TE Jaleel Skinner flips commitment from Alabama to Miami

Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy five-star tight end Jaleel Skinner pulled off a shocker on Friday, flipping his commitment from Alabama to Miami. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Skinner had been committed to the Crimson Tide since October, but a return trip to Miami this past weekend to visit new head coach Mario Cristobal was enough to sway his recruitment. 

“It was a very hard decision that came down to the final day,” Skinner said. “It was a lot of back and forth between both schools and what it really came down to was what was best for me and my family. And, the coaches at Miami helped stay with me for the whole process and after getting to meet Coach Cristobal it took me and Miami to a whole other level.”

Skinner admits is relationship with Cristobal factored into his decision greatly.

“Our relationship was great before he got to Miami, but after he got to Miami it took our relationship to another level.”

Miami has nine commitments in the 2022 class. The Hurricanes entered the final day of the Early Signing Period with the No. 21 class according to the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings. After landing Skinner, Miami now ranks No. 19.

Jaleel Skinner Scouting Summary

On3 Director of Scouting Charles Power wrote the following on Skinner as a prospect:

A high ceiling-low floor prospect with immense physical traits. The most athletic tight end prospect in the 2022 cycle, perhaps by a significant margin with unique dimensions and considerable twitch. Sports a near 7-foot wing-span and sub-4.6 speed. Has the physical ability to be a significant mismatch in the passing game with his straight-line speed and potentially large catch radius. Raw technically and needs to continue adding polish to his game as a pass-catcher and route-runner. Not a pure ball-winner but has shown flashes of high-point ability in games and 7-on-7 settings. Also has some underrated explosive power and core strength. Was a late transfer to IMG Academy as a senior and working into the offense at receiver. Shows his physical traits on the basketball court where he delivered some thunderous dunks and emphatic blocks as a junior.

The On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting services, currently ranks Skinner as the nation’s No. 66 overall prospect. On3 is higher on Skinner than the industry, and ranks him No. 25 overall.