It’s the type of story that brings you back to yesteryear, when the Miami Hurricanes were reeling in the best local talent and current recruits were selling soon-to-be commits.
There have been mixed opinions about the recent Nike-sponsored event, “The Opening”, in Beavertown, Oregon this past weeks. For five days some of the nation’s top recruits descended on the Pacific Northwest getting down in this new training competition.
Miami tied Texas for the most verbal commits at “The Opening” with six and two of those Canes were working overtime, getting in the ears of potential future teammates and giving their best sales pitches.
Miami Norland running back Duke Johnson and linebacker Keith Brown were talking up “The U” with Homestead linebacker James Burgess Jr. and receiver Herb Waters and by the end of the weekend, both called UM coaches and pledged their allegiance to Al Golden.
The four Miami products bonded in Oregon and according to Johnson and Brown, there may be more commits coming. Johnson said that he and Brown were also in the ears of highly-touted recruits Sean Price, Deon Bush, Ricardo Lewis, Tracy Howard and Nelson Agholor.
The Canes now have twenty-two verbal commitments for the 2012 recruiting class and many expect anywhere from a half dozen to a dozen more names added to that list. Not bad for early July.
Homestead head coach Bobby McCray praised both kids for their work on and off the field, as well as the new coaching staff.
McCray told the Miami Herald’s Manny Navarro, “That’s how Butch Davis built the program. He took care of Dade County, then added to it from elsewhere. It seems like that’s what Coach Golden is doing. His building a champion.”
Sounds like a dig on the last guy and some kudos for the new leader at “The U”.