Forty-eight high school 7-on-7 teams descended on the University of Miami today for UM's first large scale 7-on-7 tournament.

DE Chad Thomas was the official DJ of the event, coach Al Golden, the coordinators and assistants mingled with coaches and athletes ... while also evaluating them during games going on all day.

And the student-athletes got a chance to see Miami's facilities and play on its fields ... for some of them the very same fields they'll practice on in college.

This 7-on-7 camp today didn't just benefit Miami.

"It helps a lot of kids that don't really get looked at, it's a chance for coaches to see them in person," Cane 2017 Ft. Lauderdale Dillard commitment Tyler Dunning Dunning said.

Area high school coaches weighed in on the impact of the event.

* Gulliver coach Earl Sims, whose program has four Cane commitments, said "This is huge for the University and for the community. It's reinvigorating that sense of `The U is back,' having guys on campus that can see themselves there, practicing on the same fields later on. It's a good thing for them to do that."

Sims sees this as "a huge tool" for Cane coaches.

"And it's right here in the backyard. Every other school comes here to recruit, but this is your home. Having this event is huge for recruiting," he said.

Sims says this Miami staff is tireless in its recruiting event.

"Got to beat the bushes, you don't leave any stone unturned," Sims said. "You have to do your work, otherwise someone will swoop in and do that work for you."

* Miami Northwestern coach Max Edwards said, "I think this is a good event that UM is doing so they can get to see all the local talent. They can see some kids maybe they haven't been looking at that maybe they can discover. It's exciting for the kids to come out and play in front of the (Miami) coaches like that. It's a good thing, and everyone benefits because UM gets to see kids they weren't looking at and the kids get to perform in front of scouts that probably weren't recruiting them."

Will this experience make players want to attend UM?

"I think so," Edwards said. "It's them seeing an opportunity. They get to see the facilities, see what UM has to offer. It does make them want to come here."

* Ft. Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas first-year coach Roger Harriott said this event "is great for the community at large. Coach Golden and his staff has done an exceptional job reaching out to the high school sports industry, showing that they support our needs and aspirations to expose our talent to the Miami Hurricanes."

Harriott graduated St. Thomas in 1995 and was on the first team to win a state title there in 1992. With UM's pipeline at the school, Harriott says "Coach Golden and I have always had a great relationship dating back to when I was at University School (where he coached starting in 2006) - I really had a relationship with him from his Temple days. He's always been very good to us. He's more than just a football coach, has a community presence and wants what is best for the student-athletes from an educational and philosophical standpoint."

* Braddock head coach Juan Torres said that "This is a chance for the kids to test their skills. We're very excited to be a part of it and grateful to the University of Miami for the exposure."

He adds "This gives Miami coaches a chance to see the talent in the area, keep an eye on those kids moving forward. And everyone can see the new buildings, the great additions that coach (Al) Golden has brought here to the University of Miami and for its fan base."

* "I think this is awesome," Miami Sunset High School coach Joe Petisco said. "Especially to have a local school here that's nearby. For them to run an event where they can get a look at our guys and we can get a look at the facilities they have here - I think it's great. This is one of the most talent rich areas in the country, and for them to utilize their own place and put this together ... it's very organized, is awesome."

He adds that "It's every kid's dream to play at the U. It's not only about playing against other people, it's about being here. I even get that `Wow!'"

* Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) Dillard High School coach Lorenzo Davis says the biggest impact today is "for kids to come and see the campus, see how beautiful it is, get a chance to get a lot of work in and have fun with other guys from South Florida."

Has he seen an event like this before on a college campus?

"The Miami Dolphins do one, but this is the only one I've ever heard of," Davis said. "It's nice because you bring the kids on a college campus, it helps them with their dreams, look to their future down the line. It's outstanding for them to see this and have that as a goal."

Davis says UM coaches "are really recruiting our guys, have been on Dillard's campus. I'm excited about the opportunity they're giving our kids at Dillard High School."

* Miramar (Fla.) High School coach Piere Senatus says he has "a great relationship with the University of Miami staff," which he says has "bridged a lot" of the past issues with UM and his school - Miramar has become a pipeline to West Virginia in recent years.

Senatus says current Canes Jermaine Grace and Tracy Howard were at his schools recently speaking to his student-athletes.

"We have Miramar players at the University of Miami that come back, tell the kids the experience of a private university like Miami, and they speak from their experience," Senatus said. "Jermaine at the end of a spring practice was telling the kids don't waste your opportunity, play like it's your last one, continue to work and push toward the ceiling. And Tracy told kids about technique, refining."

Some coaches on hand have personal Cane connections ... as former UM players. American Heritage's Mike Rumph took his first tour of the facilities, and Miami Jackson High RB coach Eduardo Clements was all smiles outside the Schwartz Center.

"This is big," Clements said. "This is a great experience for everybody. I try to come out here one time every month, I'm still cool with Stan (Dobard) and Malcolm (Lewis)."

He adds that "I feel we have a great team. (Brad) Kaaya is coming around, Joe (Yearby) got his feet wet last year. The defense stays the same, we have the best secondary in the ACC. So I feel we have a big chance to win the ACC this year."

Some player perspectives on today's event:

* Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas WR Sam Bruce reiterated that "I'm solid to Miami, committed to Miami - that's what it is right now," and he says his goal at the tournament "is just to have fun and ball with my team."

* Miramar Class of 2017 CB Brian Edwards lists UM among his offers and has the Canes in his top three.

"It's a good feeling to be out here playing on the fields for the first time," he said. "It's like a preview to me. Me being out here I can see how it is, how it feels to be out here."

* "It's a great opportunity for us to come out here and show our talent," said Miami Jackson High LB Shemar Smith , who has 17 offers and says UM will be at the top of his list if the Canes offer. "It's beautiful out here. I want to be here, it's like home."

* Miami Southridge WR Freddie Pinder says "I've been to Miami a lot - it's nice here. They tell me the new things they're building and putting in. That sounds good."

Pinder says he hasn't spoken with Cane coaches as much as coaches elsewhere, but that UM remains high on his list.

* Coconut Creek (FL) High School WR Binjimen Victor says he's been on UM's campus "a lot," and he's excited to be back again today.

"It's a great environment out here," he said. "I like the coaching staff."

Victor says UM is "in the mix with a couple of other schools," and that he has no clear favorites.

* Plantation (FL) American Heritage 2017 RB Kyshaun Bryan , who lists UM among nine offers, says today is "about getting some competition before the summer. It's a cool thing."

He says Miami will "most likely" make his future top five.

* Miami Gardens Carol City High School WR Montray Smith is one of numerous prospects hoping to catch the eye of Cane coaches today.

"I'm out here just to get an offer," he said. "I really hope I get an offer because everyone appreciates staying at their home school.

"I've talked to (Miami) coaches - they are saying just make sure I show out, and that's what I'm doing."

Smith currently lists nine scholarship offers, with the most recent from West Virginia.

With several Cane commits on campus for the event, it's also an opportunity for those on board with UM to do some recruiting of their own.

Dunning, asked who he's trying to get to join him at the U, said, "Everybody. Everybody who has an offer from Miami."