Check out this piece from Jorge Milian at The Palm Beach Post earlier today regarding Tracy Howard spurning Florida last minute to stay home at Miami.
According to Milian’s piece, Howard never even had the Canes on the map for the majority of the recruiting process.
“I never really gave them a chance,” Howard said, soon after inking with the Canes. “I told myself, ‘Man, I don’t want to go to Miami.’ When the coaches called me, I was like, ‘Man, I don’t want to talk to them.’ I didn’t want to go to Miami. I always wanted to go away and experience college living.”
UM started recruiting Howard as a sophomore and up until the end even mom thought her son was headed out of South Florida.
“I really thought it was going to be UF,” Shaiy Howard said. “Miami gave him an offer after his sophomore year but UF was the one that was recruiting him really hard. He never gave Miami the opportunity. It wasn’t anything against Miami. He just thought he didn’t want to be home. He wanted to go away. He said going to Miami was just like going to Miramar High School.”
Immediately playing time seems like a big part of Howard’s decision-making, but truth be told the credit here has to go to head coach Al Golden and staff.
Anyone who’s followed college football for years and understands the recruiting process knows how hard it is to turn a kid’s head this late in the game. Especially a kid so intent on leaving town and going away to college.
That’s a huge hurdle to overcome and to do so the final week of recruiting season for a kid who at one point cringed when UM coaches were calling? This could arguably be one of Miami’s biggest steals … ever.
The depth chart may be wide open regarding Miami’s secondary, but a hard-working, football-smart, talent like Howard could’ve made a push for playing time in Gainesville or Tallahassee.
This is bigger than playing time. This is a kid who was headed elsewhere but inevitably heard this staff’s pitch, was sold on the vision, bought into Coach Golden and his process and in turn is headed to Coral Gables, despite what the NCAA could have looming.
“Nobody knows what’s going to happen,” Howard said. “Nobody knows what the sanctions are going to be. … They took a bowl game away this year and players got suspended. They did their punishment. So what more can there be? There’s going to be a sanction. No doubt about it. I’m taking a chance.”
Miami also took a chance, on Golden, and its looking like it’s paying off.
Huge pick-up for the Canes. Kudos to this coaching staff, again. – C.B.