Miami wins recruiting battle over Florida for coveted 5-star defensive lineman (Video)

The Miami Hurricanes have struck gold on the recruiting trail with 5-star defensive tackle Leonard Taylor committing on Thursday.

Manny Diaz and his coaching staff at Miami have struck gold once again out on the recruiting trail. This time, the Hurricanes have landed a verbal pledge from one of the top high school seniors in the country, with 5-star defensive tackle Leonard Taylor committing on Thursday.

Taylor, who checks in at 6-foot-4 and weighs 255 pounds, picked up a ton of offers throughout his recruitment, but no other program was able to match the pitch Diaz and Miami delivered.

Leonard Taylor is the second 5-star recruit to commit to Miami this summer, joining touted athlete James Williams

Out of Palmetto High in Miami, Taylor decided to stay home over additional scholarship tenders from Florida, Alabama, Auburn, Florida State among many others. This was an in-state battle between the ‘Canes and Gators to land Taylor’s services at the end.

Recent reports had stated Taylor was leaning toward committing to Miami. He of course made things official on Monday with his announcement. And once he gets on campus in Coral Gables, you better believe the lineman will be ready to get to work and compete for serious playing time from the start.

“I feel like if I go there I can dominate as a freshman,” a confident Taylor said on CBS Sports HQ after announcing his decision.

Taylor is ranked the No. 1 defensive tackle in the country per 247Sports and the No. 4 overall player. According to the 247Sports Composite, Taylor ranks as the No. 27 overall player, No. 3 defensive tackle and the No. 6 recruit in the state of Florida. He is the highest-ranked defensive lineman recruit to commit to Miami since five-star All-American end Chad Thomas in 2014.

With Taylor now on board, Miami’s 2020 recruiting class is now ranked No. 8 in the country and No. 2 in the ACC.

“Who wouldn’t want to play for Miami? You can put on for your own city instead of somebody else’s,” Taylor told InsideTheU. “I’m close to mom and she will be able to come to all of my games. Just to see the excitement in her face when I’m on the big screen getting to the quarterback, that’s something I dream of.”

Diaz and his staff hold 21 commitments for 2021. Taylor joins Fort Lauderdale athlete James Williams as the two 5-star commits on the program’s list. With the release of the ACC schedule also coming out on Thursday, it’s proven to be quite the day for Miami fans everywhere.