Introduction

As we've started delving deeper into the Miami Hurricanes 2012 recruiting class the best phrase to use would be that "the milk is starting to sour." As we've made our way from the top six of the class to the next group of six (7-12) the number of full time starters and contributors has started to slowly dissipate. Will the trend continue or will the high three star ranked players per the ESPN rankings come through for Coach Golden? Check it out after the jump.

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Jontavious Carter, Crisp County High School, #56 Wide Receiver

Carter was a two sport star (basketball and football) from Cordele, Georgia. He was ranked as a solid three star recruit by the recruiting services and chose Miami over an offer from South Carolina.

During his first year on campus Carter redshirted, this was primarily due to the fact that Miami had enough depth in the wide receiving core and could afford for the raw athlete to get seasoning from the bench. Post redshirting Carter then left the program. One of the main reasons for this was the prospect of playing behind Phillip Dorsett, incoming highly rated recruit Stacy Coley, Allen Hurns and also Herb Waters.

After leaving Miami he decided to take his talents to 1AA Bethune Cookman where he eventually won a starting spot and finished the 2013 season third on the team in receptions with 19 along with 310 receiving yards. Last season he was injured during the preseason so he was able to gain yet another redshirt via the medical hardship route. Carter is looking to retain his starting position for BC again this season and build on his sophomore numbers.

D'Mauri Jones, Leesburg High School, #59 Wide Receiver

Jones was yet another solid three star wide receiver to be brought in to see if he could provide a spark in a few years. With the tangibles of being 6'4" and weighing in around 190 pounds coming into college, the potential was there. So far Jones has not been able to crack meaningful game action for the Canes. He has only played in mop up duty when on offense and occasionally is used as a blocker on the special teams unit.

Heading into his redshirt junior season, Jones may again be relegated to only mop up duty. He does provide a nice frame for the offense to utilize in the redzone but so far through the offseason camp there has been little said about his involvement in the 2015 offense.

Josh Witt, Cypress Bay High School, #49 Outside Linebacker

Witt came to Miami as an under the radar yet trending recruit. At Cypress Bay he spent his first two seasons playing quarterback but as he kept growing he switched to outside linebacker during his junior season. In his first season playing the new position he racked up 100 tackles. During his senior season he again racked up 100+ tackles as well as tallied 14 sacks, eight forced fumbles and two field goal blocks. During his senior year he attended one of the Al Golden Football Camps and decided to verbally commit.

Unfortunately, after enrolling early at Miami, Witt was diagnosed to have sustained multiple concussions during his earlier days of playing football and decided that it would be best for him to retire from the sport.

Ereck Flowers, Miami Norland High School, #57 Offensive Tackle

Yayyayaya! We have one! We have someone on this list that's contributed!!

Flowers came to Miami with his teammate Duke Johnson from Norland High School. He came to Miami as a solid three star recruit with other offers from Florida State and Louisville, most notably.

Once he stepped on the field at Miami he almost instantly became an anchor on the offensive line for the Canes. In his freshman season he started the first four games at right tackle and helped become a stabilizing force for Stephen Morris and the air assault. During his sophomore and junior season he took over full time at left tackle and didn't let go of the starting spot. Seriously, he started his last 20 or so games at the coveted position and went out as probably one of the most underrated Miami greats of all time. Due to his exceptional play and longevity at left tackle he decided to leave the program early and pursue his dream at the pro level.

Heading into the draft it was rumored that Flowers could have been a potential top 5 picks because of the value placed on skilled offensive linemen in the NFL. However, a few linemen went before Flowers as well as a handful of skill players so in the end he fell to the Giants with the 9th pick and they quickly scooped him up. Heading into 2015, Flowers looks to take over the left tackle position for the Giants and help anchor a line in support of Eli Manning and his passing attack.

Gabriel Terry, Palm Beach Central High School, #58 Outside Linebacker

Oh well.. Guess the positive vibes couldn't last long..

Gabriel Terry was yet another two sport star in high school; his forte was wrestling and football. He was a championship level wrestler in high school in both the state of Nebraska and Florida before coming to Miami. He chose the Canes over offers from Connecticut and FIU.

When he got on campus at Miami there was no time to sit back and learn, he was tasked to play in the linebacker rotation and also asked to contribute on special teams as a freshman. During his sole season on campus he was able to chip in with five total tackles and a blocked punt and a blocked field goal that earned him accolades around the conference.

After his freshman season Terry was released from the program due to a drug arrest. He later enrolled at Tennessee State University, a 1AA program. However, there seems to have been a hiccup, possibly due to academics so Terry took a detour to Copiah-Lincoln Community College for a year. Once he arrived at TSU he became a full time starter his junior year and dominated the competition earning all second team for the conference and first team "all new comer team." In 2014 he racked up only 24 tackles but registered an impressive 11.5 sacks.

Jacoby Briscoe, Carencro High School, #44 Defensive Tackle

Well.. This is our last player in this section and he fits the bill just like the other four not including Flowers..

Briscoe came to Miami from out of state and was an intriguing defensive line prospect already having the measurables to play the position at 6'4" 290 pounds. He was a three star prospect out of Louisiana and boasted other offers from Texas A&M and Texas Tech.

During his first (and only) year on campus, Briscoe redshirted. During that time he played the defensive line and was later moved to the offensive side of the ball to see if he could help build depth in the trenches. Due to the move not working out, Briscoe transferred to the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns. After sitting out a year due to the transfer restrictions Briscoe became a big time contributor to the team's defensive line rotation and even snagged five starts last season. He finished last season third among the defensive linemen with 19 tackles. He'll look to build upon that next season and possibly nail down a full time starting position.

Conclusion

I've been doing the recruiting breakdown now for three years and simply put, this is the worst section of a recruiting class I've seen. Yes, Ereck Flowers has gone on to do very well for himself but the other five players did next to nothing for the program. The 2012 class after three sections has started to take a turn for the worst, we'll see have to see if the others on the list right the ship. Stay tuned Canes fans.

Part 1 - Players: 1-6

Part 2 - Players: 7-12