Miami is still alive for one of the most coveted defensive prospects in the 2028 cycle.
Five-star edge rusher Darieon Prescott trimmed his list to eight schools, and Miami made the cut alongside Oregon, Notre Dame, Alabama, Texas, Texas A&M, Ohio State and Georgia. Prescott, who plays at Bolingbrook High School in Bolingbrook, Illinois, is among the top defensive targets the Hurricanes have chased in this class.
The rankings tell the story of just how high Prescott sits on the board. Rivals Industry Ranking has him at No. 18 nationally, No. 5 among edge rushers and No. 1 in Illinois. 247Sports has him even higher, slotting him No. 7 overall and No. 3 at EDGE.
Prescott announced his top eight on July 1, 2026, posting: "Down to 8 let’s work !!! #Agtg 🙏🏾 @Hayesfawcett3 @adamgorney @SWiltfong_ @Rivals @On3 pic.twitter.com/ZzOn1kYsIH"
On the field, Prescott has already built a strong early résumé. After being named to MaxPreps' Freshman All-America team following the 2024 season, he followed that with a sophomore campaign that earned Southwest Prairie West All-Conference honors and helped Bolingbrook reach the Illinois state quarterfinals.
His sophomore numbers were eye-catching: 65 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, five sacks, 26 pressures, eight pass breakups, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two blocked kicks.
Notre Dame got him on campus in June, and the Fighting Irish currently hold a 29.4% projection in Rivals' Recruiting Prediction Machine. Miami, though, still has work to do before this race gets serious on the Hurricanes’ end. The next big step is getting Prescott to campus, and that visit has not yet been scheduled.
If Miami can keep pushing here, Prescott would become the program’s first defensive commitment in the 2028 class. Right now, the Hurricanes’ 2028 board includes quarterback Knox Annis and offensive tackle Kweli Fielder.
Miami’s defensive-line pipeline in 2027 is already packed, with six players committed up front. That group is led by flip commit Jaiden Bryant, who switched from LSU and Lane Kiffin in early June after being pledged to the Tigers since January.
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