5-Star OL S.J. Alofaituli Commits to Mario Cristobal’s Miami over Michigan, Nebraska
Featured Columnist IVJuly 5, 2024
Photo credit: 247Sports
The University of Miami secured a commitment Friday from S.J. Alofaituli, who is one of the top interior offensive linemen in the recruiting class of 2025.
According to ESPN’s Eli Lederman, Alofaituli chose the Hurricanes over both Michigan and Nebraska.
Per 247Sports, Alofaituli is a 4-star recruit who ranks as the No. 77 overall player and No. 3 IOL in his class. ESPN ranks him as a 5-star prospect and the No. 10 overall recruit in the ESPN 300 for 2025.
Alofaituli explained the rationale behind his decision to commit to Miami to Lederman, saying:
“The vibe and the people in the building that really make the program possible is really what stuck out to me. [Head] Coach [Mario] Cristobal, [offensive line] Coach [Alex] Mirabal, and [graduate assistant] Reggie Bain were overall just great people and they know how to develop offensive linemen there.”
The 6’3″, 280-pound Alofaituli stars at the prestigious Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, and he generated a ton of interest during his recruitment process.
Per 247Sports, Alofaituli had scholarship offers from Alabama, USC, Washington, Georgia, Florida, LSU, Oklahoma, Oregon and Penn State among many others in addition to Miami, Michigan and Nebraska.
Lederman noted that Miami has been on a roll from a recruiting perspective lately, as Alofaituli marks Cristobal’s 10th commitment since June 18.
With Alofaituli now in the fold, Miami ranks eighth in 247Sports‘ team recruiting rankings for 2025 thus far.
Miami was once a dominant force in college football, but that has not been the case for quite some time.
The Hurricanes have not won 10 or more games in a season since 2017, and they have accomplished that feat just once in the past 20 years.
Miami went just 5-7 in Cristobal’s first season as head coach in 2022, but it bounced back slightly to the tune of a 7-6 record last season.
With Cristobal putting together some quality recruiting classes, there is at least some hope that the Hurricanes will be back in the ACC title race and in the College Football Playoff mix in the coming years.
