THE BOARD: Miami (OH) Football

The number

28 — Twenty-eight commits. First in the MAC per Profile and one of the largest classes in the Group of 6. Chuck Martin is in his 13th year at Miami (OH). He took over a program that went 0-12 in 2013. He has been bowl eligible in nine of the last 10 seasons and won MAC Championships in 2019 and 2023. This class is the biggest he has built.

The fit

Chuck Martin knows what builds a MAC program — volume, proximity and consistency. The geographic footprint proves it. Ten of the 25 commits shown on Profile are from Ohio — Massillon, Grove City, Kettering, Cincinnati (three), Trotwood, Columbus, Solon and St. Edward. This is a class recruited from the RedHawks' backyard.

The Ohio-Indiana-Michigan triangle accounts for the class's core. Four commits from Indiana (DJ Mitchell from Franklin Central in Indianapolis, Charlee Lawson from Culver Military, Brayson Hurley from Penn in Mishawaka and Willie Chapman from Pike in Indianapolis), three from Michigan (Collin Sumpter from Cass Tech in Detroit, Max Bollman from Big Rapids and William Tobin from Hartland) and two from Illinois (Ethan Posey from Lockport and Owen Matela from Lyons Township in La Grange). Martin is recruiting the Midwest the way the geography demands — every program within driving distance of Oxford.

The positional balance leans defensive. Five safeties (Collin Sumpter, Drew Cripps, Carter Bellisari, Will Sabatos, Landon Lehmer), two defensive ends (Max Bollman, Brady Bush), two cornerbacks (DJ Mitchell, Zachary Ingram), a defensive tackle (Sinai Dikisongele) and an edge rusher (Terrance Jones) give Martin 11 defenders. Offense features four interior linemen, an offensive tackle, three wide receivers, two running backs, a tight end and a quarterback.

The Pennsylvania pipeline adds depth. Roman Thompson (LB, Central Catholic in Pittsburgh) and Will Sabatos (SAF, Bethel Park) give Miami a presence in western Pennsylvania's football corridor.

The average recruiting distance — 178 miles per Profile — is the tightest in the Group of 6. This is not a national recruiting operation. This is a staff that has spent 13 years building relationships in every Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Illinois high school that produces Division I talent.

The commits

Note: Profile individual ratings were not available for this class at time of extraction. 247Sports ratings are included where available and attributed accordingly.

Kaden Estep — QB, 6-0, 170, Elder HS, Cincinnati, Ohio. 247Sports rating: 86.

Will Sabatos — SAF, 6-1, 200, Bethel Park HS, Bethel Park, Pa. 247Sports rating: 86.

Roman Thompson — LB, 6-0, 210, Central Catholic HS, Pittsburgh, Pa. 247Sports rating: 85.

Brady Bush — DE, 6-2, 245, Solon HS, Solon, Ohio. 247Sports rating: 85.

Landon Lehmer — SAF, 6-0, 195, St. Edward HS, Ohio. 247Sports rating: 84.

DJ Mitchell — CB, 5-11, 165, Franklin Central HS, Indianapolis, Ind. 247Sports rating: 84.

Ethan Posey — IOL, 6-2, 290, Lockport HS, Lockport, Ill. 247Sports rating: 83.

Owen Matela — TE, 6-5, 215, Lyons Township HS, La Grange, Ill.

Collin Sumpter — SAF, 6-0, 170, Cass Tech HS, Detroit, Mich.

Zachary Ingram — CB, 6-1, 170, Gainesville HS, Gainesville, Ga.

Gio Jackson — WR, 6-3, 185, Massillon Washington HS, Massillon, Ohio.

Ryder Anderson — IOL, 6-4, 250, Grove City HS, Grove City, Ohio.

Charlee Lawson — OT, 6-6, 300, Culver Military Academy, Culver, Ind.

Drew Cripps — SAF, 5-11, 170, Archbishop Alter HS, Kettering, Ohio.

Terrance Jones — Edge, 6-1, 220, Princeton HS, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Brayson Hurley — WR, 6-3, 220, Penn HS, Mishawaka, Ind.

Chandler Moore — IOL, 6-3, 275, Trotwood-Madison HS, Trotwood, Ohio.

Max Bollman — DE, 6-2, 240, Big Rapids HS, Big Rapids, Mich.

Carter Bellisari — SAF, 6-2, 190, Bishop Watterson HS, Columbus, Ohio.

Jordan Hall — RB, 5-10, 200, Princeton HS, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Nigel Gardner — RB, 5-8, 160, Brunswick HS, Brunswick, Ga.

William Tobin — IOL, 6-3, 285, Hartland HS, Hartland, Mich.

Ekeilan Henderson — WR, 6-0, 170, Lift for Life HS, St. Louis, Mo.

Willie Chapman — LB, 6-1, 210, Pike HS, Indianapolis, Ind.

Sinai Dikisongele — DT, 6-2, 315, Lakeway Christian HS, Tenn.

Three additional commits are listed on Profile but were not captured in this extraction. The class total per Profile is 28.

The targets

Miami (OH)'s class ranks 81st nationally and first in the MAC per Profile. The average rating (51.4) ranks 104th nationally. Volume is the strategy — 28 commits leads the MAC and ranks among the largest classes in the Group of 6. Martin's 178-mile average recruiting distance is the tightest footprint in this group by a wide margin. This is a class built from the RedHawks' front porch.

College football's Dead Period began June 22 and runs through July 31. Coaches cannot have in-person contact with recruits during this window. This is a check-in on where the RedHawks' class stands as the Dead Period begins.

Sources: Profile (primary), 247Sports (individual ratings where noted), miamiredhawks.com

All commitments listed are non-binding verbal commitments. All commitments, offers and visits listed are based on publicly reported information and do not necessarily reflect a complete listing of activity. This board is updated regularly as new information becomes available.