Miami reeling in strong class

MIAMI (AP) — Lamar Miller's mother grew up not far from Gainesville, and even now, she's still a huge Florida Gators fan.

It's time for her to get some Miami gear.

Widely considered South Florida's best running back, Miller signed his letter of intent Wednesday to play for Randy Shannon and the Hurricanes, part of another highly regarded recruiting class at Miami. The Parade All-American from Miami Killian High rushed for 1,719 yards and 22 touchdowns this fall, and even as Florida kept calling, he never changed his mind.

"I've been waiting for this day," said Miller, who also drew interest from programs like West Virginia, South Florida and Tennessee. "I've always wanted to play at the University of Miami. I've wanted this for a long time."

And his mom is just fine with that, too.

"I'm so proud of him," said Cecelia Miller, who was raised about a half-hour's drive from Florida's Gainesville campus. "I'm happy. I'm excited. And I'm glad to see him home. He made a good decision. In the beginning, yes, I wanted him to be a Gator. But I'm happy he chose Miami."

Tight end Stephen Plein of Fort Myers was the first soon-to-be Hurricane to fax his letter of intent to the school Wednesday, the first day players could formally accept scholarships from major college teams. Plenty more quickly followed.

By day's end, most recruiting analysts expected Miami — which had the nation's No. 1 class last year — to follow that up with another top-10 effort.

"Things are looking good for us right now," said Miami defensive line coach Clint Hurtt, the Hurricanes' recruiting coordinator.

High school teammates Ray Ray Armstrong and Dyron Dye of state Class 6A champion Sanford Seminole were also early faxers, not even waiting for the 9 a.m. signing event at their school to send the paperwork down to Miami.

"To win a state title and then sign with Miami, you can't get any better than that," Armstrong said.

Armstrong is a safety, Dye a defensive end, and both figure to immediately contend for playing time with the Hurricanes, who finished 7-6 last season after losing to Cal in the Emerald Bowl. Once-dominant Miami hasn't had a 10-win season since 2003 and haven't finished better than 7-6 in any of the past three years.

"Ray Ray and I have been playing together since Pop Warner, making an impact at every level," Dye said. "I don't think that's going to stop. I'll be rushing the passer, making sacks, and he'll be picking off passes or making hits in the secondary. We'll be rooming together, and just keeping this thing going, helping Miami get back to where it once was."