Mario Cristobal Makes Another Statement On The Recruiting Trail With Eli Woodard Commitment

Miami’s latest win in recruiting came on Tuesday afternoon, when Mario Cristobal landed a verbal commitment from four star slot receiver Eli Woodard. The Temecula (CA) Chaparral HS standout chose the Hurricanes over Cal and UCLA. He was formerly committed to the USC Trojans. Woodard joins five star wideout Nick Lennear to form a dynamic receiver duo in the Class of 2027.

I reached out to my Locked On Podcast Network colleague, recruiting expert Brian Smith, for a scouting report on Woodard. Every Miami fan should love his player comp.

“The comparison is Reggie Wayne. Woodard is smooth, deliberate when needed, and accelerates on a dime. His best trait is his ability to make contested catches—even over his shoulder—for big gains. Advanced route runner for his age.”

Woodard and Lennear compliment one another well. Woodard is expected to play in the slot, with Lennear projecting as an outside Z receiver.

Now with twenty verbal commits, the Canes are almost finished with what is expected to be a slightly smaller class than previous years. For comparison, Miami signed 29 freshmen in the previous cycle. This time around, they are zooming in strictly on quality, not quantity.

As for remaining targets, Miami will continue to chip away at a hopeful flip for Ohio State committed edge rusher DJ Jacobs. Jacobs, a five star prospect, chose OSU over Miami in December. The Hurricanes have kept communication open. Beyond Jacobs, Cristobal might keep a few spots open for ascending high school seniors. Miami made a push for four star tight end (and Class of 2026 signee) Gavin Mueller last season because of his strong senior tape. They could find a few more signees under a similar scenario.

On3/Rivals VP Steve Wiltfong made it crystal clear as to just how high quality Miami’s Class of 2027 really is.

Miami, per Rivals/On3, has the highest ranking per commit of any school for 2027 recruiting.

Miami - 91.58

Ohio State - 91.47

Notre Dame - 91.40

Texas A&M - 91.38

Texas Tech - 91.36

The Hurricanes have four 5-Star commits, the highest of the Cristobal area at Miami, with CB Donte Wright, QB Israel Abrams, WR Nick Lennear, and DE Jaiden Bryant.

Four-stars like LB AJ Randle, OL Jatori Williams, OL Sean Tatum, and DL Ezekiel Ayangbile, and a few others are not far below the five star threshold.

As for Miami’s handful of three star commits, keep your eyes on defensive end Jayvon Dawson. The Lantana (FL) Santaluces standout has been turning heads this summer during the camp and combine circuit. Seeing him earn a fourth star this fall would not surprise me.

Cristobal and his staff have made Miami’s roster deep for the present and future.