Miami Central celebrates signing day — and a national championship. And Jenkins picks FIU

Jube Joseph likes to call Miami Central “neighborhood heroes.”

Now, Central has officially gone national.

For the first time in their history, the Rockets are national champions and got some new hardware for their trophy case Wednesday when NationalHSFB.com came to Miami with a trophy to commemorate Central’s spot at the top of its end-of-season poll.

Even as nine seniors took part in a signing-day ceremony at Miami Central Senior High School on Wednesday, the historic accolade

“The natty — that’s school history,” said star defensive lineman Rueben Bain, who signed with the Miami Hurricanes. “Individual accolades don’t matter right now. We did something bigger as a team.”

Although it isn’t traditionally recognized as one of the national-championship selectors, NationalHSFB’s poll is one of eight used in MaxPreps’ composite rankings and the other seven — all of which chose St. John Bosco from Bellflower, California — are the seven traditional selectors.

Booker T. Washington is the last South Florida school to win an overall High School Football National Championship. Chaminade-Madonna also won a small-school title in 2018 and Northwestern won a medium-school title in 2019.

Joe Maimone, the founder of the poll, said he put the Rockets at the top of his rankings because of their undefeated record and their season-opening upset of Bradenton IMG Academy in August in Bradenton.

The Braves, on the other hand, lost to Mater Dei from Santa Ana, California, in October and the California Interscholastic Federation prohibits its teams, including St. John Bosco, from scheduling games against IMG Academy.

“This is for every inner-city public school in America,” coach Jube Joseph said, “because they keep moving the goalposts.”

Even without a national title, this Central group would’ve lived on history, though, for winning four straight state championships and once again sending close to a dozen players to the next level.

Although the highest-profile signing of the day was also drama free after Bain orally committed to Miami on Dec. 13 and then quietly sent his national letter of intent to the Hurricanes earlier in the day, it did not mean the afternoon was devoid of intrigue and it started with the first signing of the day.

Star quarterback Keyone Jenkins, who was the starter for the Rockets’ last three state titles, signed with the FIU Panthers despite being committed to the Auburn Tigers for more than a month. A three-star quarterback in the 247Sports composite rankings for the Class of 2023, Jenkins committed to Auburn while Cadillac Williams was its interim coach and decided to stay home at FIU after spending the weekend in Alabama on an official visit with the Tigers’ new staff.

Jenkins previously committed to the Panthers in July before flipping to Auburn in November, a week after the Tigers offered him a scholarship. He also took an official visit to FIU earlier this month.

“They never gave up on me. Even when I committed to Auburn, they never gave up. They kept recruiting me hard and they wasn’t going to stop until they got me,” Jenkins said. “They know I can come in and be a changer of the program.”

Star linebacker Stanquan Clark also went into the day with a decision to make. He orally committed to the Louisville Cardinals in August, but the Hurricanes kept recruiting him all the way up until the early signing period started Wednesday. He had both schools’ hats on the table and ultimately picked Louisville.

The Cardinals also had a coaching change this fall, with Jeff Brohm taking over as coach after former coach Scott Satterfield left for the Cincinnati Bearcats, and a trip to Louisville, Kentucky, over the weekend for an official visit helped convince Clark to stick with his commitment.

“When the new coaches came in, we just started talking and trying to build a relationship,” the four-star linebacker said. “I felt like I was a priority. That’s the main reason I stayed.”

Miami signs 5, FIU 6

Bain and Jenkins were only the local headliners for their respective recruiting classes.

Miami, in Mario Cristobal’s first full recruiting cycle as coach, solidified its grip on South Florida by signing five total players from Miami-Dade County, including four blue-chip prospects — by far the most of any school.

The Panthers, meanwhile, signed six players from Dade County.

At Palmetto, four-star twins Robby and Bobby Washington — a wide receiver and linebacker, respectively — signed with the Hurricanes almost 20 years after Bobby Washington Sr., their father, did the same.

Washington, a running back, never suited up for Miami, though, and wound up playing for the NC State Wolfpack.

It feels good to be a Cane because of the legacy that’s behind the name, ‘The U,’” the receiver said. “I’m just bringing the swag back from the early years of the Canes.”

Four-star Edison wide receiver Nathaniel Joseph and three-star LaSalle tackle Frankie Tinilau also signed with Miami on Wednesday.

FIU signed Norland athletes Jamari Holliman and Mykeal Rabess, Northwestern edge rusher Toddrick Brewton, Carol City safety Mister Clarke and Monsignor Pace cornerback Victor Evans III.

Gulliver’s Harris recommits to Georgia

Daniel Harris reopened his recruitment a month ago after spending the previous four months committed to the reigning-champion Georgia Bulldogs.

In the same time, Penn State Nittany Lions became a serious consideration for the four-star Gulliver Prep cornerback.

Two weeks ago, Harris made up his mind, he said, but it wasn’t until Wednesday -- with hats from both schools, as well as other the Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines laid out in front of him -- that Harris announced he was sticking to his initial choice.

Harris, who entered the day as the lone uncommitted blue-chip prospect in Miami-Dade, signed with Georgia.

“Basically, I just wanted to be coached by the best and play with the best,” said Harris, who had 49 tackles and two interceptions as a senior in Pinecrest.

Harris said he thought for a while about Penn State, which made a late push to acquire him, and even kept debating whether he was making the right choice in recent days.

“It was tough as soon as I decommitted because it was like it all started all over again,” Harris said. “Even these last two weeks, it crept up again and I thought about it on and off. But I’m very excited, and I can’t wait to get in there and enroll and compete for a ‘natty.’”

MORE SIGNINGS

Booker T. Washington: Xavier Irvin (Temple), Fabian Scott (FAU); Central: Lamar Seymore (Pittsburgh), Mark-Allen Gay Jr. (Central Michigan), Corey Washington (FCS Western Carolina), Zayden Laing-Taylor (Akron), Cataurus Hicks (Louisville), Ean Pope (FCS Cornell); Columbus: Sedrick Irvin (Stanford), Ahmere Foster (Marshall), Christian De Villiers (FCS Penn); Gulliver Prep: Jalen Brown (LSU), Lamont Green Jr. (Florida State), Antonio Smith (FAU), Darriel Cannon (FCS Charleston Southern); Homestead: Richard Dandridge (Temple), Ryan Bullard (Campbell), Javon Robinson (FCS Grambling State); Jackson: Shatavious Hogan (Central Michigan),Kaleb Barnett (Temple); La Salle: Demetrius Johnson (FCS South Dakota), Dairo Melendez (Coastal Carolina); Northwestern: Andy Jean (Florida), Rayquan Adkins (Louisville), Jamari Ford (Buffalo), Nazir Ward (Western Kentucky), Taron Dickens (FCS Western Carolina); North Miami Beach: Mahki Rolle (Northern Illinois); Palmetto: Derrick Bohler (Indiana), Dwight Bootle (Nebraska), Gabriel Hardman (FCS South Dakota), Blake Brookins (Florida - baseball).

Deputy sports editor Andre Fernandez contributed reporting.

This story was originally published December 21, 2022 at 2:22 PM.