Eleven of the 27 signees in the 2024 Miami football recruiting class are ranked inside the 247Sports top 247 players. Miami is tied with LSU for fifth with the most amount of 247Sports top 247 signees in the 2024 class. Ohio State with 12 is fourth, followed by Alabama in third with 13, Oregon second with 15 and Georgia first with 18.
Miami cleaned up on the defensive line with three five-star signees. The players ranked inside the top 247 signees in the 2024 class are solely the rankings from 247Sports. Expect several 2024 true freshmen to become impact players for Miami this season.
Defensive tackle Justin Scott, versatile lineman Armondo Blount and edge rusher Marquise Lightfoot, safety Zaquan Patterson and wide receivers Ny Carr and Joshisa Trader rank in the 247Sports composite top 100 signees in the 2024 class.
Tight end Elijah Lofton, linebacker Adarius Hayes, edge rusher Booker Pickett Jr., WR Chance Robinson, DT Artavius Jones and running back Jordan Lyle are the other 2024 Miami signees who ranked inside the 247Sports top 247 players in the 2024 class.
Scott, Lightfoot, Patterson and Trader are the freshmen to watch in 2024 who have the best chance of competing for snaps in 2024. Patterson should compete to be a starting safety for Miami this season. Scott, Lightfoot and Trader can break into the top five in the rotation at their positions.
Carter Bahns of 247Sports praised Mario Cristobal for being “on an absolute tear on the recruiting trail to open his tenure, and while the talent acquisition has yet to translate to wins, this season figures to be a breakthrough.” Miami has signed consecutive top 10 classes in the first two recruiting cycles under Cristobal.
Seventeen of the 27 2024 Miami signees were early enrollees. The other 10 including Scott will have their first intensive experience at the college level when Miami opens training camp in August. After accruing elite talent, Cristobal needs Miami to produce wins at a high level in 2024.
Miami needs to compete for an ACC Championship berth and a potential spot in the College Football Playoff in 2024. Cristobal will be on the hot seat in 2025 if Miami has another mediocre season in 2024. Florida State who finished seventh in the 2024 class with 10 players in the top 247 was the only other ACC program in the top 10.