When Miami football coaches first started recruiting defensive back Romeo Finley, he was looked at as a luxury.
Today, he’s considered a necessity.
Finley’s commitment made coach Mark Richt’s day because he later received some bad news. Naples’ Tyler Byrd – who almost a year to the day pledged to Miami – flipped and now is going to Tennessee.
Canesport reported the news on both players.
Finley, from Niceville, the nation’s 12th best safety by ESPN and 15th best by 247Sports.com, chose Miami over Clemson and Georgia Tech.
Can he play corner? They need one after Byrd made his switch. He not only is teammates with, but also best friends and roommates with Carlin Fils-aime, who was a Tennessee commit and who was never seriously pursued by the Canes. Last weekend, Byrd visited and it was enough to get him to change his mind.
With Artie Burns leaving early for the NFL, Miami is considered thin at cornerback. Many felt Byrd would’ve played right away.