Linebacker Samuel M'Pemba commits to UGA

Mario Cristobal’s first season in Miami ended Saturday with a disappointing 5-7 record, but the Hurricanes are at least picking up steam on the recruiting trail once again.

On Tuesday, Miami flipped 6-foot-7, 254-pound defensive lineman Collins Acheamong, a four-star recruit and Under Armour All-American at Santa Margarita High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., who had been committed to Michigan since July.

Acheampong, a native of Ghana, visited Miami in late June shortly before picking the Wolverines. He also attended games between UCLA-USC and USC-Notre Dame recently.

Acheampong, ranked No. 169 regardless of position in the 247Sports Composite, appeared in only three games this season before tearing his meniscus in practice in mid-September. He had surgery a couple of weeks later.

Acheampong finished 14 tackles, six tackles for loss and three sacks in three games. He had not played football since 2019 prior to this season because he was focused on basketball.

Miami, which moved up two spots to eighth in the 247Sports Composite team standings, has 20 commitments in its 2023 recruiting class including 6-5, 245-pound edge rusher Jayden Wayne, a native of the state of Washington.

Cristobal is expected to flip Miami’s roster significantly in the weeks ahead. Miami remains in play for uncommitted five-star tackle Samson Okunlola of Briantree, Mass., and top-100 defensive lineman Rueben Bain of Miami (Fla.) Central among others.

The Hurricanes are also looking to flip 6-5, 290-pound three-star defensive lineman Joshua Horton, a North Carolina commitment, of Fairburn, Ga., and local four-star Penn State safety commitment Conrad Hussey of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas.