West Palm Beach Dwyer quarterback Jacoby Brissett announced his intention Friday night to play football for the Florida Gators next season, leaving the University of Miami without a quarterback in its recruiting class of 2011.
Brissett waited two days after Wednesday's national signing day to announce his choice in Dwyer's gym before playing in the school's Friday night basketball game against Jupiter High.
After telling the crowd he'll play for the Gators, he added, "It came down to UM and Florida. I just had to follow my heart, and my heart lies [at] Florida."
New Miami coach Al Golden had recruited Brissett hard in the limited time available since his hiring, attending one of Brissett's basketball games last month alongside his mother, but could not land the ESPN-rated three-star (out of 5) quarterback. Former Miami coach Randy Shannon, whom Golden replaced in December, had not recruited him at all.
As a junior in 2009, Brissett led Dwyer to its first ever state championship. In 2010 he threw for 2,743 yards and 32 touchdowns against a single interception. He also rushed 63 times for 368 yards and seven touchdowns.
Brisset will join incoming freshman quarterback Jeff Driskel at UF, a fact that makes the move all the more puzzling to Canes fans.
The announcement leaves the Canes without a true quarterback in their 2011 class. South Fort Myers cornerback Dallas Crawford and Moorpark Community College punter Dalton Botts both played quarterback in high school, but neither are expected to suit up at QB for the Canes. That leaves returning Hurricanes Jacory Harris, Spencer Whipple, and Stephen Morris as the only quarterbacks currently on scholarship at Miami. A.J. Highsmith, who was originally recruited to play quarterback at the U, has switched positions to defensive back.
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However, the Canes still have one member of Brissett's family left in their corner, Jacoby's mother Lisa Brown. She told the Associated Press following the announcement, "I'm very disappointed. I didn't like the way Florida handled the process. I've never been able to meet the head coach."
She added, "I was hoping that he would respect me and go to 'The U' because 'The U' showed respect to his mom."
Apparently, Brown's acrimony towards UF coach Will Muschamp was so strong that Brissett informed her of his decision via text message shortly before Friday night's game, perhaps not wishing to be present for her initial reaction to the decision.
Why does Brown's opinion matter? Because according to NCAA rules, any recruit under the age of 21 must have his letter of intent signed by a parent or guardian. Brown told the media on Friday that she will do her best to convince Brissett to change his mind before he faxes his letter of intent to UF on Monday morning.
It's still a long shot for sure, but for Canes fans it appears to be the only chance their team has at signing a top-tier quarterback in 2011.
