Miami Beats Florida State For South Florida Recruit

The Miami Hurricanes win a prime recruiting battle against the arch-rival Florida State Seminoles.

A consensus 4-star recruit by On3, 247, ESPN, and Rivals, Bryce Fitzgerald’s highest individual ranking would be from the latter service, coming in at #73 nationally. He plays for Miami (Fla.) Columbus and that would be the same high school that Mario Cristobal and Alex Mirabal graduated from. This would not be a slam dunk recruitment for the Canes.

Fitzgerald’s offer list includes but is not limited to Miami, Florida State, Florida, LSU, Auburn, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Michigan, Indiana, Minnesota, Louisville, Maryland, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Arizona, and Southern California.

With offers from across college football, Fitzgerald’s recruitment is not easy to define other than to say it’s a back-and-forth affair. It still comes down to the schools most think about when discussing a Dade County football recruit.

Any one of Florida, Florida State, or Miami would be considered the leader for his services, depending on the timeframe one discusses. Toward the end of Fitzgerald’s recruitment – and even this past week – Florida State would be the leader. Earlier, UF would be considered the leader by sources close to the situation. It does not matter now.

Miami’s late recruiting charge wins in the end. It’s similar to last year. Now Miami safety Zaquan Patterson did appear to favor the Seminoles before surprising some with his pick for the Hurricanes. He is expected to compete for playing time even as a freshman. That could be the case for Fitzgerald in 2025.

The Miami secondary needs more all-around talent like Fitzgerald after allowing 216 yards and ranking 55th in the nation last season ( CFB Stats ). The most recent UM commitment is poised to do just that.

While a free safety for Columbus, watching his HUDL film shows Fitzgerald’s uncanny ability to read a quarterback and break on the football which could be utilized at safety, nickel, or cornerback. Perhaps most importantly, he has the natural change-of-direction capabilities needed to play man defense and challenge a wide receiver at the line of scrimmage or when covering a go-ball 50 yards down the field.

Indeed, Miami defensive coordinator Lance Guidry and cornerback coach Chevis Jackson will be able to utilize Fitzgerald’s skills during any given game because of his unique talent.

Welcome to The U young Mr. Fitzgerald!