The Canes nabbed two big verbals tonight at the Under Armour All-America High School Football Game in Orlando, FL.
So much for all that Robert Marve nonsense impacting recruiting season for the Canes. Miami didn’t land the entire ‘Sanford Trio’, but two out of three ain’t bad.
Ray Ray Armstrong (safety) and Dyron Dye (defensive end) are headed to The U, while teammate Andre Debose (wide receiver) is Gainesville-bound.
Armstrong is a 6-foot-4, 218 pound, four-star prospect. He chose Miami over Southern Cal, Florida, Florida State, Oregon, Notre Dame, Georgia, LSU and others.
Armstrong threw a 40-yard, game-winning touchdown (to Dubose) in Samford’s 28-21 win over Miami Northwestern in this year’s national championship game.
Armstrong plays safety, linebacker and quarterback. He’s expected to boost the Canes’ secondary next season as a safety.
Dye is a 6-foot-4, 215 pound, four-star defensive end. He chose Miami over Southern Cal, Florida, Florida State, LSU and others.
Dye had 65 tackles this season and caught three catches for 46 yards. ESPN said Dye’s quick get-off is second to none and that he’s non-stop, with a serious motor.
Last winter it was the Year of the Bull, with Miami Northwestern winning it all and The U winding up with a handful of national champions. A year later, Sanford Seminole stands atop the mountain, ironically enough, knocking off Northwestern. Meanwhile, Randy Shannon again lands some top talent from the nation’s best.
More winners from winning programs headed to Coral Gables, as promised.
The doom and gloom contingent of this fan base spent the past week swearing that this Marve saga would have a negative impact on recruiting. Not quite. Armstrong and Dye are huge pick ups for Miami, with more to come.
It’ll take more than an emotional rant from a former player’s disgruntled father to slow down Shannon and staff. A father who since retracted his harsh words, ate some crow and offered his apology, I might add.
Miami currently has 19 commitments for the 2009 recruiting class. Today’s two four-stars are Miami’s tenth and eleventh in this year’s class.
Bryce Brown, the lone five-star, earned MVP honors in Saturday’s U.S. Army game, after a three-touchdown performance. Brown remains a Miami commit, though the commentators implied the race was still wide open. Missouri, Clemson, Oregon and Kansas State are said to still be in the mix, though Brown hinted otherwise.
After offensive tackle Xavier Nixon tossed a Miami hat aside and pledged Florida, Brown stated, “he will pay for that”, a strong indicator that the Canes are still the team to beat.