Connor Lew has made his decision.
The three-star center out of Kennesaw Mountain High School committed to Miami on Friday afternoon. Lew chose the Hurricanes over Georgia, Auburn, and Clemson.
Rivals spoke with Lew about his decision and why he’ll be playing his college football for the Hurricanes.
On why he chose Miami: “Just the relationships. Relationships were big for me this entire process. What I’ve built with Coach Cristobal (Mario Cristobal, head coach) and Coach Mirabal (Alex Mirabal, offensive line) has been like no other. Just the plan that they’ve laid out for me is really clear, being able to achieve my aviation dreams there as well.”
On Cristobal’s offensive line background: “It’s certainly unique. Not a whole lot of programs can say that their head coach is an offensive line-minded coach. That played a huge role. It’s definitely unique, knowing that he’s working with the O-line coach every day, not just hovering around the practice field. He’s working with the O-line every day. It’s truly unique.”
On the energy Cristobal has brought to Miami: “It’s real. The U is going back to work and that fits my personality perfectly. I’m a hard worker. Just the hype is real, and to be a part of what they’re building there.”
On Mirabal: “He’s a very energetic coach, which I think is good to have on those days where you might be slacking a little bit in energy. He’s going to pick you up and he’s going to teach you. Just sitting in on his coach’s meetings and meetings with the players, he brings a unique standpoint coming from high school, being a high school coach. You can tell when he’s teaching the offensive linemen. It comes through.”
On his aviation dreams: “Aviation’s something I’ve been interested in since I was a little kid. Just being able to achieve it there at Miami was big. That was a big part of my choice. I wasn’t going to go anywhere where I couldn’t achieve that.”
On Miami sealing his commitment: “I’d say the last few weeks of my recruitment, they really turned it up. They really wanted me to be a part of this class. They wanted me to be their center. They made that really clear. That’s what made it clear in the end.”
With Cristobal and Mirabal, Miami has one of the best offensive line coaching staffs in the country. Combine that with a chance to pursue his aviation dreams, and Lew picked the Hurricanes over an impressive list of finalists.
Lew projects as an interior lineman at the next level. With his strength and agility combined with the coaching from the Miami staff, he should develop into a solid contributor for the Hurricanes.
