When Mario Cristobal took the head job at Miami, it reinforced that local power Christopher Columbus High School would be a locked-in pipeline for the football program. Not only is Cristobal one of Columbus's most cherished alums, but the additions of offensive line coach Alex Mirabal and Hurricane legend & current General Manager Alonzo Highsmith, all former Explorers, made Columbus a second home for football prospects.

Even prior to the home run hire of Cristobal and crew, Columbus products have thrived at Miami. Former Canes like Joaquin Gonzalez, Carlos Huerta, Deon Bush, and Trajan Bandy have all had success in the orange and green. Four players on the Miami roster are Columbus grads as well - Henry Parrish, Ryan Rodriguez, Jabari Ishmael and Elijah Roberts.

Despite that long track record, there were still key misses for Miami over the years. Parrish originally ended up at Ole Miss before returning home. Brothers CJ Henderson and Xzavier Henderson were blue-chip targets that ended up leaving South Florida to be Florida Gators. One-time commit Josh Jobe flipped to Alabama late in the process as a Top 250 prospect.

The continued team success and development of top talent at Columbus means it is critical to continue the recruiting influence and relationships at one of the most important local pipelines. Miami has multiple Explorer targets in the 2024 class.

Five-star 2024 linebacker TJ Capers noted the influence of his older Columbus "brothers" that are currently on the roster as huge factors in his recruitment. One of those brothers, Parrish, described how it feels being back home around so many of his fellow alumni:

"The brotherhood is everywhere. Everywhere in Miami you see a C sticker on the back of somebody's car. You just know it's deep. The brotherhood around here is unmatchable."

Those deep Columbus ties have even stretched as far as Georgia with current Miami linebacker commit Raul Aguirre, whose father had a strong bond with Cristobal and Mirabal from his time at the school.

Highsmith said it best:

"You go to Columbus High School, you're in a brotherhood that's going to connect with you for the rest of your life."

Columbus head coach Dave Dunn is going into his second run as the head hancho at Columbus, originally manning the position from 1999 to 2002. From his first time at Columbus to his college coaching experience, he has built a strong relationship with Cristobal and Mirabal.

"Whenever someone says they are on the phone with Dave Dunn while Mario is around, he picks up the phone and says "are we getting the Columbus kids or what and just hangs up," says Dunn. Not only is there a friendship with Cristobal, but he also has close ties to Mirabal stemming from coaching together at Columbus and Marshall University. Dunn says he talks to Mirabal about as much as he does his wife.

Besides the close relationship with the two, Dunn swears by their work ethic. "It's not a knock on the previous staff, but they just work on it harder," in regard to Miami further building the Columbus connection. "Again, no knock on the previous guy, but Manny Diaz visited the school one time. The first school Mario visited in the spring was us and it was a 5:30 AM workout."

The ties to the school cannot be exaggerated. It is home for the staff. Mario has two children that will go to Columbus, as will his brother's children. Mirabal has a son currently at the school along with three nephews of his own. Defensive back coach Jahmile Addae's son is a 2025 running back that had a few carries just last week for the Columbus football team.

That pride and appreciation for the school and football program at Columbus will pay dividends according to Dunn:

"I think there's always a draw to stay home. Even more so when guys that are Columbus royalty are involved. Al [Mirabal] is one of the greatest coaches to ever come through Columbus. He was a starting lineman here, he was a 210-pound lineman, believe me, I've seen the pictures. He is in the Columbus Hall of Fame. Alonzo, in the Columbus Hall of Fame. Mario and his brother, both in the Hall of Fame. That really just makes it more of a draw to go to Miami."

Capers connection to so many already in the program will be an advantage with virtually every school in the country battling it out for his pledge. The success of players like Micah Parsons, who can switch from an athletic off-ball linebacker to an elite pass rusher on any given play, make Capers so valuable. At 6'3" 230-pounds, Capers can run and cover and hit you like a ton of bricks. Coming from a scheme-heavy program where the transition to the next level becomes seamless - Capers is a must-get at a position of need.

One of the newest members of the Columbus program is Dylan Stephenson. The All-American pass rusher has been a Miami target since his freshman year at Killian and that has only developed further after a 15-sack sophomore campaign and his move to Columbus. Stephenson is the prototype defensive end that Miami has failed to grab on occasion from South Florida.

His ability to bend the corner and use his length and speed on the edge are traits Miami needs to add to play alongside freshmen Cyrus Moss and Nyjalik Kelly if they want to continue to improve trench play.

Capers and Stephenson are not the only front seven pieces that could be Miami additions in 2024. Daylen Russell could be a similar player to Elijah Roberts with the size and speed to get to the quarterback from the inside or outside while still having the strength to impact the run game as a defensive tackle.

In 2021, Russell had nearly 60 tackles and 14 tackles for loss playing in a defensive front that featured multiple division one prospects.

His first offer from Miami came last June and the new staff re-confirmed the three-star's offer this year.