CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Miami Hurricanes football head coach Mario Cristobal met with the media Wednesday after it was announced that all 30 recruits from the school’s Class of 2026 signed with the program on the first day of the Early Signing Period.
Leading the class is Nixa High offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell – the No. 4 overall player in the Class of 2026.
The Hurricanes made sure to attack both sides of the ball, with wide receivers Somourian Wingo, Milan Parris, Vance Spafford and Tyran Evans putting pen to paper.
Notable names on the defensive side include lineman Keshawn Stancil, safety JJ Dunnigan, cornerback Camdin Portis and pass-rusher Jordan Campbell, among others.
“We added our deepest and most talented class to date,” Cristobal said.
The No. 12 Hurricanes closed the regular season 10-2 overall and 6-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
In the latest College Football Playoff rankings revealed Tuesday, the Hurricanes and No. 11 BYU Cougars were the two teams on the outside looking in, meaning both would be left out if the playoff began Thursday.
That, of course, isn’t sitting well with Cristobal, who made a strong case for why his team deserves to be in the 12-team playoff – citing the head-to-head result over Notre Dame and the common opponent situation.
Since the Hurricanes lost 26-20 in overtime against SMU on Nov. 1, Miami has won four consecutive games – all by double digits.
At No. 10 is Notre Dame, which has racked up 10 consecutive wins since starting 0-2, including a 27-24 loss to the Hurricanes on Aug. 31 at Hard Rock Stadium.
Since the Hurricanes won’t be competing for an ACC Championship, with the winner earning an automatic bid to the playoff, they now have to hope for a BYU loss in the Big 12 Championship, which would likely place Miami and Notre Dame side by side – factoring in the head-to-head result, something the committee hasn’t considered.
No. 9 Alabama is playing in the SEC Championship Game Saturday, and with two losses already, it will be interesting to see where the playoff committee elects to place them if Alabama loses, especially with both Miami and Notre Dame having no games left on their schedules.
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