The city of Miami has always been a trendsetter, especially on the gridiron.
Since 1999, one trend has been Miami Northwestern High’s annual beatdown of inner-city rivals Booker T. Washington High.
Until, on Oct. 3, Booker T. Washington upset nationally ranked Northwestern 35-28.
At the end of the game, two of Washington’s top prospects, four-star defensive end Lynden Trail and wide receiver Quinton Dunbar, went to midfield and started a cheer that was unfamiliar to most residents of the area to celebrate their team’s first win over its rival since 1999.
Instead of throwing up the “U” sign, they started “Gator chomping.”
“I was committed to the Gators for about six months (before the Northwestern game), and I had the Gators in my heart and knew that’s where I wanted to be,” Trail said. “When I put the hat on and went to the middle of the field to do the chomp, it felt like reality was setting in, and I knew I wanted to be a Gator.”
Trail, who has been committed to Florida since October, convinced Dunbar to switch his oral commitment from Miami to Florida.
“Don’t get me wrong. I love UM,” Dunbar said. “I felt like I was going to UM for the wrong reasons. Outsiders expected it and were telling me to go to Miami. So I decided to de-commit and go back to the whole recruiting process and see what was out there for me.
“When I came up to Gainesville (for an official visit), I fell in love with it and knew I wanted to play here for the next four years.”
Starting the Trend
Former Miami coach Howard Schnellenberger popularized recruiting in Miami-Dade County during the 1980s and turned an ailing program at Miami into one of the nation’s most attractive.
Now, Miami-Dade County is one of the most popular recruiting spots in the country, an important title for the community.
“It’s not just big, it’s a way of life,” Rivals.com recruiting analyst Jamie Newberg said. “Those kids take pride in how they play, the programs they play for and the outcomes of games. You got some really great programs down there that have won not only state championships, but national championships as well. Those are great programs down there.”
Since Schnellenberger’s tenure as coach of the Hurricanes, the county’s top prospects have usually remained loyal to their hometown team.
“Typically those players (from Miami) usually stay home and play for the ‘Canes,” Newberg said. “These guys usually want to play for Miami, and the reasons are pretty clear. [The Hurricanes] have a great tradition, they put a truckload of guys into the NFL and there is always that Miami persona.”
Switching Loyalties
Trail and Dunbar plan on bringing that Miami swagger with them to The Swamp.
“The Miami swag is one of the best swags you can ask for,” Trail said. “We bring great competitiveness, we bring goofiness, but we also bring seriousness. And when it comes down to it, we have that drive to always win, and we’re never going to lay down.”
Both Trail and Dunbar hold the Hurricanes close to their hearts and still feel a special connection to the team they grew up watching, even though they signed with the Gators.
“Growing up in Miami, everybody loves the Hurricanes,” Trail said. “I grew up watching UM, and my godfather is a huge Hurricanes fan, and he brainwashed me a bit to think the Hurricanes are the greatest team of all time. But the bottom line is, when you get down to the recruiting process you can go with either your first love or that other option which sometimes comes up and gives you a better opportunity.”
Even though Dunbar and Trail still hold a special bond with the Hurricanes, they want to pioneer a new trend, where Miami-Dade players adopt the Gators as their team.
“Everybody expects us to go to Miami,” Dunbar said. “Lynden and I had a better situation for us to play at Florida, and we want to show other Miami players that they don’t have to go to Miami. It’s okay to go away from home.”
And Miami-Dade players are already adopting the trend.
According to Newberg, out of 20 four-star prospects in South Florida, Miami has only two commitments from the group.
“It’s absolutely shocking to me,” Newberg said. “It’s a real head-scratcher.”
The Gators aren’t the only team that has benefited from the plethora of talent in South Florida.
Florida State signed five-star defensive back Lamarcus Joyner (Ft. Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas) and four-star linebacker Jeff Luc (Port St. Lucie Treasure Coast High).
West Virginia has also recruited well in South Florida.
Last year, the Mountaineers brought in four-star dual-threat quarterback Eugene Smith (Miramar High). This year, they signed four-star wide receiver Ivan McCartney, Smith’s former teammate.
“One thing you have to recognize is that not everybody from South Florida can go to Miami,” Newberg said. “So that really opens the door for other schools to recruit down there.”
Reloading the Gators
Next year, the Gators will be without Heisman-winning quarterback Tim Tebow.
The team’s identity has yet to be determined, but UF’s 2010 recruiting class is built around defense.
“[Florida’s] identity depends on how their team evolves,” said Newberg. “The keys are going to be turned over to (quarterback) John Brantley, and he can’t do it by himself so the receivers have to step up. If they don’t step up, I imagine the team will be characterized as a team whose offense struggles and wins by defense.”
Dunbar plans on being able to step up and have an immediate impact on the field, while Trail has done plenty of talking to other Florida recruits.
“The main thing I tell [recruits undecided between UF and UM] is that they will have a much better chance to play,” Trail said. “The main things we need are receivers. Randy Shannon came out and said that there were only a limited number of positions open at UM.
“So what I did was start calling a lot of recruits letting them know we need help at the receiver position.“
The 2010 Gators will feature a lot of new faces on both sides of the ball, but those new faces hope to bring back some old hardware.
