Mark Matthews’ decision to choose Texas A&M over Miami was always going to be difficult. However, the manner in which it occurred made the pain much worse for Canes supporters.
The five-star offensive lineman from St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale committed to Texas A&M on Friday, selecting the Aggies over Miami, LSU, and Georgia. It was a big recruiting victory for Mike Elko and a devastating local miss for Mario Cristobal, as Matthews lives around 30 minutes from Coral Gables.
The announcement itself has contributed to the discussion, but in fact it was nothing new. Matthews sat with Miami, Texas A&M, and Georgia hats in front of him, picked up the Miami hat, set it down, picked up the Texas A&M hat, tossed it, picked the Miami hat back up, put it down again, and then took off his sweatshirt to expose a Texas A&M jersey.
He then yelled, “Elko era baby, let’s go! ” to commemorate the conclusion. According to 247Sports, Matthews is rated No. 3 overall, No. 1 at offensive tackle, and No. 1 in Florida. According to the 247Sports Composite, he is ranked No. 5 overall, No. 1 at tackle, and No. 1 in the state.
Mark Matthews’ commitment adds another chapter to Miami’s local recruiting issues.
It landed like a troll prank for Miami fans. But, at the end of the day, these things aren’t particularly serious, and any Miami supporter would have accepted him in a heartbeat.
The greater concern for Miami isn’t how he announced — who cares? — but the South Florida recruiting issue that appears to be emerging.
Matthews is the most recent prominent South Florida recruit to quit the region after Miami worked hard to keep him. The Hurricanes have recruited a lot of local talent under Cristobal, but the top-end misses are always remembered because South Florida is Miami’s natural recruiting zone. When the greatest players from St. Thomas Aquinas, Chaminade-Madonna, American Heritage, Miami Central, Miami Palmetto, or Monsignor Pace choose another school, it becomes part of a larger discussion.
This isn’t to argue that Cristobal is incapable of recruiting important local players. The Hurricanes literally signed Rueben Bain Jr. from Miami Central. Following the national title game run, there was a sense around the program that this would not happen again — at least not for one cycle. However, the list of considerations that go into a decision like this is extensive, with the most important likely being money.
