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2004 MAC Football Recruiting - Miami RedHawks

Overview

After finishing 10^th in the country and winning twelve straight games this season, Miami rode the wave and signed one of their best classes in their long and storied football history.  Miami signed 24 players from eight different states, with half of these recruits coming from Ohio.<  Speed is evident throughout this class and the RedHawks did a fine job at hitting their pressing needs, offensive line, defensive line and LBs.  Some of the fastest players recruited in this class are RB Jimmy Calhoun, a 4.35/40 speedster who turned down an offer from Michigan State to go to Oxford, and Dustin Woods, a DB with reported 4.37/40 speed.  The coaching staff is really high on QB prospect Jared Elliot, who was a 1^st team all-state player in Tennessee.  Miami was rated the #1 class in my initial rankings prior to their archrival, Cincinnati, raiding their party during the recruiting weekend.  Former MU defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi left for the Bearcats and took with him three solid recruits, OL Trevor Canfield, FB Brad Bury, and a tremendous SS prospect Lamonte Nelms, one of the top safety recruits in the Midwest.

Highlights

• Miami brought in a really nice group of LBs in this class.  Joe Conglio has 4.5/40 speed and was a top-100 player in Illinois.  Miami beat out some Big Ten schools for his services.  Clayton Mullins and Chris Shula are two undersized LB prospects who posses speed and tenacious hitting skills.
• The defensive line got some solid players also led by DT Ryan Redman, a 6-4 270-pound sack machine.  James Case & Josh Satterwait are speed rush DE prospects from Georgia.  Both have good size and skills for that position.
• Chris Hudson is the lone recruit from Texas and can play either LB or DE.  He is a top-100 player in that state and Miami beat out several Big 12 and Mountain West schools to sign him.
• While there are several quality offensive linemen in this class, one player really stands out.  TE prospect David DiFranco is a tremendous talent as both a receiver and a blocker.  He is also an exceptional basketball player.  Coming from a high school offense that featured the old-fashioned wing-T scheme, don’t be surprised if DiFranco doesn’t bulk up and become an offensive lineman during his career.

Final Thoughts

Miami used their success to their advantage and brought in one of the top classes in the MAC this year.  Miami met their needs, added tons of speed, and built depth.  The RedHawks always seem to do recruit well in Ohio and certainly mined their home state well once again.  Outside of a few losses to Cincinnati, this is a rock-solid class that rates as EXCELLENT, bordering on outstanding.  The line prospects are very good and there is a lot of quality skilled players.  This class will keep Miami in the hunt for championships over the next few years. 

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