Touted recruits approve of Hurricanes’ on-campus spring game
The Hurricanes hosted dozens of recruits for their spring game on Saturday, and several left the game impressed with what they saw.
CORAL GABLES — One of the Miami Hurricanes’ biggest advantages for hosting their annual spring game at the on-campus Cobb Stadium was the chance to bring recruits onto UM’s campus without having to worry about shuttling them to an off-campus site like Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens or Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
Following Saturday’s spring exhibition, recruits had positive things to say about getting to watch Miami play at the school’s soccer and track stadium.
“The environment was really good,” IMG Academy three-star 2025 offensive lineman Kaden Strayhorn said. “I thought that everybody was very into the game. There were parents screaming and everything. It was good. I thought it was a good time. My family was here. They all had a good time.”
The Hurricanes hosted about 50 prospects for the game on Saturday. Recruits had the chance to eat lunch on campus, sit in on position meetings, talk to coaches and watch the spring game before departing.
“It was great,” IMG Academy 2026 offensive lineman G’nivre Carr said. “I’ve been here a couple of times. Every time I come here, (offensive line coach Alex Mirabal) always makes a great impact. … I like what they’ve got going on here.”
One of the top prospects on campus was five-star offensive lineman Solomon Thomas, a Florida State commit. Although UM may not have drawn as many people to their on-campus spring game as the Seminoles likely will at theirs next week, that did not alter Thomas’ experience.
“It was great,” Thomas said. “You think of it and you see, ‘Oh it’s not many people out here,’ but you’ve got to realize it’s a private school, too. So it’s not that many people even on campus, so you can’t really expect the entire state to be there.”
Thomas came away from the spring game with a high opinion of the Hurricanes and said he expects to return to the campus.
“This is a place that you want to work at, you want to put in hard work at,” Thomas said. “But other than that, it’s just the love with the coaches and the players.”
Watching the spring game gave recruits a chance to get a preview of what the Hurricanes will look like in the fall.
“I had a really good time today,” Strayhorn said. “I would say the game was really good. They had a lot of explosive plays and I would say the offensive line did a really good job controlling the line of scrimmage.”
Sitting in on position meetings also provided insight for younger players, letting them see how day-to-day life in the program would be. Carr said he has been in touch with a former teammate, UM offensive lineman Tommy Kinsler, about the program, and Saturday was a chance to see it for himself.
“He’s telling me it’s a great place to be,” Carr said. “Coach Mirabal, he’s one of the best coaches in college right now. I think that he’s got something special.”