Miami Hurricanes and Mario Cristobal are on a serious hunt for their missing ‘U’ in the UM. Ploughing in $4 million on Carson Beck still stands as one of the most daring recruitment moves of the Canes, but it’s just an accumulation zone of a glacier. Cristobal is going strong with his streak. They have responsibly refilled their 2025 class roster, especially on the defensive end, to dodge some brutal loopholes of the past year. On offense, they snagged five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell. Miami fans might go crazy over the No.1 overall recruit of the class, but ignoring the other side would be half-witted. They have lost a tough recruiting battle to LSU. But what shakes more is Cristobal’s slippery attempts to resist it until the end.
In the restless NIL era, winning talents over competitors is hard. But then Cristobal knows how to sneak into the kids’ minds with an agenda that hits right at the spot. But this time, it turned out to be a flop as Haulcy, a standout safety asset of the class of 2025, left their motive in shreds. A.J. Haulcy has been a defensive beast. With a total of 259 tackles, 15 pass breakups, and 7 interceptions under his belt, he could have been that could completely rewritten the Miami secondary. The Canes earned a late summer visit from the five stars on April 28th. More to the Canes fans’ hindsight, the UM got a solid edge but couldn’t make the best out of it.
The trump card was none other than their newly minted defensive back coach, Zac Etheridge. The coach with a trend-setting pass defense vision had a strong tie with Hudson. Cougars, the former home of safety Haulcy. Did it weigh high for the Canes? “Oh man it was. It was amazing. You know, Coach Etheridge who is coach, you are correct, he did coach at Houston,” Haulcy told LSU insider Matt Moscona, on what made the UM an almost invincible destination for him, “He was trying to get me down there in Miami. I like, I said I was supposed to only go on one visit. But just the relationship me and him had, that made me take the second visit. So that’s really why I went on two visits instead of one.”
Now, you may say that the Canes had tried their best. But the reality is they were playing safe and balanced whereas Kelly buckled down to the core. From the NIL perspective, the report suggested Miami’s limitations. “Miami is not going to offer $2 million for a safety unless somebody cloned Sean Taylor,” Alex Donno broke down the truth behind Miami’s ‘flirt with the options at hand’ approach.
So, Haulcy rightfully chose who pursued him the hardest. No condition, no pre-convinced notion. To Kelly and his squad and all the Tigers’ fans out there, Haulcy is signing with a high ceiling.
AJ Haulcy sets the bar higher for his last collegiate year
A go-getter striker, Haulcy comes downhill with a strong defense skill, even against the most violent run. He quickly identifies the routes and can make his grip solid over the deep middle. Put him on the free safety or strong safety, Haulcy has the tools. He also glints in a Cover 3 scheme.
Having him on the defense can mean the world for the Tigers. Kelly already had a solid pick from the winter portal, NC State defensive back Tamarcus Cooley, under his belt. While Cooley is possibly waiting his turn to play deep for LSU, AJ Haulcy will allow the Tigers to make a much-needed position change for the best. Kelly can now easily move Cooley to nickel, the position that suits him the most.
To boot, Haulcy has a lot to prove in his last year on the calendar at college. “It’s LSU man. It’s not going to get no better than this right here. If you want, if this what you want and this what you sign, and this what you ready to do and if you love the game of football, you know it brings all that. You got the alumni; you got just the whole city of Baton Rouge,” the LSU transfer beamed with hope while explaining his agenda for the brief yet significant Tigers stint. “Just going to be out there just roots for you. I’m just ready to show the world what I got.” Loud and clear. “Mr. Give Me That (nickname adhered to Haulcy’s standout ball skill)” is rolling, and so are the Tigers.
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