Miami is whale hunting with their core evaluations in place and they just snagged a major catch.
Rivals100 defensive end Marquise Lightfoot committed to Miami on Monday evening, becoming the third commit in the last week to pledge to Miami.
Despite getting the last official visit for Lightfoot, the predictions trended heavily for the four-star pass rusher to choose Ohio State, potentially following in the path of top Miami defensive tackle target Justin Scott, who committed to the Buckeyes on Sunday night.
Along with Ohio State and Miami, home state Illinois, and USC were major contenders for Lightfoot. Over the course of his recruitment, he collected over 40 offers but dwindled his list two down to Alabama, Georgia, and the aforementioned four schools.
Lightfoot's commitment is a signal of momentum coming Miami's way. He immediately slots in as the highest-ranked prospect in the class and is the only player among the top 100 prospects in the country.
Winning out for Lightfoot over some of the blue-bloods of college football has been a process that has strung along since the beginning of this year when Miami offered back in January. The staff was able to work an unofficial visit back in April before defensive line coach Joe Salave'a made a spring stop at Kenwood Academy (IL).
"I was not expecting anything when I went to Miami because it was a trip just to be down in the area, but I was impressed while I was there," said Lightfoot of his first impression of Miami.
"Like everything impressed me. I have a former teammate down there now in Myles Mooyoung and he is the one that really took me around. He introduced me to my position coaches - Coach Joe and Coach Jason Taylor. I've been connecting with Coach Taylor ever since and he has been amazing. Other than the coaching staff, the whole campus is like a resort, it's just amazing. You can't beat that."
That consistent push from the Miami staff, the ambiance of South Florida, and having someone who he knows already in the program put Miami in a position for an official visit and a place among his top six schools.
That official, which was planned as his final stop, ended up being the deciding factor, despite rumors of Ohio State securing his commitment after their weekend with Lightfoot just a couple of weeks prior.
At 6'4" and 225 pounds, Lightfoot is exactly what Miami is targeting as an edge rusher. On top of having the pedigree of a top-five player at his position, he had a monster junior year where he had 122 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss, and nine sacks which were good enough for 6A first-team All-State honors.
There are now 15 commits in the 2024 class with Lightfoot becoming the second defensive lineman committed along with local star strongside defensive end Daylan Russell.
With Lightfoot's commitment, Miami moves from the 28th to the 22nd ranked class in the country, despite being tied for the fourth lowest amount of players committed in the top 25.
Six players with four-star rankings are now committed to the class with the majority of remaining targets fitting the mold of blue-chip prospects.
Miami will look to add more and more elite defensive line talent in this class and is targeting top prospects like five-star defensive tackle David Stone, five-star defensive end Kamarion Franklin, five-star defensive end Dylan Stewart, four-star defensive tackle Aydin Breland and more.
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