobal for a few reasons.

First, Miami’s recruiting class was expected to take a huge step forward after cracking the top-10 a year ago, but the Hurricanes have taken more than 10 commitments from prospects who rate as three-stars or lower. Secondly, there is a long list of elite-level receivers who have left South Florida to star at other programs.