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BREAKING: Miami Hurricanes land former Florida commit, 4-star CB Jaelen Waters

Stephen Wagner covers recruiting for the University of Miami for On3 Sports and CaneSport. He can be found on Twitter at @stephenwag22 and reached at Stephen.Wagner@On3.com.by:Stephen Wagner•03/07/25•

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Seffner (Fla.) Armwood four-star 2026 cornerback Jaelen Waters is following Miami first-year DB coach Will Harris to Miami. Waters, who formerly committed to Florida when Harris was with the Gators, has now given Harris and the Hurricanes a big-time pledge in the 2026 cycle.

“It just feels like home down here,” Waters said. “Just feels like home.”

The 6-foot-2, 180-pound prospect is the No. 126 overall prospect and No. 15 cornerback in the class. Waters’ commitment comes after weeks of buzz and speculation about a potential new landing spot at Miami. Waters attended two Miami home games last year and was teammates with 2025 Miami signees Kellen Wiley and Girard Pringle, a linebacker and running back, respectively. Head coach Mario Cristobal had been involved in his recruitment for some time, although new cornerbacks coach Zac Etheridge and secondary coach Harris were obviously major factors.

Cristobal and new defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman made individual trips to see Waters during the January contact period (Cristobal stopped by Armwood in mid-January while Hetherman made the trip just before Miami’s junior day). Etheridge also saw Waters at his school after he was hired. Waters was one of the first prospects Hetherman saw after being hired in Coral Gables earlier this month.

Waters committed to Florida last June after briefly committing to Florida State from late April to late May. Miami remained in hot pursuit, however, and took advantage of opportunities to host him on campus last fall. He told CaneSport after his in-school check-up from Cristobal Miami would “for sure” receive an official visit. He then locked in an official visit with Miami June 13.

Then earlier today he told us “It’s a surprise coming. It’s a surprise. Y’all gonna actually see.”

Waters’ commitment helps Miami take a step toward addressing an area of need in the 2026 cycle after signing two four-star defensive backs in the 2025 class, although the Hurricanes have also added four cornerbacks through the transfer portal for the coming season.

CaneSport’s Take

Expect other schools to continue their pushes for Waters, although Miami fans should be very happy about the Hurricanes landing one of Florida’s top prospects and creating more recruiting momentum. The staff will obviously have to maintain its recruiting effort to signing day, but landing his commitment is big.

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