New Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal has pulled off a shocker in the early signing period. IMG Academy tight end and four-star tight end prospect Jaleel Skinner has officially flipped his commitment from Alabama to Miami.

Skinner had garnered a multitude of interest from several schools over the past year, including Florida State and Texas. He opted to commit to Alabama in early October. Still, this did not halt Miami from making a late push to sign him.

Skinner took a second official visit to Miami last week. In the end, he elected to become the third four-star offensive talent this week to sign a national letter of intent to the Hurricanes, joining quarterback Jacurri Brown and wide receiver Isaiah Horton.

In speaking to 247 Sports, Skinner opened up on the key role that both Cristobal and Miami tight ends coach Stephen Field played in his decision to join the Hurricanes.

“I’m a believer in Coach Cristobal and I’m a believer in Coach Field,” Skinner said. “I really appreciate Coach Field. 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.

“I was really cool with Coach Cristobal when he was at Oregon and then me finally getting to meet him in person on the visit, that really pushed it over the edge for me and my family. My family really fell in love with him. My parents really believe in him. And I really believe in him and the vision he has for Miami.”

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The Hurricanes have had quite a run over the past decades in producing standout tight ends, from Jeremy Shockey to Jimmy Graham. Skinner aspires to become the next tight end to leave a legacy at Miami.

“They have a great, long history of tight ends coming out of there and I feel like I can be the next great one to come out of there,” Skinner said. “Everybody down there loves the U, even the fans. That’s a great environment and one that I feel like is going to push me and thrive in.”

With the addition of Skinner, Miami’s 2022 recruiting class now ranks at 49th nationally according to 247 Sports. More so, it has now totaled for eight four-star recruits.