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Hurricanes Succeed Close To Home

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By TIM REYNOLDS, The Associated Press

Published: February 7, 2008

CORAL GABLES - For Randy Shannon and the Miami Hurricanes, rebuilding began at home.

Shannon signed 33 incoming players to letters-of-intent Wednesday, with more than half of them coming from South Florida - the clear point of emphasis for Miami's staff during recruiting season.

And coming off a 5-7 season, Shannon - who is entering his second year as Miami's coach - probably can't afford to be wrong about this group, either.

"When I was hired, we said we had to go after South Florida heavily," Shannon said. "We concentrated on the South Florida area, and we went out and we got the best student-athletes who are going to fit what we're trying to do at the University of Miami."

The Hurricanes' class was near or at the top of the national rankings released by every major recruiting service, a clear sign that the future at Miami probably is bright.

"Randy Shannon has been a dynamic recruiter as a head coach," said Bobby Burton of Rivals.com. "He literally decided that nobody he wanted out of South Florida was going to get away. When you sew up 60 to 70 percent of the kids in South Florida, you're doing something."

Miami didn't get every talented South Florida player. It only seemed that way.

Highly coveted wide receiver Tommy Streeter was officially a Miami scholarship recipient - just like seven of his Northwestern Bulls teammates, who went 30-0 the past two seasons and, by staying close to home, gave the Hurricanes one of the top recruiting classes in the country.

"This is going to be the next four, possibly five, years of my life," said Streeter, who was ranked among the nation's top 25 players at any position by major recruiting services. "This is a big decision, so I had to be 100 percent sure this is the place I wanted to be. And this is the place. I want to be at Miami."

Perhaps most notably, Miami Booker T. Washington High cornerback Brandon Harris, who led his team to Florida's state Class 4A title last fall, also decided to stay close to home and signed with Miami - spurning, among others, Ohio State.

The Hurricanes got recruits from California, Tennessee, Louisiana, Kansas and New Jersey - but talent-rich Florida is where Miami really cleaned up. They did especially well in South Florida, led by Northwestern, which won the national high school championship last fall and sent a mind-boggling eight players to Miami.

Quarterback Jacory Harris, linebacker Sean Spence, defensive tackle Marcus Forston and wide receiver Aldarius Johnson are already enrolled, and on Wednesday, more Bulls kept running to Miami.

Up the road in Melbourne, Miami scored a bit of a coup when defensive back Ramon Buchanan - who committed to Miami, then said he was going to Florida - signed with the Hurricanes.

MIAMI SIGNINGS

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