Way Too Early Signing Day Predictions For South Florida’s Elite Talent

Posted on June 25, 2021 by Marcus Benjamin

The month of June opened the floodgates for college football recruiting.  Elite high school football players from across the country finally were able to make official visits to colleges after over a year of isolation.  The Miami Hurricanes kicked off June with a barbecue held on campus and essentially will end the month with the long-awaited ‘Paradise Camp.’  

The camp, now in its fifth-year edition, is arguably the signature recruiting event for the Miami Hurricanes football program.  It’s the one camp that former Miami Hurricanes football players train with high school football prospects from across the country.  The 2022 Canes recruiting cycle only has four prospects currently committed for the team with three committing to play college football at “The U” in the last month.  Quan Lee made his commitment just before the month of June and Khamauri Rogers and Landon Ibieta both decided to make their pledge to the Hurricanes shortly after visiting Miami this month.  

 

Committed Prospects

Jacurri Brown, QB, Four-Star, Lowndes, Valdosta, GA – The dual-threat playmaker will serve as the cornerstone of the 2022 class.  Brown, recruited by Miami offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee, is the prototypical quarterback for the “spread,” the offense the Hurricanes now run.  Brown will compete at the Elite 11 competition which is considered the premier national competition for high school quarterbacks. Elite 11 alumni include 2021 NFL draft picks Justin Fields and Trevor Lawrence. 

Click Here For Jacurri Brown Game Film 

Khamauri Rogers, CB, Four-Star, Holmes County, Lexington, MS –  Rogers, played significant time at wide receiver, has great balance on both sides of the football, and has the ability to locate the football in traffic and create highlight type plays.  Defensive back depth will be a concern in the upcoming years for a Miami team that only registered five total interceptions last season.  

Click Here For Khamauri Rogers Game Film

Quan Lee, WR, Three-Star, Bucholz, Gainesville, FL – Lee is one of those certified playmakers that Lashlee can plug and play in his offense.  Lee can stretch the defense with his straight-line speed and can make plays in space to move the chains.  

Click Here For Quan Lee Game Film

Landon Ibieta, WR, Three-Star, Mandeville, LA – The Louisiana product has a strong understanding of how to get open and has the ability to elude tacklers in the open field.  Ibieta has a chance to be a four-star player in his final high school season and has all of the attributes to be a dependable playmaker on the college level.  

Click Here For Landon Ibieta Game Film

Who’s next?

Well, with several big-time players visiting Coral Gables in the past month, many are trending in the right direction to land in Coral Gables.  Historically, the Hurricanes have lost commits for a variety of reasons, but perhaps the strategy of closing prospects later in the process could benefit Miami going forward.  Here are some way too early predictions as to where some of South Florida’s best will sign for the 2022 cycle.  

Jacolby Spells, CB, American Heritage (Plantation) FL – The American Heritage cornerback gets physical with the opposition bump-and-run coverage and is rarely beaten in one-on-one situations.  The senior has great balance and positions himself well to make plays on the football. Spells played wide receiver in his junior year but returns to his natural position for his final high school year. 


My guess is that Spells stays home to the Hurricanes and keeps the pipeline of defensive backs from Heritage to Coral Gables started by James Williams in 2021. Spells is set to release his top three on June 25th.

Prediction – Miami

Wesley Bissainthe, LB/Edge, Miami Central, FL – One of the best overall defenders in South Florida has been in favor of Miami and Florida State for over a year now. 


I expect this to continue to be a two-horse race throughout the season, although Bissainthe took visits to Penn State and West Virginia this month.

Prediction – Miami

Earl Little Jr., CB, American Heritage (Plantation), FL – By many accounts the Miami legacy prospect is one the best cornerbacks in the entire nation.  “Little Earl” is high on Nick Saban’s big board and it’s hard to fathom the sought-after corner pledging anywhere else. 

 

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It would not be the first time Saban plucked an elite defensive back from Heritage as 2021 NFL draft pick Patrick Surtain, Jr. made his way to the pros by way of Tuscaloosa.  Teams to watch out for in his recruiting process are Oregon, USC, and Florida State.

Prediction – Alabama

Julian Armella, Offensive Line, St. Thomas Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale, FL – Arguably the best offensive lineman in South Florida has plenty of suitors that range from Florida State, Ohio State, Florida, Georgia, Clemson, and Alabama to name a few. 


Marcus Dumervil, a former highly recruited Aquinas offensive lineman took his talents to Baton Rouge and I am wildly guessing Armella will do the same.  Armella was in Baton Rouge this month.

Prediction – LSU

Daughtry Richardson, Offensive Line, Miami Central, FL – The Hurricanes could be creating a pipeline of O-Linemen from one of the premier high school programs in the nation. Central alum Navaughn Donaldson likely drafted in the 2022 NFL draft, and Laurence Seymore now enrolled at “The U,” are setting a Central to Miami O-Line foundation.  Seemingly the next in line would be the big man on Central’s campus in Richardson. 


Richardson will be taking his official visit to the U on June 25th.  Florida State is also in contention to land the big talent as Daughtry made the trip to Tallahassee this month.

Prediction – Miami

Marvin Jones Jr., LB/Edge, American Heritage (Plantation), FL – The son of the Florida State alum and former Lombardi winner may exceed his father’s production on the college level.  Jones Jr. is a physical specimen at 6’4,” 242.


Seems like a foregone conclusion that he follows in his father’s footsteps, as Ohio State and Alabama will push for the potential five-star talent. But for now Jones to Tallahassee.

Prediction – Florida State

Kenyatta Jackson, LB, Edge, Chaminade-Madonna, Hollywood, FL – Jackson has family ties to LSU and Miami but Alabama is making a strong push for the 6-5 talent. 


Usually, when Alabama is involved…they win, but Clemson and Ohio State will also have a say-so as to where K-Jack will go. My guess is Alabama wins this battle in the end.

Prediction – Alabama

Nyjalik Kelly, Defensive End, Dillard, Fort Lauderdale, FL – Kelly maintains a “good” relationship with Miami, but Florida State remains the front-runner with other college football powers like LSU and Clemson in contention. Kelly may depend on how the season plays out for the aforementioned teams.  Clemson likely will have the best season but I will side with the Noles to land the athletic pass rusher. 

Prediction – Florida State

Shemar Stewart, Defensive End, Monsignor Pace, Miami, FL – Stewart has been exalted by many as the best player of the 2022 class and now is trending toward staying home in Dade County more than any other destination. 


This would be a huge get for Miami and continue the trend of a five-star D-Lineman committing to the Hurricanes following Leonard Taylor from last year.

Prediction – Miami 

Travious Lathan, Linebacker/Tight End, Gulliver, Miami, FL – Probably the most fascinating South Florida prospect plays at an elite level at tight end and linebacker.  West Virginia seems to be leading the race at this time which should hold some weight in the future but I expect other schools to jump into this race and overtake the Mountaineers at some point.  

 

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Prediction – West Virginia

Daniel Lyons and Dante Anderson, Defensive Line, Homestead, FL – The long recruited tandem from Exit 1 will both visit “The U” this weekend.  I quite frankly would not be surprised if both committed to Miami after the Paradise Camp weekend.  Miami has a history of producing high-caliber defensive linemen and should lean on that fact to bring in the dynamic duo.  

Prediction – Miami

About Marcus Benjamin

Marcus Benjamin works as the senior writer and editor for FootballHotbed.com. He attended Florida A&M and Florida Memorial University completing a bachelors degree in communications in 2010. He's covered high school football in the South Florida area since 2010 for the Miami Herald, Miami Sports Tribune and ShawSports.net. He is married and lives in Fort, Lauderdale, FL.
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