Miami Football Recruiting: Hurricanes pushing for another elite class under Mario Cristobal

Miami has been acquiring talent at an elite level since Mario Cristobal’s arrival in Coral Gables, including the No. 5 overall class in the 2024 On3 Industry Football Team Recruiting Rankings. That work came to fruition last season as the Hurricanes won 10 games for the first time since 2017 and were within a few plays of the College Football Playoff conversation.

With proof of concept out there, Cristobal and Co. are looking to take advantage on the recruiting trail in 2026. They currently hold the nation’s No. 7 class nationally and the No. 1 group in the ACC, just ahead of Clemson. With summer official visits wrapping up last week weekend, they’re hoping to add to even more to a group that already includes 18 commitments.

At the top of that list is Five-Star Plus+ offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell of out Nixa (Mo.), who committed to the ‘Canes in May. In doing so, he spurned Georgia, Oregon, Ohio State and dozens of others to head down to Miami next year.

“Going into (the UGA visit) I figured I’d either go there or Miami,” he told CaneSport. “Those were kind of the two I was down to at the time. I got on the plane coming back from Atlanta and I remember telling myself, ‘Alright, by the end of this plane ride I’m going to know where I’m going.’ I just thought about it the whole plane ride. I was just kind of thinking about it, and by the time I got off I was like, ‘Well, I guess I’m going to Miami, guys.’”

Along with Cantwell, Miami has pledges from 10 other blue-chippers, as well as a trio of massive interior offensive linemen. The most recent addition came on Sunday, as the ‘Canes flipped On300 wide receiver Tyran Evans, who decommitted from Tennessee last week. He is the fourth commitment the past three days for Miami and their seventh in the month of June alone.

You can check out the Hurricanes’ full class below:

Miami commitments by position

Quarterback
Four-star Dereon Coleman, No. 209 NATL. (No. 14 QB)

Running back
Four-star Javian Mallory, No. 305 NATL. (No. 20 RB)

Wide receiver
Four-star Vance Spafford, No. 85 NATL. (No. 11 WR)
Three-star Tyran Evans, No. 540 NATL. (No. 82 WR)

Tight end
Four-star Israel Briggs, No. 131 NATL. (No. 8 TE)

Offensive tackle
Five-star Jackson Cantwell, No. 1 NATL. (No. 1 OT)
Four-star Ben Congdon, No. 282 NATL. (No. 23 OT)

Interior offensive line
Three-star Joel Ervin, No. 458 NATL. (No. 40 IOL)
Three-star Canon Pickett, No. 589 NATL. (No. 51 IOL)
Three-star JJ Sparks, No. 821 NATL. (No. 81 IOL)
Three-star Rhys Woodrow, No. 1028 NATL. (No. 98 IOL)

Defensive line
Three-star Tyson Bacon, No. 445 NATL. (No. 47 DL)

EDGE
Four-star Asharri Charles, No. 194 NATL. (No. 25 EDGE)
Three-star Justin Edwards, No. 682 NATL. (No. 53 LB)

Linebacker
Four-star Jordan Campbell, No. 137 NATL. (No. 8 LB)

Cornerback
Four-star Jaelen Waters, No. 150 NATL. (No. 16 CB)
Four-star Jontavius Wyman, No. 237 NATL. (No. 20 CB)
Four-star Camdin Portis, No. 322 NATL. (No. 29 CB)