DP safety extends family’s tie to UF
Harris commits to school where father played
Dr. Phillips held a combination ceremony Thursday for four Panthers announcing their college choices, but it was clear who the headliner was.
Onebyone, Bridget Blake committed to Florida State for cross country, running back Eric Harrell committed to Bowling Green for football and QB Alton Meeks committed to Iowa State, where he will play linebacker.
Then came the star of the show.
As the small crowd started to stir in anticipation, Marcell Harris was next. The fifth-ranked safety in the country by Rivals.com had a Texas hat sitting on the table in front of him, but then he went through myriad logo bags and another hat before he slipped a Tshirt over his head that read “LONGHORNS” across the back.
When he turned around, it revealed the T- shirt’s Florida Gators logo across the front.
He made it fun for the crowd, but in the end, it really wasn’t much of a surprise.
Harris became the 21st commitment to UF’s 2013 recruiting class, picking the Gators over finalists Texas, FSU and Oklahoma.
“How I made this choice, it came down to the last couple of minutes, calling coaches up to see how they felt about everything and ... where my heart was at in the end, andI thought it was at the Gators,” Harris said. “My dad and my mom, they went to Florida. I got family down in Gainesville.”
Harris’ father, Mike, was a Florida defensive back from1994-97.
As for Meeks, who had been committed to Cincinnati since mid-summer, the decision to switch positions was not easy for him. After missing the summer recruiting circuit with a shoulder injury and then missing six games this year with a broken leg, the transition seemed like a necessity.
“Sometimes things happen for a reason,’’ said Meeks, who played QB throughout his high-school career.
“It felt like maybe it was God’s way to say, ‘This is what you need to do.’ ’’
DP will host Tarpon Springs East Lake in a Class 8A region final tonight. Harris ( knee) is not expected to play.