The Miami Hurricanes hosted their final recruiting weekend before Signing Day and what looked like a shoddy class when Randy Shannon was fired has turned into something rather impressive on the watch of Al Golden.
The biggest name on campus this past weekend was quarterback prospect Jacoby Brissett. Brissett decided to visit Coral Gables over Gainesville with his last official trip and is said to be down to Miami, Florida, Wisconsin and Washington.
The Canes got on Brissett late in the game, as Shannon and staff targeted Teddy Bridgewater as their guy. Bridgewater headed to Louisville after the Shannon firing, leaving Golden ands staff under the gun regarding a quarterback for this class. Outside of Brissett, Miami was looking at Kevin Sousa, who is sticking with his Wake Forest commitment, and Jake Ruddock, who is still Iowa-bound.
Brissett is slated to make his final decision today, with rumors swirling that Miami and Wisconsin are his final two. Family appears to be pushing for the Canes, while the Badgers appear in it out of respect, as they have been on Brissett from day one and have remained loyal throughout the entire recruiting process.
Aside from Brissett, Miami had seven other prospects on campus this past weekend – Bryant Dubose, Lonnie Gosha, Mason Harris, Devin Lucien, Andrew Peterson, Rashawn Scott and Dominique Terrell.
Dubose wound up committing on Sunday, giving Miami a three-star tight end/defensive end prospect and their fifteenth verbal this recruiting season. This was on the heels of a commit from former Arizona State verbal, Gionni Paul. Paul committed to Miami last Friday as the three-star linebacker out of Lakeland was wowed by both Golden and linebacker coach Micheal Barrow.
Just under 48 hours before it all becomes official. Hang on tight and let’s see what Golden and staff can do down the stretch. A few irons remain in the fire and what once looked like a dismal class could truly be something special with a few more pieces.
IN OTHER NEWS : Brand new / old school offensive line coach Art Kehoe finally met with the media this morning and as expected, it was vintage Art, talking about the process, the chance to return home, his love for ‘The U’ and his disdain for Florida State.
There are some out there who have questioned this re-hire, pointing out that Kehoe supposedly slacked in recruiting and that he sued the university. Those points have been countered here with the notion that there aren’t many second chances in life and the belief is that Art will dive headfirst back into his dream job, reveling in the opportunity.
If there’s one thing that stood out most, it’s the fact that Kehoe is buying hook, line and sinker into everything Coach Golden is selling – which is really what it’s all about. Kehoe feels Miami’s newest coach is a little bit Howard, Jimmy and Butch all rolled into one, citing Schnellenberger’s way to turn his vision into reality and Johnson’s ability with mind games and psychology.
Kehoe talked about sitting down to lunch with Golden and a non-stop conversation about the UM brand, Hurricane football history and Golden’s belief in everything that made Miami “The U” – and to that point, who better for Golden to sit across from to have this conversation than the only guy who was there for all of it. The only guy with five rings and to have been there for every title bout.
It’s a “get on board or get the hell out of Al’s way” mentality that is underway and you can hear the excitement, belief – and almost a reverance – when Kehoe talks about the Golden agenda for getting UM back on top.
Kehoe went on to talk of Golden welcoming him back into the family and the range of emotions felt when getting his old job back. The veteran coach drove straight from Taylor, Mississippi to Coral Gables straight through on no sleep.
Unlike years passed, offensive line is a strength for Miami entering the 2011 season and Kehoe has some horses to work with, meaning he’ll be expected to hit the ground running – and why wouldn’t he? After spending more than the past half decade in the deep south, using a Subway franchise as a restaurant while seeking employment, Kehoe is going to soak up every moment of this old-new experience.
Coral Gables is home and Art is back. Beyond that, he is again working for a visionary, an up and comer and a savvy young coach with a blueprint and game plan. Water tends to seek its own level and as we’ve seen in the past, Art is as his best when the right boss is in charge.
No doubt here that Art Kehoe 2.0 will be the real-deal when it’s time to get down and dirty this spring.