Miami facing in-state threat for 4-star WR commit

Palm Beach (Fla.) Palm Beach Central four-star Miami receiver pledge Waden Charles has been adamant about his commitment to the Hurricanes, but as summer official visits approach the Canes are facing competition for the No. 322 overall prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking.

The 6-foot-1.5, 180-pound wideout has received a strong recruiting push from UCF, who he has visited several times this spring and plans to take an official visit to this summer. He has also stayed in contact with Tennessee and Louisville and would like to take official visits to both programs this summer.

UCF in particular has pushed aggressively to build a close relationship with the four-star Miami pledge. Knights co-offensive coordinator Tim Harris Jr. , who served as Miami’s running backs coach last season, dropped by Palm Beach Central to see Charles earlier this spring and has been involved in his recruitment. Charles also has maintained a strong relationship with Miami receivers coach Kevin Beard , who was at Palm Beach Central Wednesday to check up on the Hurricanes’ lone receiver commit in the 2025 cycle.

Charles said UCF is making a concerted effort to flip him.

“(UCF) has been showing a lot of love,” Charles said. “They’ve been telling me about the players that they’re going to bring in to help me be a better player and have those good guys around me, those elite guys, and I’m going to do the same thing for them. They’ve got a great staff like most of the schools talking to me.”

However, he’s remained committed to Miami for a reason.

“I’m still locked in with Miami,” Charles said. “They hit me up every day. It’s still a great relationship with that staff. Coach (Mario) Cristobal , coach KB, all of the receiver assistant coaches, everybody on the staff always hits me up, so it’s still a great relationship.”

Charles said Miami’s consistency over the past year has kept him committed to the Hurricanes thus far. The Hurricanes were the first school to recruit Charles hard after his sophomore season and landed his commitment following Miami’s home game against Texas A&M last fall, although UCF has hosted him several times over the last six months and has always been in his recruiting picture.

“I feel like I’m sitting in a good place with those other schools,” Charles said. “They’re keeping in contact, showing me the opportunity I can have if I come into their school and for me to be able to make a big impact and play early.”

CaneSport’s Take

Charles has flirted with UCF and Tennessee for a while, but his recruitment could be up in the air until closer to signing day. Relationships and player development will play a factor in his final decision, but he’ll also consider program trajectory and where different schools sit after the 2024 fall season.

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