ANALYSIS: Ranking Miami's top recruiters from the 2023 cycle

With Miami’s early signing period wrapped up, it’s time to hand out recruiting superlatives.

Today, we’ll take a look at which Miami assistant coaches had the biggest impact on the Hurricanes’ 2023 recruiting class. So here are our assistants that were Miami’s top recruiters in this cycle:

3. Charlie Strong, LBs coach

Strong brought in five linebackers in his first full recruiting cycle as Miami’s linebackers coach, which was headlined by four-star No. 6 overall linebacker Malik Bryant from Jones (Fla.). He also brought in four-star linebacker Raul “Popo” Aguirre, who may be the most game-ready of the group; three-star linebacker Bobby Washington, who scouts grade with an immensely high ceiling; three-star linebacker Marcellius Pulliam, who Miami’s staff has remained high on; and three-star linebacker Kaleb Spencer, who starred at the high school level but will play safety for Miami.

He also went along with head coach Mario Cristobal on multiple in-home visits to shore up commitments from other recruits, and his five linebackers tied for the most commitments of one position in Miami’s class. Strong also appears to have landed multiple linebackers capable of immediately upgrading Miami’s front seven.

2. Stephen Field, TEs coach

Field originally had three commitments before three-star tight end Reid Mikeska flipped from Miami to South Carolina earlier in the week, but adding four-star No. 2 overall tight end Riley Williams and three-star tight end Jackson Carver to solidify the tight end room is a remarkable achievement.

Williams is one of the country’s most polished tight ends from a receiving standpoint, is an exceptional route runner and already has the 6-foot-6, 245-pound body frame to compete on the field. Carver is a raw talent bursting with potential whose high school football career was limited due to injury but has already flexed himself as an explosive multi-sport athlete capable of being molded into a football player, and a 6-foot-6, 225-pound frame doesn’t hurt either.

Like Strong, Field also accompanied Cristobal on in-home visits outside of just his position.

1a. Alex Mirabal, OL coach

Miami’s coaching staff clearly knocked some socks off in recruiting, but Mirabal landed a historic offensive line class with two offensive tackles who may be capable of playing as true freshmen.

The Hurricanes landed two five-star offensive tackles in Francis Mauigoa – the No. 1 overall tackle in the country – and Samson Okunlola – the No. 3 overall tackle in the country – to help the Canes sign a historic recruiting class led by one of the top offensive line groups in the country. Miami also landed three-star offensive linemen Tommy Kinsler, Antonio Tripp and Frankie Tinilau but lost three-star center Connor Lew to Auburn.

But even with Lew’s loss, Miami’s offensive line class is still one of the most impressive in the country.

1. Mario Cristobal, head coach

Yes, Cristobal isn’t an assistant. And yes, Mirabal is CaneSport’s actual top recruiter among the staff’s assistant coaches. But Cristobal has taken a direct role in the recruitment of nearly every individual player on Miami’s staff, and we’d be remiss if we didn’t include him in this story.

Cristobal’s involvement in recruiting is unlike almost any program leader in the country; not only does the head coach ensure his assistants push for the right recruits, but he builds a direct relationship with the recruits himself. It helped with over players like four-star EDGE Collins Acheampong, who Miami managed to flip from Michigan because in part of the relationship forged between the head coach and the recruit. If this year’s class didn’t solidify Cristobal’s reputation as an elite recruiter, what will?