Trench Warfare: Miami Adds to Growing O-line Class

ACC rivals Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, North Carolina, and Pittsburgh all offered, with the Tar Heels pushing hard for a visit. But Miami's latest verbal commit chose to shut down his recruitment and cancel his FSU visit. Nearby UCF and Vanderbilt also offered Sparks.

"I really just fell in love with the place. Coach Mirabal is a great teacher, and Coach Cristobal has a great o-line background. I believe they will develop me into the best possible player and just person in general," said the rising senior of the staff.

National Recruiting Analyst Brian Smith described Sparks as a well-coached player from a good program who gets to the second level and keeps his feet moving. Smith added that Sparks can stand to add some muscle to his 6-foot-4, 300-pound frame but will contribute at center or guard at the next level.

While aggressive at the point of attack, Sparks is an agile lineman with twitch who has the ability to pull and operate well in space. He has the reputation of being a "nasty" lineman with a high IQ.

The Hurricanes are making a concerted effort to address the offensive line in this class, as they can potentially lose four starters from that unit after this season. Miami currently holds commitments from two other linemen in tackles, Ben Congdon and Joel Ervin, and is expecting to close on several others.

With Sparks' commitment, Miami's class ranking increases to 12th nationally and 2nd in the ACC, according to On3.