Former No. 1 recruit Jaelan Phillips gets fresh start after transferring to Miami
By Joe Romano
The Miami Hurricanes continues their transfer portal success with former UCLA defensive end Jaelan Phillips.
Miami continues to harness the power of the transfer portal with the addition of former No. 1 recruit and UCLA defensive end Jaelan Phillips.
Phillips didn’t keep this a secret as this was a foregone conclusion for the last several weeks before making it official on Thursday night with a tweet making the transfer news public.
Phillips tweeted his intention late Thursday night with the caption, “The Wait is Over…Officially a HURRICANE…”. The post was accompanied by a graphic of Phillips wearing his new orange and green Miami jersey. It was also tagged with the hashtag #TNM or “The New Miami” as coach Manny Diaz has emphasized since taking the reigns of the program.
It was only two years ago that Phillips was the top recruit in the country and picked the UCLA Bruins as his school of choice. At 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, he entered college as an elite pass rushing prospect with upside as a high-end athlete.
His freshman campaign was moderately successful with 4.5 sacks and 41 tackles in 10 games. His sophomore year was cut short after four games due to concussions. Phillip initially said he was retiring from football for medical reasons when he left UCLA, but a change of heart and a change of coasts has led to him seeking a fresh start where so many others have done the same.
The Wait is Over...Officially a HURRICANE 🙌🏽⛓🌴 I can’t wait to get to work, #TNM is going to be a problem for the opposition 🤞🏽💯 Thank you God for giving me a second chance 🙏🏾 the COMEBACK is going to be something serious pic.twitter.com/yWhfKJnUlL
— Jaelan Phillips ;🕴🏾® (@JJPhillips15) February 22, 2019
Miami has been a preferred destination for seven other transfers this offseason. The Hurricanes have already brought in former four-star Ohio State quarterback Tate Martell, three-star Auburn running back Asa Martin, four-star USC safety Bubba Bolden, three-star UCLA defensive tackle Chigozie Nnoruka, Buffalo wide receiver K.J. Osborn and Virginia Tech defensive end Trevon Hill. Osborn and Hill are graduate transfers.
Diaz has now grabbed four of the top 11 names that hit the transfer portal this offseason. It’s clear that Diaz knew he had to rely on the transfer portal after losing out on several high school targets under the previous Mark Richt regime.
The former five-star defensive end will have to sit out the 2019 season will be eligible for the 2020 season with two seasons of eligibility remaining. Miami has a history of success with these players, most recently star defensive tackle Gerald Willis who transferred from Florida before dominating competition last season. Phillips injury history will be closely monitored, as would anyone who almost retired from the sport due to injuries.
Phillips is an elite player when healthy who would fill a huge role for the Hurricanes, and the attacking style of defense that Diaz likes to use. With defensive end Jonathan Garvin likely heading to the NFL following the 2019 season, Phillips can step in and be counted on being the team’s top pass rusher. Diaz, a defensive coach, has developed studs along his line the past three seasons.
Phillips is the next in line and another great grab for the culture-changing coach bringing back the swagger to The U.