Relationships with former HS coach, current Miami Hurricanes staffer could play factor in top-50 CB’s recruitment

Miami (Fla.) Northwestern 2026 cornerback J’Vari Flowers has more than a year before his signing day. But in the first few months since receiving his Miami offer, his old connection to one of the Hurricanes’ current recruiting staff members is playing a role in his Miami interest.

Flowers, the No. 48 overall prospect and No. 5 cornerback in the On3 Industry Ranking, has tremendous respect for and belief in Miami Director of High School Football Relations Roland Smith , a longtime South Florida high school football coach who Flowers is very familiar with. Smith was part of the reason Flowers chose to attend Miami Central High School his freshman year before eventually transferring to Northwestern.

Now, Smith is part of a team working to keep the local top-50 prospect in South Florida.

“Coach Smith, I have a good relationship with him from when he was at Miami Central,” Flowers said. “We’ve just been keeping a bond since. And him at Miami, it’s played a big role in my recruitment.”

Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Tennessee, USF and Louisville have also kept in contact with Flowers over the last several weeks since coaches became permitted to directly call and text 2026 prospects in mid-June, and he knows he wants to return to Miami for a game-day visit this fall. Flowers is currently the fourth highest-ranked South Florida prospect in the 2026 On300 behind quarterback Dia Bell , ATH Derek Cooper and receiver (and Northwestern teammate) Calvin Russell .

Flowers was at Miami’s end-of-summer recruiting cookout in late July after receiving his offer at a 7-on-7 competition on the Hurricanes’ campus in June and is high on the Hurricanes heading into his junior season.

“I feel like (the cookout) was good,” Flowers said. “We had the food, getting to jump off diving boards and really just getting to know the coaches. It was good. They were really talking about keeping me home, simple stuff like that. It wasn’t really too much.”

Secondary coach Chevis Jackson has also been involved in Flowers’ recruitment and has developed a bond with the 5-foot-11, 165-pound cornerback.

CaneSport’s Take

Flowers looked very polished when we watched him at Miami’s 7-on-7 tournament earlier this summer, and Miami wasted little time pulling the trigger on his offer after evaluating him in-person. There’s a great chance he ends up being one of Miami’s top cornerback targets in next year’s cycle, especially if he continues to grow.

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