The early hours of National Signing Day have not given too many surprises, but this is certainly a notable exception. Treon Harris, originally committed to Florida State, announced Wednesday morning he will join the Florida Gators.
Harris is a four-star prospect according to the 247 Sports composite rankings. Perhaps the success of Jameis Winston in 2013 helped sway Harris to looking for other options to play early on. Winston will be back for Florida State in 2014 of course and it remains to be seen if he will be back in 2015 or not. That uncertainty can have an impact as younger players are more prepared to play for their college programs than ever before. Given the state of the Florida offense, it is not out of the question he steps in and competes for a starting job this season.
This is a major pick-up for Will Muschamp and the Gators, who have been lacking flair on offense since Muschamp was named the head coach. Obviously Harris will have to live up to the hype and whether or not that happens is as much a reflection on the coaching in Gainesville as his potential as a dual-threat quarterback, but Harris figures to give Florida something to build around in terms of athleticism and diversity in the offense.
In addition to Florida State losing a quality dual-threat quarterback, Miami is also left with an empty feeling. Harris is a Miami native so keeping him close to home would have been a major recruiting victory for Al Golden and the Hurricanes. Miami did pick up a couple of Harris' teammates from Booker T. Washington High School, a powerhouse of a program now coached by former Florida State quarterback Charlie Ward. Miami added five-star defensive end Chad Thomas and four-star Demetrius Jackson. Miami is putting together a strong recruiting class and addressing various needs quite well despite not hauling in Harris.
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