Miami adds another RB to 2020 fold in Deerfield star Jaylan Knighton

Head coach Manny Diaz and the Miami Hurricanes staff received a nice bit of news as they were chowing down on Thanksgiving dinner. Only three and half weeks after de-committing from Florida State, four-star running back Jaylan Knighton from Deerfield Beach has committed to the Miami Hurricanes, noting in his commitment note that “supporting the city I grew up in is best for me.”

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— The real Rooster‼️Ⓜ️ (@jaylan_knighton) November 28, 2019

Jaylan is ranked as the 10th-best All-Purpose back in the country and the 100th player overall according to 247Sports. He is the second tailback in Manny Diaz’s 2020 recruiting class, joining five-star Belen Jesuit star Don Chaney.

The 5’9”, 185 lb. Knighton also been clocked at 4.49 seconds in the 40-yard dash and has a vertical leap of 32.9 inches. Jaylan will also finish his career at Deerfield Beach as the 2nd all-time leading rusher in Broward County history.

Keeping his recruitment under wraps for the most part, Knighton had been committed to the Seminoles for about three months. But amidst the uncertainty at head coach following FSU’s loss to Miami, Knighton made the decision to de-commit from the Seminoles to re-evaluate his options. That’s when coach Diaz and running backs coach Eric Hickson once again got to work in hopes of convincing Knighton and his family that Coral Gables was the place for him, with his campus visit on 11/18 sealing the deal.

Indeed, it is a big deal landing Knighton despite the adversity Miami is currently enduring. But it’s an even bigger deal considering that the team is 6-5 and they have the two best running backs out of South Florida committed and two of the top three in the entire state. 

Assuming Deejay Dallas returns for his senior season (which according to reports is more unlikely than not), Miami’s backfield will be reminiscent of the early 2000s, if not better: Dallas, Cam Harris, Lorenzo Lingard, and now Don Chaney and Knighton.