Miami kept their roll going by flipping the #1 TE in America from Alabama on Friday afternoon.
Mario Cristobal continued to prove his prowess as a recruiter with another huge get on the recruiting trail when Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy 4-star TE Jaleel Skinner flipped from the Alabama Crimson Tide and committed to Cristobal’s Miami Hurricanes!
305 I’m coming pic.twitter.com/YociD9gDuc
— Jaleel Skinner (@jaleel_skinner) December 17, 2021
BREAKING: Mario Cristobal flexes his recruiting muscle, flips Top247 TE Jaleel Skinner from Alabama. @Andrew_Ivins spoke with Skinner about his decision to play for the Hurricanes. https://t.co/8oBg5JnyRD pic.twitter.com/BXP5lxhLeZ
— Gaby Urrutia (@GabyUrrutia247) December 17, 2021
The 6’5” 210lb Skinner committed to Alabama over Miami in October, but the Canes continued to recruit the All-American talent to Coral Gables. That recruitment continued if not picked up intensity once Mario Cristobal took over as head coach, and that continued pressure led to today’s flip from Alabama to Miami.
The importance of this cannot be overstated. While Skinner attends HS in Florida, he’s not a Florida native (he’s from South Carolina). Yet and still, he’s the kind of talent in the State of Florida that has too often chosen to ply their trade elsewhere in college, so getting him to Miami whether he’s a Florida native or not is a big, BIG deal.
Adding the #1 TE in America to your recruiting class is always a good thing, and when he’s joining blue chip talents like Will Mallor and Elijah Arroyo at the position, it continues to strengthen Miami’s roster, and reinforces the CLEAR fact that Miami is Tight End U, and every elite TE should consider Miami, if not pick the Canes outright.
Skinner is the 9th player to join Miami’s 2022 recruiting class. He is th 2nd highest ranke
d recruit overall trailing only DE Nyjalik Kelly — the other big get for Cristobal this Cycle since he’s taken over as coach — and is the highest rated offensive player in the class to this point.
For a better look at the player Miami is getting in Skinner, check out the HUDL highlights below.
Guess I have a Recruiting Notebook to write!
Welcome to the U, Jaleel!