Mario Cristobal And Jason Taylor Were “Relentless” In Recruitment Of Miami Signee Booker Pickett Jr
Booker Pickett Sr. shares insight from his son’s Miami recruitment and how Miami’s head coach and defensive line coach were able to close.
The Miami Hurricanes have signed the top defensive line class in the country.
Standout high school seniors Justin Scott, Armondo Blount, Artavius Jones, Marquise Lightfoot, Booker Pickett Jr, Elias Rudolph, Daylen Russell, and Cole McConathy signed their national letters of intent in December and are ready to make the Hurricanes dominant on the line of scrimmage for years to come.
Pickett has become a hot topic in recent weeks after dominant performances in two All-American games. Pickett combined for four sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception in the Under Armour All-American Bowl and the Polynesian Bowl in January. He went from outside the Top247 rankings to number 142 in the latest update. His father, former Miami defensive end Booker Pickett Sr, broke down Jr’s recruitment with us on my Locked On Canes Podcast.
On Mario Cristobal and Jason Taylor recruiting his son
“They are relentless. They are full throttle. They don’t leave any stone unturned. They are very enthusiastic. They recruited Booker harder than any other coaching staff from the text messages, the visits and the calls. They’re all in. Mario was consistent, enthusiastic and genuine. The Miami recruiting machine is all that you hear about and more. Jason Taylor came in and he was the same. He’s more reserved than Mario, but he’s a pounder as well. The combination, in our experience, of Jason and Mario was a great tandem. It was them who got Booker over to Miami’s side.”
Was Miami always the favorite for Booker Jr?
“It wasn’t early, to be honest. He was kind of a rebel. Early on in the process, he liked Florida State, he liked Ohio State, and he also liked Georgia. Me and my wife told him ‘that’s your decision.’ We kind of laid back and let him make that decision on his own.
Pickett’s work ethic
Dad noted to us that Booker Jr has worked tirelessly for the past four seasons in high school. “He’s a terror. His freshman year in high school he walked on the field and took a position from a junior on the first defensive series. He’s been on the field ever since. He’s gonna be one of those guys who is gonna have a chip on his shoulder because of the critics.”
“As a freshman, he had eight sacks. As a sophomore, he had 22 sacks. He told me he would get 30 the next year. I was nervous for him because he set the bar so high, and he proved me wrong. That’s the kind of guy the Hurricanes are getting in Booker.”
