Three-point stance: Miami’s momentum, Colorado and Florida phenoms

Watching Miami pull away from Texas A&M last weekend seemed like it could be a turning point, not just for Mario CristobalProduct on the field early in his tenure, but by the ceiling of his recruiting classes. The program has doubled down on focus, including NIL, so the last box to start checking was Saturday’s progress, so the win over a top 10 team seemed immeasurable. Sure enough, the next day, Miami landed a commitment from four-star class of 2025 wide receiver Waden Charles. The local start felt like the beginning, and Thursday’s news confirmed it when another junior made his decision public.

Less than 48 hours after losing top-five picks to Miami, Florida State, Ohio State, Oklahoma and USC, top-five overall recruit Armondo Blount surprised many with his selection of his hometown Hurricanes just before UM tipped off Thursday against Bethune Cookman. A five-star engagement is not only great news in itself, but it also indicates real momentum. Like Charles before him, Blount and his crew are local and attended A&M’s victory, something that helps make it an easier sell in Coral Gables. Before that point, Florida State was probably the program with the most consistent buzz around the pass rusher.

Blount is also a key entry because he plays a premium position, as a dynamic pass rusher who had six sacks in his 2023 debut last month. He also resonates with his prep program, Miami Central, one that is critical for Miami to continue its recruiting process for him. Blount is serving three consecutive cycles under Cristobal in which a Miami Central Rocket has joined the U. It won’t hurt with the several remaining targets for Miami in the local power program, including current commitment Florida State and two-way standout LeWayne McCoy in the 2024 class.

RELATED: Blount commits to Miami

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The college football season opened with immense curiosity about Deion Sanders and Colorado, and the Buffaloes have responded with wins so far, defeating TCU in Texas and defeating former rival Nebraska in their home opener. Not bad for a program whose recruiting class is in the 70s nationally, a mark we all know won’t hold in Boulder when considering the recruiting and/or transfer portal for the rest of the year.

With the first, however, he has turned the previously overlooked recruiting trip to Boulder into a must-see stop for any high-level prospect. We’ve seen prospects from all regions swivel and scramble to try to schedule a trip to see the Prime program up close, to the point where Rivals has confirmed recruits attempting to make public commitments to the program with no committed offers in the last week. Welcome to prime time, Buff fans.

Where there is all the noise, however, comes the business side of the recruiting game. For every blue-chip company that needs to take a closer look, there are prospects in the bubble of being a “take”, or not looking to do the same. The portal has long been most important in building the current roster so far, with unprecedented review success, so who’s to say Prime won’t look to make similar moves beyond 2023? While it’s a big problem when it comes to talent acquisition, it’s not the easiest to solve. It’s the recruit’s word versus perception until pen meets paper. That means CU coaches can’t comment on the status of some of these offers until said recruit signs with the Buffs. It opens the door to cheating commitments, quick releases and other changes of mind that don’t always play well into college coaches’ perception game.

The ball is here in Colorado’s court, as Prime expressed this week.

“We’re getting so many calls right now it’s absurd,” Sanders said Tuesday. “I’m just asking what we do and how we do what we do, visits and do we want to come on an official or unofficial visit.”

On-field recruiting is proving to be a strength under Sanders, and with more eyes and potential resources in Boulder, one wonders if a larger recruiting staff will follow this great start to the season.

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It’s only been three games for the defending Florida state champion Cocoa Tigers so far in 2023, but there’s a new duo that has taken the Sunshine State by storm in the process. They are 2026 quarterback Brady Hart and 2025 wide receiver Jayvan Boggs. Hart, standing at a striking 6-foot-4, has already crossed the 1,000-yard mark as a passer, along with 10 touchdown passes so far. Nearly half of those yards belong to Boggs, who counts even more when it matters, as he has seven of Hart’s touchdowns to his name. Equally impressive is the fact that the last two opponents Cocoa has faced are also state championship caliber in Venice High School and Ft. Lauderdale. Lauderdale Saint Thomas Aquinas.

Unsurprisingly, the surge has led to many new scholarship offers in the recruiting process. Hart is up to nine tenders less than a month into his college career, and Penn State and South Florida will be involved Wednesday. One of the programs still not submitting a bid, Florida, will host Hart for its prime-time game against Tennessee on Saturday night. Hart was in Miami last weekend and also plans to visit Central Florida relatively soon. Boggs’ seven touchdowns have come against the last two notable opponents, including four against St. Thomas Aquinas, a secondary loaded with Power Five prospects or verbal commitments. Venezia, where he was successful three times, features elite Florida State commit Charles Lester, who lined up against Boggs for most of that performance.

“He’s one of the best receivers in the state,” Hart said of Boggs. “He’s an unreal, fluid route runner and his plays after the catch are unbelievable.”

Boggs added offseason offers from Ohio State, Florida, UCF and several others. He will join Hart in Florida on Saturday before traveling to Ohio State in October, likely for the Penn State game.