Golden Needs To Close Strong For Miami

Miami Hurricanes head coach Al Golden ruffled some feathers within the “U Family” regarding recent dealings with Penn State—his alma mater and supposed long-term dream job.

The Nittany Lions appear ready to sign Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin this weekend, which would officially close the door on Golden-to-Happy-Valley (for the time being), but the process itself left some collateral damage in Coral Gables.

Weeks back, Miami had the third-ranked recruiting class in the nation, loaded with 30 kids, in line for a few more and featuring a handful of early enrollees hell-bent onwhipping “The U” back into shape.

The Hurricanes have since slipped in the rankings as a few powerhouse programs recently nabbed some big time talent. Coupled with some recent decommitments for Miami, the past few weeks has left UM with some unanswerable questions.

Are prospects passing up on, or bailing “The U,” due to a change of heart or academic-related matters, or is their departure a result of Golden’s recent silence and unexpected desire to listen to offers?

Over the past 24 hours, Miami lost two verbal commitments—defensive back Nigel Bethel II and running back Brandon Powell. A few days prior, local defensive tackleTravonte Valentine dropped UM and is now thinking LSU, rooted in the fact there were too many questions regarding Golden’s future. All are listed as 4-star prospects.

Bethel is now Texas Tech-bound, having visited Lubbock in September—while committed to the Hurricanes—and Powell made a Friday morning decision to take his talents to Gainesville, Fla.

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