CANESPORT ANALYSIS: Canes in mix with many top prospects in new Rivals250

The new Rivals250 was released today, and the Miami Hurricanes are hot on the trail of ... and in the mix with ... 10 of the 19 5-stars.

That's a wow.

A closer look: the 5-stars UM is after with at least some serious reciprocal interest are No. 2 DB Cormani McClain, No. 3 DE Samuel M'Pemba, No. 6 WR Brandon Inniss, No. 7ATH Nyckoles Harbor, No. 9 QB Dante Moore, No. 11 LB Anthony Hill No. 12 DL David Hicks, Jr., No. 13 DE Jayden Wayne, No. 15 OL Samson Okunlola and No. 16 WR Hykeem Williams.

Here's a closer look at all the Cane targets on the Rivals 250 that have a serious level of interest in Miami:

We see McClain as a longshot with Alabama, Georgia and Florida all pushing hard and perhaps among those currying more favor. But Mario Cristobal's not giving up here and McClain hasn't shut down the Canes yet. So we'll see if UM can make up some ground with this key target.

He visited in March and again in April unofficially and says UM will be one of his official visits. So yes, the Canes are in this bigtime. A program to watch out for here is Notre Dame - so far that's the lone official visit he has scheduled, for Nov. 5 weekend.

We think Alabama and Ohio State (June OVs) along with USC have the upper hand here, but the Canes are by no means out of it and are in the mix for a fall official visit. If the Cane offense under Josh Gattis can flourish in the passing game, that would help a lot here.

Miami, Michigan, USC, Georgia, LSU, South Carolina, and Maryland are the top 7 for this elite athlete, and assuming the Canes can convince him to get on campus for an official visit than we think Miami would have a legit chance here.

Notre Dame, LSU and Oregon (he's taken LSU and Oregon OVs) are the other big players here, and while most think the Canes are not going to win out with Moore ... well, his dad loves the Cane coaching staff and we think he will take an official visit to UM at some point. So stay tuned.

Miami is making Hill a priority, but as of now the Canes are on the outside looking in with four of his officials set to Oklahoma, 'Bama, USC and Texas. His final visit will go to either UM or Texas A&M, so maybe the Canes can make up some ground here if he opts to make that a trip.

Hicks will take his Cane official visit this weekend, and he plans to announce a decision at the Under Armour game. He's taken an official visit to Michigan State already, and goes to Oregon after the UM visit. He’s also taken unofficial visits this summer to Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma, which all remain in the mix, and Alabama is another program that is factoring in highly that he may visit officially in the fall. So this will be a bigtime battle. But he's already visited UM twice unofficially, so never say never.

Wayne visited Miami in January for Elite Prospect Day and will be back next weekend for an official visit. He has a top group of Oregon, Bama, Georgia, LSU, Michigan State and Miami, and of those it's probably Georgia and 'Bama that are the biggest threats. He's already visited UGA officially and has other upcoming official visits to LSU and Oregon.

Okunlola is set to take his Cane official visit over Legends Camp weekend, so that will really tell the tale for UM's chances. He has a top group of Miami, Oregon, Michigan State (OV there this weekend), Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Penn State, and Ohio State.

Williams is one of those top area prospects Miami is working hard to keep him, but we're hearing it will be an uphill battle. Still, there remains a chance here. Williams has a top group of Miami, Bama, FSU, Pitt, Georgia and Texas A&M. Georgia and Pittsburgh are the official visits he has set up so far for later this month.

Miami has a decent chance with Mauigoa, and he's basing a decision on a bunch of visits now set up - his final six includes Hawaii (took unofficial), with OVs set up to his other five – he’ll visit Alabama June 10-12, Florida June 14-16, USC June 17-19, Miami June 20-22 and Tennessee June 23-25. So stay tuned here.

Miami's in this one bigtime, although Alabama is one to keep an eye on (has visited there twice unofficially and plans to go back again officially). June 10 he will be at Florida for an OV followed by USC the next weekend and then he will be at Miami for Legends Camp weekend (could be official or unofficial).

Miami continues to push for this talented signal caller, and it's possible he will take an official visit to Miami next weekend. We once considered him likely to be in this class; now it's at best a 50/50 deal. He will announce June 18 between Miami, LSU, Oregon, UF, Ole Miss, Cal and Texas A&M (he's taken OVs so far to Ole Miss, Texas A&M, LSU and UF). If he doesn't visit next week that would not be a good sign for Miami's chances, needless to say.

Williams visited Miami unofficially in April and has the Canes in his top 8, but he's taking things slowly and we'll see if he winds up coming back for an official visit. Certainly Miami's got a chance here.

Brown is weighing his options, but at the end of the day we feel good about Miami's chances of landing him in this class. LSU, Georgia, Florida State, Michigan, Texas, Texas A&M, Tennessee and Florida are others he says are in consideration, and Brown has set June official visits to LSU (June 17 ) and Georgia (June 24) and also plans to visit Michigan and Texas A&M unofficially. He plans to save three OVs for during the season.

Miami's working Wilson and the Canes are very much in the mix. Others to watch here are Alabama, Ohio State, Florida State and Florida. He's taking his recruitment slowly so this really doesn't have a lot of clarity to it right now.

Miami wants him badly and is pushing to get him to set up an official visit, but while he has some interest level in the Canes we view him as very much a longshot right now. More likely than not he lands in the SEC, possibly at 'Bama.

Joseph took his Clemson official visit last weekend and all indications are it went well, but he remains very much a flip candidate for the Canes. We do not expect Mario Cristobal to let go here without a fight, and if we had to guess today we think he will wind up a Cane in the end.

Cane coaches continue to build the relationship with Gullette, and his June officials are to Oklahoma, Ohio State and Texas. He wants to visit Miami and has a top 7 of UM, Texas A&M, Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Florida and Alabama. So he's one to keep an eye on.

Aguirre has a Cane connection, with his family from Miami ... and his father played high school football under Alex Mirabal at Columbus. So we feel good about Aguirre. His June OVs are to UF, Alabama and Ohio State, and we expect him to set up a Cane official visit as well. He previously came on an unofficial visit to Miami in April.

Aguero has narrowed his list to Miami, Florida, Georgia and Ohio State, but we aren't feeling great about the chances here. Georgia might be the team to beat, and he plans to announce July 23. Aguero has set up his Cane official visit for Legends Camp weekend and goes to UGA this weekend followed by Ohio State.

Sanker is taking his Cane official visit for Legends Camp weekend, and his other OVs are to Michigan State, Arkansas and Louisville. He plans to decide before his season, prior to September, and Miami is very much in this. The official visit will tell a lot, and he previously visited Miami unofficially in March with his parents.

The Canes are recruiting Howard as a DE/TE, and he prefers to play defense. Howard will take his official visit to Miami over Legends Camp weekend, and we have a good feeling about where Miami stands with him. Howard has already visited Miami twice unofficially and has a great rapport with the coaches. Howard has set up four official visits for June, with the others to Minnesota June 10, Michigan June 17 and LSU June 21. He plans to decide before the season.

Clemson, Georgia, Florida and Notre Dame are the other programs high up with Freeling to our understanding, and he will take his official visit to Miami for Legends Camp weekend. He also was supposed to come in January for Elite Prospect Day, but his flight was canceled. He has legit interest in Miami, and the visit will tell the story. His other OVs are set so far to Notre Dame and UF.

Rojas will be setting up a June official visit to Miami (he is rescheduling the one that was supposed to come this weekend), and the Canes are very much in this. Clemson, Penn State and Georgia are his other official visits, so he's one to keep a close eye on.

We were once high on the chances for UM with Baxter, but now it's more of a 50/50 deal where anything can happen. He plans to take a Cane OV in-season, and the others in his top 5 are Florida, Texas A&M, Arkansas and Texas (where he visits officially this weekend).

Alinin is coming off a standout official visit to Miami, and he remains in town this week before heading to Alabama on Friday for an official visit there. He also will visit Georgia and Ohio State before announcing prior to his season, so this is a big battle. For now, though, the Canes are in a good spot.

Miami put its best foot forward with Robinson this past weekend on his official visit, and now UM has to weather some upcoming trips. He will visit Virginia Tech this coming weekend, then Penn State followed by either Texas A&M or Cincinnati.

Clark really blew up this spring and has turned himself into a must-have national recruit. We think he winds up a Cane at the end of the day, but he's exploring his options and keeping things open. He will visit NC State and Michigan officially and is weighing what other programs along with those two and UM will make his final cut.

Williams showed his interest in Miami by flying cross country for the spring game weekend, and he'll be back June 17 for an official visit. We think the Canes are in a good spot with him, but there's still a long way to go with others he's taking OVs to Alabama, Ohio State and Oregon.

Jobe is taking his Cane official visit this weekend, so that will go a long way toward determining just where UM fits in. For now he's keeping things pretty open and lists a top 8 of Miami, Alabama, Georgia, Vanderbilt, Baylor, Michigan, Michigan State, and Oklahoma. He's scheduled other June OVs so far to Michigan State (weekend after UM) and then Vandy.

This will be a long recruitment, as Fowles doesn't plan to take his official visits until the fall. His top 6? Miami, Texas A&M, Georgia, Maryland, FSU and Ole Miss. This one could go any number of directions.

Walker is set to announce Oct. 22 with buddies Derrick LeBlanc and Ja'Keem Jackson. He will take his Cane official visit June 17, and UM has a decent shot here as of now. His other OVs? He's already visited UCF and is set to visit Michigan this weekend and then Ohio State the final weekend of the month. His fifth OV is set for UF the weekend of Oct. 14. Yes, that's just before he announces.

Fletcher is a high priority local RB who the Canes are trying to sway from Ohio State, where he will take an official visit June 17. Fletcher isn't sure if he will visit UM, but our guess is he winds up taking an official to Miami. And if that happens ... well, you never know.

We think there's a great shot Bain winds up a Cane, and he'd be a huge addition. It helps that his former high school coach Roland Smith now works at UM, as does his older brother. And uncle Tolbert is a former Cane. All signs here point to Miami, but he wants to wait to announce at a January all-star game. Look for Miami to get an in-season official visit, and his June OVs are Oklahoma, Auburn and Alabama. Others that also remain in it are West Virginia, Clemson, Louisville and Florida State.

Lee visited UM unofficially in late May, and he plans to be back for an official visit. His plan is to wait to announce on signing day, and he has others high in his picture like Ohio State (OV June 24), Cincinnati, Oregon, Nebraska (OV in early June) and Oklahoma.

Fagan has a top 5 of Miami, Ohio State, Georgia, LSU and NC State (OV June 3), but it's a question as to just how hard the Canes are chasing him. So we'll monitor how things go with him and Miami as his recruitment moves forward.

Kirkland is a huge priority for Miami, and the Canes will get a midweek official visit June 20-22; Kirkland is set to announce his decision July 23. Others in this? His OVs in June are to Oklahoma, Florida and Michigan State, with Alabama also likely to get him on campus. So the competition is fierce. And Miami has a legitimate chance to win out with him.