Miami's first recruiting class under Mark Richt targets Florida talent

16 of 18 prospects to sign with Hurricanes hail from state

Mark Richt flashes the "U" sign during his introductory news conference as head football coach of the Miami Hurricanes.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The first signing class of the Mark Richt era has an especially close-to-home feel to it.

Sixteen of the 18 members of the 2016 recruiting class for the Miami Hurricanes hail from the state of Florida.

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Eight of the prospects who signed with the Hurricanes on National Signing Day are from Palm Beach, Broward or Miami-Dade counties.

The Hurricanes picked up signatures from 12 four-star prospects, including quarterback Jack Allison from Palmetto High School in Parrish and linebacker Zach McCloud from Santaluces Community High School in Lantana.

Other notable signings included St. Thomas Aquinas High School tight end Michael Irvin Jr,, whose father was a star receiver for the Hurricanes and in the NFL, fellow St. Thomas Aquinas teammate and wide receiver Sam Bruce, and Gulliver Preparatory School defensive end Joe Jackson.

Miami hired Richt to restore the Hurricanes to prominence. The new Miami Hurricanes coach is an alumnus who grew up in Boca Raton. He played for Howard Schnellenberger before becoming an offensive coordinator for Florida State in the 1990s and eventually head coach at Georgia.