Central Florida is a hotbed for Miami linemen commits | Recruiting Insider

Central Florida has suddenly become an offensive lineman factory for the University of Miami. It makes sense because Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal was an offensive lineman during his playing days in Coral Gables.

UM, through recruiting by Cristobal and offensive line coach Alex Mirabal, have landed the top three blockers in the Orlando area for their 2025 recruiting class. Max Buchanan of Sanford Seminole , Jaden Wilkerson of Edgewater and Demetrius Campbell of Orlando Christian Prep all have committed.

For Buchanan, who is the No. 1-ranked player in the Sentinel’s 2025 Central Florida Super60 , it was all about Miami’s coaches and city.

“The coaching they have at Miami is amazing and it’s going to propel myself to be a better player,” Buchanan said. “They really love my mental part and they the way I play the game physically. They tell me time and time again that I’m one of their top guys.

“And the town really has so many business opportunities that I think can better my future outside of football.”

What sets Buchanan apart from a lot of offensive linemen is his leadership and personality on the sideline. When the defense is on the field, Buchanan is rarely just sitting on the bench waiting to go back in. He is a vocal leader.

“[Miami coaches] like how I hold myself in the locker room and they want me to help change around the team’s perspective,” Buchanan said. “That’s just me, that’s how I roll. [Teammates] really respond to that. They’re amazing at taking advice that I give them and understanding where I’m coming from.”

Joining Wilkerson and Campbell as UM commits further enhances his excitement. They’re friends who have gone on recruiting visits at the same time to other schools.

“I’m also already friends with some of the players already on the [UM] team, so it’s going to be like home,” Buchanan said. “Central Florida is a great area with a bunch of offensive linemen and tons of people who are amazing athletes. If they want to win they need to go to Miami.

“Miami is going to get offensive linemen into the [NFL] and make them the best they can be.”

Miami has plucked offensive linemen from the area before, such as former Hagerty and UCF transfer Matt Lee, and John Campbell of Dr. Phillips (now at Tennessee). The ‘Canes have four Central Florida players: defensive back Markeith Williams (Evans), linebacker Malik Bryant (Jones) and walk-ons in running back Terrell Walden II (West Orange) and receiver Jefferson Walls (Lake Highland Prep).

Buchanan is a 6-foot-5, 275-pounder who plays tackle at Seminole, but he will move to the interior at Miami. He has excellent hand technique and footwork and rarely gets beat.

Wilkerson (6-7, 330) and Campbell (6-6, 330), will play tackle and also are ranked in the Sentinel’s Super60 at 18th and 19th.

New Jones CB

Courtney Patterson, a cornerback who transferred to Jones during the summer break, committed to Arkansas State on Friday. He is another talented newcomer for Jones, which also added multi-position standout Larry Miles from West Orange this summer. Patterson comes to Jones from Ocala, where he played at Trinity Catholic. He was second in tackles at Trinity last season with 65 and had three interceptions.

Jones QB, WR

Jones junior quarterback Dereon Coleman plans to announce his college commitment on Wednesday, his birthday, and the final three teams in the mix are Ole Miss, Oklahoma and Miami. Later this month, his main receiving target, senior Vernell Brown III, ranked as one of the top 10 receivers in the country by analyst Mike Farrell, will make his plans public.

Brown is expected to be a heavy lean to Florida, with FSU and Miami also in the picture. Brown’s father, grandfather and uncle also played at UF, hence the Florida speculation.

Chris Hays can be found on X @OS_ChrisHays . He can be reached via email at chays@orlandosentinel.com .