Fact or fiction: Beating Miami will immediately boost Florida recruiting
Competitors nationwide recruiting analysts John Garcia Jr. Recruiting analysts nationwide Greg Smith1stAndTenFlorida.com of Jason Higdon and CanesCounty.com Marcus Benjamin Address three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is fact or fiction.
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1. A win over rival Miami in Week 1 will immediately boost Florida recruiting.
Higdon: Fact. I believe it’s hard to define an entire college football season with one game, but unfortunately, that’s the case with the Florida Gators and their head coach Billy Napier They may find themselves in a tough spot when they take on the Miami Hurricanes in the 2024 season opener. After ending the season last year with a loss to archrival Florida State, I believe it will be very difficult to open the season with a loss to another in-state rival in the Everglades.
Recruits from all over the Southeast are watching Florida State and expect to see big improvements. Florida hired a new group of personnel, including back office personnel, recruiting staff and coaches, and revamped its entire strength and conditioning program. The atmosphere around the team is higher now than it has been in previous seasons, so it will be crucial for the Gators to put good production on the field and get a win in their opener against Miami.
GARCIA: Facts. No program with a higher recruiting ceiling allows prospects to focus on on-field product as much as the Florida State target has admitted, so an in-state win over a program that has recruited better recently will certainly bring some relief. Back-to-back games between Miami and UCF in about a month are very winnable for Napier and company, and a look at the back half of the schedule proves just how important the start of the season is. do so against Mario Cristobal Showing progress along the way may lead to some big questions starting to be answered, most importantly stability within the workforce.
A key recruit admits that uneasiness with how Gainesville is perceived has been a key reason why the Gators slipped on his roster. Many others who have stepped down from the board share similar sentiments, so driving this through competitive wins will go a long way.
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2. Florida State’s drafting of Chase Loftin was one of the biggest surprises of the summer.
Smith: Fact. Top prospect wants to coach at Florida State, no surprise microphone nowell. It’s no surprise that the top tight end in the Midwest wants to head south. It’s surprising who the Knowles beat to win Loftin’s commitment. The four-star prospect attended Millard South High School in Omaha, Nebraska. Matt Ruler and his staff made Loftin a priority. Most believe if he leaves the state, it will be Missouri, which has been steadily growing under its coach Eli Drinkwitz. Florida State beat Loftin on his visit and quickly surged in recruiting. His relationship with Norvell pushed things over the top, but it was a very good (and surprising) gain for Florida State.
GARCIA: Facts. Not only is it rare for Florida State to look to Nebraska for a pass catcher since the program has no in-state natives on its 2024 roster, but it’s also easier to do so against local Cornhusker targets. . Loftin is Florida’s only current commitment from outside SEC and ACC nations. He is also the only player among the top 25 committed to McNorwellPlans so far. That means an early priority and a home run official visit two weeks before he leaves the board puts the Seminoles in first place among the best in the Midwest.
While Norvell is unusual and certainly outside the norm, he has built a reputation as a strong evaluator, especially when it comes to offensive prospects — so Loftin’s unexpected decision shouldn’t be the only story surrounding this win.
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3. Miami will sign at least three five-star prospects in the 2025 cycle.
Benjamin: Fact. In the 2024 cycle, Miami signed three five-star prospects: Justin Scott, Marquise Lightfoot and Armondo Blount.
Blount, a 2025 draft pick, is no longer with the Hurricanes in late October, Lightfoot is a four-star player recovering from injury, and Scott is at Ohio State. Blount reclassified to the 2024 class and transferred to Miami along with Scott. Lightfoot performed well in the U.S. Army All-America Game, earning a star, giving Miami three five-star signees.
Miami was also able to flip blue-chip prospects Jordan Lyle and Adalius Hayes late in the cycle.
Miami has zero five-star players committed to the 2025 class, but a lot can change between now and signing day. I bet Miami four-star safety Hylton Stubbs will receive his fifth star at some point this season, and Elijah Melendez is also a prospect to watch , his rating may improve.
The Hurricanes are competing to land five-star recruit Elijah Griffin and LSU’s DJ Pickett. The staff is also pushing to add Oregon State’s Dallas Wilson and Jaime French, who are already close to five stars.
The Canes will continue to pursue the top prospects in the country, especially if they succeed on the field. History tells us that there will be some late flips in the United States, and I’m willing to bet that hurricanes will repeat history.
GARCIA: Fiction. Take a conservative line to oppose mario Cristobal Despite 20 commitments, the current class has zero five-stars, which is rarely a smart move. While the coach is known for his finishing ability, Miami will have to push for the biggest flip and/or win of any program in the cycle to do it again this winter.
We know that despite five-star Pickett’s commitment at LSU, he’s still a top priority, and family ties to the university won’t hurt the chances of pen meeting paper. Even if that goal is achieved, two more five-stars will be needed to accomplish the feat. Even if a current commit could move up to five stars (Stubbs might be the closest right now), it would still require another upset or comeback win to reach three stars.
It seems unlikely that all of these dominoes, which also include improved live products, will collapse in the same direction at the same time.
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