Take Two: Can Miami hold on to top two 2021 talents in the area?
Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling an issue in the college football landscape. Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com national recruiting director Mike Farrell and an expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites or a regional analyst.
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THE STORYLINE
Geography can be so important in recruiting, and Miami has a chance to land two players in the top 12 of the initial 2021 rankings, especially because they live in the Hurricanes’ back yard.
Corey Collier from Miami Palmetto is the top-rated cornerback in the 2021 class, and James Williams from Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Western is the top-rated safety and just outside five-star status.
Both players live hours from any other Power Five school, but the national powers that come into South Florida all the time to steal top recruits – Alabama, Clemson and Georgia – are definitely knocking down doors to get to Collier and Williams.
Miami has fresh life in its program with first-year coach Manny Diaz now in charge, but the Hurricanes are coming off a disappointing season and now need to figure out their quarterback situation before anyone can get too excited.
There is time, though, since Collier and Williams are only entering their junior seasons and neither has a firm grasp on where their recruitment is headed.
Will the Hurricanes be able to keep the two top 2021 local prospects home or will the national powers come back in and steal more talent away?
FIRST TAKE: ROB CASSIDY, FLORIDA RECRUITING ANALYST
“It’s definitely going to be an uphill battle. Right now, Manny Diaz is selling a dream. He’s selling what the future might look like. Meanwhile, Alabama, UGA and Clemson are taking what they want by selling the current reality.
"Miami is going to have to have a big season and show an upward trajectory to have a chance with the truly elite prospects. It’s not what UM fans want to hear right now, but it’s the truth. Nobody knows anything about Diaz the head coach, which makes it difficult to land players with elite offers. Now, if UM flirts with nine or 10 wins this season, things will get easier. This fall will dictate the direction of both players’ recruitments. Don’t count Miami out, but there’s work to be done.”
SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, NATIONAL RECRUITING DIRECTOR
"When Miami was Miami, the Hurricanes locked it down pretty well because they were winning national championships and they were putting kids in the first round of the NFL Draft. That stuff is not happening on the same level anymore.
Clemson, Alabama, Georgia and other teams can waltz in there and say, ‘Do you want to win a national title?’ Every kid thinks he’s going to be a three-and-out kid, so if you want to win a national title in three years, those are the places to do it. It’s an uphill climb for Miami. It has to show it on the field. Last year was a step back, so the Hurricanes really have to come out this year and have a special season.
"Those two kids are special, especially Collier. He’s just special. Even if he moved to safety, he’s the type of kid who’s going to make a huge impact.”