Miami picked up a commitment on Thursday night from four-star edge rusher Booker Pickett Jr. of Tampa (Fla.) Wharton High School and moved up three spots to 10th in the 247Sports Composite rankings. Here’s what you need to know:
- Pickett is ranked No. 212 overall and the No. 16 edge rusher in the Class of 2024 in the 247Sports Composite. His other finalists were South Carolina, Georgia, Ohio State and Florida State.
- Pickett recorded 56 tackles, including 30 sacks, over 11 games as a junior in 2022. Through seven games this season, he has 40 tackles, 13 TFLs and 10 sacks. He has 70 sacks in 38 games over his varsity career.
- His father, Booker Pickett, played at Miami from 1994 through 1996, and his uncle, Ryan, was a 2001 first-round pick of the St. Louis Rams out of Ohio State.
what y’all think my vert is ? 😂 pic.twitter.com/2eGkerhPew
— Booker “ B9 ” Pickett jr. (@pickett_booker) October 16, 2023
What does this mean for the Hurricanes?
Mario Cristobal set out to load up on the defensive line this cycle and he has. Pickett becomes the 10th blue-chip recruit and third blue-chip edge rusher committed to Miami’s class, joining Marquise Lightfoot (No. 56 overall) and Elias Rudolph (No. 301). The Hurricanes also have a four-star defensive tackle in Artavius Jones (No. 194) committed.
The Hurricanes have also heavily pursued LJ McCray, a defensive lineman out of Daytona Beach (Fla.) Mainland who is ranked as a five-star by 247Sports and a four-star in the composite. McCray recently visited Florida State and attended the Seminoles’ win over LSU to open the season. FSU and Florida are considered the favorites when he makes his announcement on Saturday. He’s taken official visits to all three in-state programs as well as Auburn and Georgia.
Required reading
(Photo of Mario Cristobal: Grant Halverson / Getty Images)
