Friday, January 18, 2013
Huge recruiting weekend at Miami
By Corey Long
Miami is looking to close strong, and despite some disappointing recruiting news earlier in the week, there is plenty for the Hurricanes staff to be optimistic about going in this weekend.
ESPN 150 quarterback Kevin Olsen is among the top Miami commits on campus on official visits this weekend.
The Hurricanes will host 10 players, including six verbal commitments, this weekend. ESPN 150 prospects Kevin Olsen (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) and Artie Burns (Miami/Northwestern) will be among those entertaining top uncommitted prospects Alex Collins (Plantation, Fla./South Plantation), Denver Kirkland (Miami/Booker T. Washington) and Keith Bryant (Delray Beach, Fla./Atlantic).
Burns said he expects the uncommitted visitors to be impressed.
“Coach Golden is doing big things and we’re coming in this weekend to get those final pieces to this class,” Burns said. “I’m going to be talking to Alex, Keith … all of them, really.”
Collins, ranked No. 57 in the ESPN 150, committed to Miami around this time last year but backed away from his commitment in the fall and is considering Miami, Arkansas and Florida.
Bryant is fresh off of an official visit to rival Florida State. The 6-foot-2, 300-pound defensive tackle said Miami and Florida State are his top two schools. Like Collins, Bryant was committed to Miami at one point.
“I had a great visit to Florida State and now I want to see Miami one last time,” Bryant said. “Signing day is getting closer.”
Kirkland will also be in Coral Gables after a mix-up had him potentially skipping his Miami official and going to West Virginia instead. Kirkland’s teammate, five-star linebacker Matthew Thomas, was rumored to be joining Kirkland at Miami and skipping USC, but by the middle of the week the outside linebacker was planning to go west, as scheduled.
