Raul Aguirre, a Georgia standout with deep family ties to the Miami area, signs first thing in a.m. with Canes: "Great day today!"

SIGNEES (with link to feature story on each): Francis Mauigoa … Damari Brown … Christopher Johnson … Antione Jackson … Collins Acheampong … Kaleb Spencer … Riley Williams … Samson Okunlola … Robby Washington … Bobby Washington … Rueben Bain … Mark Fletcher … Malik Bryant … Jackson Carver … Emory Williams … Antonio Tripp … Marcellius Pulliam … Jayden Wayne … Frankie Tinilau … Joshua Horton … Raul Aguirre … Robert Stafford … Tommy Kinsler … Ray Ray Joseph … Australian P Dylan Joyce

CANESPORT TV REWIND: Tune in to the CaneSport.com Recruiting Special

Fayetteville (Ga.) Whitewater High School LB/STAR Raul Aguirre, whose father played at Miami Columbus for current Canes OL coach Alex Mirabal, committed to the Hurricanes July 12.

He stuck by that ever since, and now it’s official: He has signed with Miami first thing this morning and said “Great day today!”

“My mom went to Carol City, my dad stayed in Opa Locka, and right now my grandma stays right by 95th and Miami Central,” Aguirre said. “Miami is a perfect fit for me, my family is right there. Most importantly, I’ve always liked ‘the U’ since I was young, so being able to get everything back going how it’s supposed to be is going to be big time for me.”

Aguirre played running back, outside and MLB in high school and says Canes coaches “love that I’m versatile.”

“I’m going there with the mindset that no one can stop me,” he says. “I’m planning to do the thing I love most: playing football and just getting out there.

He adds that “I’m going to be honest; we’re coming in to take people’s spots.”

Aguirre took his June official visits to Florida, Alabama, Texas and Ohio State. That Texas visit? It was supposed to be a Miami visit, but he replaced it with the Longhorns. Things, for good reason, seemed bleak at that time.

But it turned out it was simply a case of Aguirre seeing enough on his January and April unofficial visits to Miami that he wanted to see those other programs to be sure the Canes were his choice.

And that was the case.

“It just felt like home,” he says.

An in-home visit in December helped seal him up.

“Man, it went great,” Aguirre said. “It’s really like a family, them coming and sitting down andtalking. Some of the questions they asked, (they’re) random questions coaches won’t ask. It’s definitely family material. All around, loved the visit. They came by and showed my mom a lot of love, just telling her how good of a player I was and just basically talking football.”

There’s also a very personal connection here, with Aguirre’s father playing for Mirabal in high school. And dad remains best friends with Mirabal’s brother.

“I have a real good connection with Miami,” Aguirre said. “My dad tells me stories about coach Mirabal, they are very close.”

Aguirre listed over 30 scholaship offers, and the previous staff offered him in July of 2021 with the new staff quickly re-offering.

Aguirre also has family members that still live in the Miami area, so in a sense this will be a homecoming for him.

“My whole family is down there – The U is The U!” Aguirre says.

As for Aguirre’s ability level?

His On3 scouting report reads “Has one of the more complete linebacker skill sets in the country. Stands in right around 6-foot-2, 220 pounds with a 6-foot-5 wingspan. Strong build with even weight distribution throughout the frame. Has the positional flexibility to cover in the slot, rush the passer off the edge and stuff the run between the tackles. Helped lead his team to a state quarterfinals appearance during his junior campaign. Constantly around the football. Excellent instincts and ability to diagnose. Totaled 80 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 sack and 1 interception during his junior season. Striker as a tackler that explodes through ball carriers. Lacks ideal long speed to cover sideline to sideline but makes up for it with his ability to trigger. High floor defender who could be primed to make an early impact at the college level.”

Also of note: Aguirre’s younger brother, Markel Aguirre, added a Miami offer this season as a freshman.