CanesCounty – The Miami Dream Class for 2023

Miami is on a path to having the best class since 2008 when 17 blue-chip prospects signed and secured a top-five class. There is still so much high-quality, available talent on the board in 2023 that the Canes have a prime opportunity to grab.

On offense, Miami currently has eight players committed, and there is room to add so much more. Here is the dream finish for Miami for the 2023 class:

Currently Committed: Emory Williams (Milton)

Remaining Targets: None

Miami is staying put with three-star Emory Williams at quarterback for this class. Williams graded out well at the Elite 11 back in July. He had 2290 total yards and 23 touchdowns while completing nearly 63 percent of his passes. With Tyler Van Dyke, Jake Garcia, and Jacurri Brown all returning, there is not a dire need to bring in another passer outside of Williams. The Milton product is a high-potential prospect that has bought into Miami, even with the commitment and now de-commitment of Jayden Rashada.

Currently Committed: None

Remaining Targets: Mark Fletcher (American Heritage Plantation), Christopher Johnson (Dillard)

Miami is still searching for the first running back commit of the class and there is a huge need with Jaylan Knighton and Thad Franklin entering the Transfer Portal. To get through the season, the staff had to add walk-on UAB transfer Lucious Stanley right before the start of the season. That cannot be the norm.

Miami is laser-focused on Mark Fletcher and Christopher Johnson, who are both four-star local backs with the ability to fill roles as soon as their freshman year. Johnson is visiting this weekend while Miami should have Fletcher in Coral Gables after his state championship game next week.

Johnson has visited Clemson and Ole Miss, two schools that have switched on and off with Miami for the top spot in his recruitment. Fletcher, since de-committing from Ohio State, has seemed to narrow down his options to Florida and Miami. He visited Gainesville twice in the last month. Both players are expected to commit on Early Signing Day.

Cedric Baxter had a solid relationship with Miami and is rumored to still be in contact with the four-star back. Flipping high-level recruits is something Cristobal achieved this football season with Joshua Horton and Kaleb Spencer.

Currently Committed: Nathaniel Joseph (Miami Edison), Robby Washington (Miami Palmetto)

Remaining Targets: Brandon Inniss (American Heritage Plantation), Taeshaun Lyons (Tennyson)

Half of this group is locked in and are ambassadors for the class. The other two are focused on this staff but are either committed or leaning toward other schools. Nathaniel Joseph and Robby Washington are going to provide instant upgrades in the vertical passing attack and overall team speed as elite slot options.

Ohio State commit Brandon Inniss is in the conversation for best player in the state and would be exactly what Miami needs as an impact freshman at the wide receiver position, providing the versatility to play multiple positions and be the go-to option not currently on the roster.

Ohio State seems to have him locked-in, but he has talked about pushing his commitment back to February, leaving the door for other programs, including Miami which continues to push.

Speedy Taeshaun Lyons was rumored to be a silent commit not that long ago and came to Miami from the west coast for the Florida State game. Lately, it seems the momentum has shifted toward him staying on the west coast as Washington has pushed heavily for him. Lyons is committing on December 16th and choosing between Miami, Notre Dame, Oregon, and Washington.

Currently Committed: Francis Mauigoa (IMG Academy), Tommy Kinsler (Trinity Catholic), Conner Lew (Kennesaw Mountain), Antonio Tripp (IMG Academy), Frankie Tinilau (LaSalle)

Remaining Targets: Samson Okunlola (Thayer Academy)

Head coach Mario Cristobal has recruited likely the best offensive line class in program history in his first group with a full cycle. There are five commitments in the class from the O-Line and the talent has equally been dispersed by position, with two of them ranking as blue-chip prospects and Connor Lew ranking among the top 10 centers in the country.

At tackle, Miami has the opportunity to sign two of the top three players at the position with Francis Mauigoa and Samson Okunlola. Both players have the ability to come in and start as true freshmen and are potential first-round draft pick-type talents. Okunlola is committing on December 15th between Florida, Miami, and Ohio State.

On the interior offensive line, Miami has a proven commodity in Lew, who chose Miami over Georgia.

Frankie Tinilau is a high-upside project that could play either guard or tackle. Antonio Tripp, one of the most bought-in commits in the class, is holding his weight as a recruiter and continuing the pipeline to IMG Academy.

The addition of Okunlola would be huge for this position group and the team overall, as he would boost Miami near top-five territory by himself.

Currently Committed: Riley Williams (IMG Academy), Jackson Carver (Loomis Chaffee School), Reid Mikeska (Bridgeland)

Tight Ends Coach Stephen Field has done a tremendous job recruiting the position group. Riley Willams has a high upside and has the size to be a force on the next level. Carver gives Will Mallory vibes and Reid Mikeska provides Miami with the utility to play a number of positions.

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