Commitments, a new roster & no reporters allowed

The Miami Hurricanes picked up their tenth commitment for the 2009 recruiting class when West Charlotte (NC) High DT Curtis Porter chose The U over the likes of Michigan, North Carolina, Tennessee, Clemson, Florida, Florida State and a few others.

Porter joins Fort Pierce’s Luther Robinson as the second – and last – defensive tackle in next year’s class,  as the Canes were only looking for two guys and two are now committed, making Columbus’ Antwan Lowery the odd man out.

Lowery has been flirting with the Canes for months and was set to make a commitment on August 1st, choosing between Miami and Rutgers. He’s since backed off his self-imposed date and he’s added Florida to his short list, as well.

Randy Shannon is again doing what’s best for the program, getting kids on board who are ready to commit, instead of being jerked around by guys caught up in the recruiting game.

You have to believe Miami will still take Lowery if he commits soon enough and there’s still a scholie available, but the days of the Canes being passive and on the recruitee’s schedule are long gone. 

In other recruiting news, Miami offered TE Sheldon Richardson, the state of Missouri’s top prospect. Richardson was committed to the hometown Tigers, but has since backed off that commitment and has always dreamed of playing for The U.

Richardson took matters into his own hands, calling Miami coaches and discussing his interest level and by the end of the call, the four-star prospect had reeled in an offer.

It will be interesting to watch this play out as the Canes have also been courting Plant High (Tampa) TE Orson Charles. The four-star prospect is checking out Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia and LSU, but Miami is also on the radar big time.

With Richardson now on the radar, does that push Charles another direction or does he embrace the competition? Time will tell. 

I’ve seen some reporters complaining about Shannon no longer allowing reporters locker room access after games. Instead, Miami players will be available to the media in a post-game press conference-type setting – but not in the locker room.

Shannon’s reasoning was players being uncomfortable with female coeds being in the locker room, but I don’t buy that for a minute. I’ve been around my share of NCAA locker rooms and can tell you first hand that players could care less who’s in there. Modesty is not a trait of many male student athletes.

This excuse is a smoke screen and simply put, Shannon is trying to eliminate another distraction. He doesn’t seem to be a fan of the media and prefers they get their post-game quotes in a different setting. So be it. 

The sports media world has become such an oversaturated circus, you can hardly blame Shannon for not wanting to play the game and trying to nip this thing in the bud. 

Fans concerned about the well-being and immediate future of defensive end Allen Bailey can take some solace in Shannon saying his recovery from a torn pectoral muscle is “ahead of schedule”. Bailey should be ready for the season opener, but coaches aren’t going to push his return if he’s not ready. Miami opens with Charleston Southern on August 28th (Thursday) and 10 days later treks to The Swamp, where Bailey’s efforts are necessary if the Canes have any shot at upsetting the Gators. 

In linebacker news…. Gulliver’s Brandon Marti has been given the OK from the NCAA Clearinghouse and will report to campus on Thursday. Marti isn’t expected to redshirt and should immediately see some special teams action this fall.

Troubled linebacker Zach Kane is supposedly headed to Milford Prep, along with a handful of Canes who didn’t make the grade. Kane was charged with aggravated assault this past June, after allegedly breaking a bottle over someone’s head at a house party.

Kane is facing criminal charges and will not be allowed to report until the situation is cleared up. Being that this could take a while, prep school seems the best option. He’ll either get it together up at Milford, or the wheels will fall off and Shannon will have no choice but to cut bait. Either way, it doesn’t make any sense for Kane to be at The U this fall.

The new roster was released this morning and someone emailed me a copy. A few standouts and newbies: Brandon Harris is #1. Glenn Cook traded in #55 and is now sporting #3. Aldarius Johnson got #4. Arthur Brown is #11. Jermaine McKenzie got a very un-wide receiver-like #15. Thearon Collier will sport #28. JUCO transfer Patrick Hill is #30. Sean Spence will rock #31. New kicker Jake Wieclaw is representing #40. Ramon Buchanan is #45. Laron Byrd is #47, a great number for any Miami wideout. Jordan Futch is #58 and Gavin Hardin got #59. Marcus Forston is holding down #99, the number his idol Warren Sapp wore in the NFL.

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