A'mir Sears has spent the first month of the high school football season looking every bit like the kind of player who can grab National Player of the Year attention.
The five-star athlete and Miami commit took a loss last week when Columbus dropped a top-10 national showdown to St. Thomas Aquinas, 31-24, but Sears still left his mark with a touchdown catch.
The Raiders had already seen enough of him in the passing game to be cautious after he intercepted three passes the week before against Bishop Gorman, and that helped set the stage for Tyler Reid to take over on the ground. The Pitt commit rolled up 338 rushing yards and four touchdowns in the win.
Even with Columbus on the wrong side of the result, Sears strengthened his case as one of the best players in the country. He was already the top player in the 2028 class before reclassifying, and there’s a real argument that he belongs at the top of the 2027 rankings now, too.
Sears gets another major test Thursday against local powerhouse Palmetto. That matchup may not carry the same national spotlight as the last two weeks, but Palmetto is considered one of the top programs in Miami-Dade County, which puts it among the best in Florida. After that, Columbus’ schedule eases up, and the numbers Sears can put together could get even louder.
Miami’s recruiting momentum extends well beyond Sears. The Hurricanes’ 2027 class is currently ranked No. 2 nationally by 247Sports and No. 3 on Rivals/On3, and it already includes a deep group of blue-chip talent.
If Sears gets the bump many expect when the rankings are updated, Miami could pass Texas A&M and move to No. 1.
The future looks even more loaded when you look at the younger classes, too. Quarterback CJ Cypher, a Miami commit in the 2029 class, turned in another huge performance last Friday for nationally ranked Carrollton in Georgia, accounting for six touchdowns in a big win.
The question with Cypher is whether he eventually moves up to the 2028 class, but that won’t be decided until after the season. He remains a key part of the quarterback room Shannon Dawson is trying to rebuild, and the Hurricanes clearly believe the sooner he gets to Coral Gables, the better.
As for the 2027 group, Marui Cristobal is mostly finished building it out, but he is still staying in touch with five-star edge rusher DJ Jacobs, an Ohio State commit, and five-star offensive lineman Mark Matthews, who is committed to Texas A&M, in case either one starts to waver.
In Other News...
SMU Just Took A Shot At Miami's QB Debate
Rhett Lashlee has no interest in hiding how he feels about the quarterback conversation shaping up in the ACC. In an ESPN interview, the SMU coach put Kevin Jennings in the same breath as Miamis Darian Mensah, using Jennings yardage against a stronger opponent to frame his own signal-caller as one of the leagues top answers under center.
For Miami, though, the comparison comes with a little extra edge because Mensahs recent outing against Stanford was cleaner, with a high completion rate, multiple touchdown throws and no turnovers, while Jennings was working through a closer win over Florida State that included more interceptions and a lower quarterback rating. The two quarterbacks are still firmly in the mix as the ACC Championship race takes shape, even if their teams wont cross paths in the regular season. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Fans Have One Fair Question About This AP Poll Snub
Miamis rise in the AP Top 25 has been steady enough that a sixth-place vote one week and no mention at all the next stands out immediately. Brian Fonseca, one of the polls voters, left the Hurricanes off his ballot after ranking them sixth the previous week, even though Miami still checked in at No. 7 overall.
The omission has only added to the intrigue because Miamis point total would have moved ahead of Oregons if Fonseca had included the Hurricanes, which could have shifted the order in the poll. Fonseca has not offered an explanation, so the most obvious reading is that it was simply an oversight, but until theres clarification, it leaves Miami fans with a fair question about how one ballot changed the picture. [Read more 🡒]
Miami May Have A Real Shot At A Blue-Chip FSU Commit
Za'Kari Johnson is one of the more intriguing recruiting names circling Miami right now, and the timing feels significant. The four-star wide receiver is currently pledged to Florida State, but he is expected to be at the Hurricanes game against Florida A&M, giving Miami another chance to make an impression on a prospect it has long had on its radar. Johnson also recently visited Texas A&M, which suggests his recruitment is still active even with a commitment already in place.
Miamis 2027 class is mostly filled out, but the staff may still have room to be aggressive if it sees a path with Johnson. His previous description of Miami as his dream school has kept this one from feeling settled, and recent NCAA rule changes have given programs more roster flexibility than they used to have. For the Hurricanes, the question is whether one more strong visit can keep the door open on a flip that would resonate well beyond just one class. [Read more 🡒]