Miami’s pursuit of four-star running back Myson Johnson-Cook is still alive, and it sounds a lot less like a finished recruitment than one that’s simply taken a detour.
Johnson-Cook had looked for a long stretch like he might end up in Coral Gables, but that changed in late April when he committed to Auburn. Even so, 247Sports writer Gaby Urrutia said Miami has not backed off and wouldn’t be a surprise to see the East St. Louis standout on campus this fall for a game.
Urrutia, speaking on the CanesInSight YouTube show, said the recruitment has had a lot to do with NIL and Auburn’s push to make a major splash for coach Alex Golesh in his first recruiting class. Still, Mario Cristobal has shown no interest in walking away from a player he believes can matter.
"This is another [recruitment] we'll be tracking into the fall months. As far as I know, this summer they were still engaged in conversation to some extent. I also think there's a sense of Myson Johnson-Cook seeing what Miami is doing in this recruiting class and understanding that maybe the best offer is at Auburn, but maybe the best situation is at Miami," Urrutia said.
That fits the way Miami has handled Johnson-Cook all along. The Hurricanes were heavily involved throughout the spring, and he visited campus three times during that stretch. At one point, he was widely expected to land with Miami before Auburn changed the picture.
Urrutia said Miami is still “kicking the tires” and keeping the door open.
"There is certainly an avenue for Myson Johnson-Cook, similar to DJ Jacobs. Miami is continuing to kind of kick the tires there and explore their options with Myson Johnson-Cook," Urrutia said. "This was a player that they highly valued, heavily recruited and made a top priority to get down on campus."
The Hurricanes already have one running back in the class in four-star Ty Keys, who committed on May 1. But Cristobal would likely prefer to add a second, especially after taking only one running back last season. And with offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson, the backs are going to be used.
Urrutia noted that Keys and Johnson-Cook bring different skill sets, which could make them a natural fit together. Keys, for his part, would be open to the competition.
Miami’s class already sits inside the top five nationally in both 247Sports and Rivals/On3, despite having just 20 commitments, thanks in large part to a blue-chip hit rate of more than 70 percent. Johnson-Cook was expected to be part of that group once upon a time, and Miami clearly hasn’t stopped trying to make that happen.
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