TE Decides To Commit Right Now
TE Jovani Haskins saw no need to wait.
He knew today he wanted to be a Hurricane, so he went ahead and let UM coaches know.
"I love Miami," Haskins said. "I like watching Miami on TV, the attitude they play with. To be honest, when I play a college football video game I always choose Miami. I have family in Florida as well, and I like the weather.
"I already had my mind made up so I decided tonight that I might as well go ahead and commit."
As recently as December, UM appeared an unlikely destination for the rangy playmaker. Early that month he announced a top four of Virginia Tech, West Virginia, North Carolina and Pittsburgh.
Once Mark Richt and his staff got on Haskins they turned the tide quickly. By mid-January he had a final three of UM, Virginia Tech and West Virginia, and it was down to the Canes and Mountaineers two weeks before signing day.
Richt won out.
"(Richt) is a legendary coach," Haskins said. "He's as genuine as it gets. He was talking how it's more than just football, on and off the field how he cares about his guys, how I'd be used in the offense."
Along the lines of how UM will use him, Haskins said, "(Richt) said I'm a true hybrid, he would flex me out and put me in the slot, put me in the formation on the line."
That will be a new role for Haskins - he played mainly quarterback at Bergenfield High.
"He was our quarterback," Bergenfield coach Rob Violante said. "We brought him up as a freshman at the end of the year and he was involved in special teams. As a sophomore he was a halfback who rushed for close to 400 yards, a big lumbering kid - we had a tight end going to a I-AA school that year.
"His junior year he started at tight end flexed out the first two games of the season, but then the QB tore his ACL and he was the backup quarterback. In eight games he had almost 2,000 total yards running and passing, really did some good things."
So the team stuck with him at quarterback as a senior.
"It was too much for us not to do it," Violante said.
Despite playing with a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder that required post-season surgery, Haskins had over 700 passing yards and almost 700 rushing yards this past season.
"Playing him at quarterback hurt his recruiting a little bit - everyone knew he was a tight end because of his size, stature and how he moves, but it is a projection," Violante said. "There's very little film of him doing what tight ends do."
Violante adds "had he played tight end he would easily have been one of the best tight ends in the country. They kid can do any dunk he wants, has huge hands, big feet and I don't think he's done growing, is 6-foot-4 1/2, 235 pounds. He's an outstanding weightlifter. I don't want to call anyone can't miss, but he's a pretty good talent."
