American High defensive end Olivier Vernon's commitment to the University of Miami wavered, but not enough to keep him from the Hurricanes.
Vernon finalized his commitment to UM on Thursday afternoon at a ceremony at his high school principal's office. Vernon set caps from UM, Florida State and Alabama on a table, and after briefly speaking to friends, family and faculty, picked up the Hurricanes' cap and put it on.
Vernon (6-4, 240), who originally committed to UM last March, is rated No. 9 nationally among defensive ends by Rivals.com. But after taking visits to Alabama and FSU, it was believed Vernon might back out of his commitment.
Vernon put those doubts to rest Thursday.
UM's been my dream team since I was a little kid,
he said. I felt like I was destined to play for them.
Vernon received his high school diploma Thursday with a 3.0 GPA and said he will enroll at UM next week to be able to participate in spring practice, which is set to begin in late February. He said that staying close to home played a big part in his decision.
I think I picked the right school for me,
Vernon said. Basically, I realized UM is where my heart was at after my visits. I had never been out of Florida until I visited those other schools. It would have been a lot more difficult for my family to see me play.
Vernon, who benches 335 pounds and runs a 4.8 in the 40-yard dash, severely sprained his left ankle during the first game of the regular season against Coral Reef and missed the remainder of the season. As a junior, Vernon had 51 ½ tackles, including 21 ½ for loss, as well as 12 ½ sacks and three fumble recoveries.
Vernon said he has been lifting weights again, something he couldn't do during the high school season due to his injury.
I still have to get rehab, but I should be ready to play spring ball,
Vernon said. The doctors need to look at it fully to make sure I don't have ligament tears, but there's not much pain and I'm getting stronger. I can't wait to put on that Miami uniform.
