Mark this one up as a giant W for Miami and new head coach Mario Cristobal. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) star tight end Jaleel Skinner, graded as a four-star player and ranked as the No. 4 TE on the 247Sports Composite, flipped from Alabama to the Hurricanes.
Miami posted a video to Twitter welcoming the 2022 recruit.
“Welcome to the U,” the social team said in the caption.
247Sports called the signing “a bit of a shocker.” Skinner credited Miami tight ends coach Stephen Field in an interview with the recruiting outlet.
“Even when I committed to Alabama earlier in the year, he didn’t give up on me. He kept recruiting me and then when they got Coach Cristobal, that just pushed it over the edge,” Skinner said to 247Sports.
Jaleel Skinner just a massive win for Mario Cristobal. Stephen Field also deserves a ton of credit. Skinner and his camp brought up Field time after time. He never stopped recruiting Skinner and was ready to make a push once Cristobal was in place.
— Andrew Ivins (@Andrew_Ivins) December 17, 2021
Oh you thought we were done…
Welcome to The U, @jaleel_skinner! pic.twitter.com/HyplSp9yZh
— Canes Football (@CanesFootball) December 17, 2021
Skinner, ranked as the No. 98 player in the 2022 class, had 24 offers, according to 247Sports.
He tweeted about his commitment to the Hurricanes.
305 I’m coming 🧡💚 pic.twitter.com/YociD9gDuc
— Jaleel Skinner (@jaleel_skinner) December 17, 2021
Skinner got a range of experiences in high school. At Greer (S.C.) High School, he got snaps at wide receiver and cornerback along with tight end. He transferred to national powerhouse IMG Academy for his final season and helped the team go 9-1.
Miami gets this player, and to add a feather to their cap, Alabama does not. Cristobal is making his mark already.
