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Central Michigan and Miami are both off to a successful start on the recruiting trail for the class of 2017, however the addition of 3-star defensive end Joshua Maize would give either school a huge boost.
Maize currently resides in Deerfield, Illinois and attends Deerfield high school. He currently reports offers from Ball State, CMU, UConn, EMU, Miami, New Mexico, North Dakota State, NIU, Wyoming, and Youngstown State.
His recruitment has been heating up as of late as UConn just recently offered the 6-foot-5 230 pound defensive end.
Blessed to receive my 10TH offer from University of Connecticut #Huskies @Gaizka_XOS @JonStyf @EDGYTIM @AllenTrieu pic.twitter.com/VHJGGAknxG
— Joshua Maize (@MaizeJoshua) May 10, 2016
Despite this, Maize tells Hustle Belt that CMU and Miami are sticking out to him so far as well as UConn.
He had the following to say about each program.
UConn: "UConn is really sticking out to me so far just because of the elite pedigree that comes with everything at UConn and also it's academics."
Miami: "Miami of Ohio because it [seems to be] less [of a] transition from my everyday life [in] Deerfield."
CMU: "They were my first big offer and the coaches have showed a lot of love throughout this process."
While Maize may have schools sticking out to him at this point, he hopes to make a decision somewhere between the months of June and July. It will be interesting to see what other schools jump into the mix for Maize and if that changes things for him over the next few weeks.
It is easy to see that Maize has the talent to play for a P5 program, however his ultimate success in college will come down to finding the right fit for him.
As of right now, it is fair to say that Maize has been left under-the-radar by most P5 programs, meanwhile Miami and CMU have made Maize a top priority on the recruiting trail. This is something that CMU and Miami coaches as well as their fans are hopeful plays into the favor of their respective program.
While we wait anxiously for Maize to announce his decision in the next month or two, check out his junior highlights courtesy of Hudl: