A week ago this time, a Miami Herald recruiting article questioned the stranglehold Randy Shannon and staff truly have on local talent. Kids from the class of 2010 that grew up all about The U are rumored to be setting their sights elsewhere, though ten months from Signing Day the pendulum could obviously shift again.
While Cane coaches have caught some grief regarding the State of Dade County, news out of Jacksonville has another kid from Gator Country headed to Miami.
Terry Parker High School lineman Tavadis Glenn committed to the Hurricanes officially on Wednesday. The 6’5″ and 265-pound four-star recruit says his recruiting days are done. It’s Miami and nobody else.
Glenn was recently hit by a car and suffered a hip injury, which is expected to completely heal. While some other universities took their offers off the table, Miami stuck by Glenn – to which he credits the early commitment. Glenn had over a dozen offers on the table, including LSU, South Carolina, Southern Cal, Tennessee and nearby Florida and Florida State.
Glenn’s commitment is also said to have had an impact on Miami recruit Louis Nix. Nix was considered a soft Canes commit, but the addition of Glenn has made Nix a solid commit. Both Nix and Glenn hail from Jacksonville and play for rival high schools and for those keeping score, the 904 is Urban Meyer country. That sound you just heard was the oft-criticized Miami coaching staff just reeling in two more would-be, should-be Gators.
The caveat here is that Signing Day remains ten months away. I completely get that.
The same way I defend the fact that any local talent looking elsewhere could remain home, truth is both Glenn and Nix are simply verbal commits and until they’re officially signed up and on campus, it’s all theory. Still, it’s good theory and proof that Miami coaches continue tirelessly recruiting and building for the future. Hopefully this program’s toughest critics remember these small victories along the way. Seems only ‘bad’ news is front page news and the focus remains on the ones who got away instead of those who got on board.
IN OTHER NEWS: The University of Miami was named the top party school in the nation for 2009 by Playboy Magazine. The University of Texas-Austin, San Diego State University, The University of Florida and the University of Arizona rounded out the top five.
The U reeled in a total score of 89, ten points higher than Texas. The five categories were worth 20 points a piece with Miami scoring a 20 in the ‘bikini’ category, 17 in ‘sex’, 20 in ‘campus’, 12 in ‘sports’ and 20 in ‘brains’. UM was the only school to garner a perfect score in the ‘brains’ category… as well as ‘bikini’. Not too shabby.
The ‘ol party school list sure means a lot more when you’re actually in college, on campus and taking part in the festivities. Still, nice that Miami fans can finally cheer, “we’re #1” for the first time in a few years.