If you would have told 10-year-old me that one day I would be reporting on the Miami Hurricanes, I would have been the happiest kid in America.
After all, the year was 2001. Trick Daddy was bumping in the headphones and Miami was on top of the college football world. I was in front of my television watching the Hurricanes every chance I got, including the belt to ass win over Nebraska in the natty to cap the season. Even my nickname in pee-wee football was Little Shockey (take that, Baby Gronk!). The U was literally everywhere.
Growing up in Texas, all my friends rooted for UT or A&M. I wanted to be the contrarian and hated both. Everything about Miami resonated with me — the swagger, the bad-boy reputation, the aura, the winning. There was just something about Miami.
As the years passed, I never lost the love I once had for the team that defined my childhood. My heart still ached from the Fiesta Bowl loss to Ohio State (that PI is still BS), and I made sure my parents kept my old Miami jersey stowed away for safekeeping as I went off to college — Eastbay sent me an adult XL instead of a child XL, so it finally fits!
I first got into the recruiting business at 19 years old and started off by covering SMU, where I attended school. Shortly after graduating, I covered Texas for 247 for five years, then ended up at Notre Dame for three months (another school I hated — and still do, as you’ll come to learn) as a placeholder before moving over to Michigan.
The last six years had some ups and downs, but I really did enjoy my time covering the Wolverines. It was a happy medium — a program I respected but was never enamored with. With my 35th birthday approaching this year, I made it clear to On3 and Rivals that I wanted to flip one last time — to a beat I cared deeply about and would be fully invested in.
When the Miami opportunity was presented, it took a while to sink in, but it was obviously a no-brainer. Not only was Miami my childhood favorite, but there is no better program to cover in the country right now than The U.
The Hurricanes are the standard when it comes to the modern era of college football. From NIL to the transfer portal to roster retention to high school recruiting, Miami is a juggernaut and always ahead of the curve. It’s no surprise Miami found itself in the national title game this season.
Miami is built for long-term success. The U is back, and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. I feel honored to be able to join CaneSport during such an exciting time in Coral Gables. CaneSport has been the leading authority on Miami since the year I was born. I’m truly excited to team up with widely respected veterans Gary Ferman and Matt Shodell and enhance what they have already built.
While I have a reputation as an industry villain (the fit at Miami couldn’t be more perfect), the fact is I’ve turned around recruiting coverage at every site I’ve been at and am consistently a top content producer and subscription seller here at On3/Rivals. We WILL have the best recruiting and transfer portal coverage in the network at CaneSport moving forward. I guarantee it.
More importantly, I hope to help Gary continue to build this community. Miami is a special program, and CaneSport is a special site.
Again, I’m grateful for this opportunity. I miss being in a true recruiting hotbed and am fired up to cover Florida high school football as well — especially in the 305. Let’s have some fun and keep making CaneSport the place to be for all things Miami.
10-year-old EJ with the late Cortez Kennedy, a Canes legend