MIRAMAR — Tracy Howard could never really see himself playing at Miami.
For most of his recruitment, the five-star Miramar High corner was convinced he was going to Florida.
“I never gave Miami a chance,” Howard said. “I always told myself, ‘Man, I don’t want to go to Miami.’ I never gave them a chance and never tried to get down there. When the coaches called me, I was like, ‘I’m not talking to them, I don’t want to go to Miami because I wanted to go away and experience the college feeling.’”
That all changed with a visit to Coral Gables during the weekend, and Howard, the nation’s No. 1 cornerback according to Rivals.com, chose the Hurricanes over the Gators on Wednesday morning.
The talented 5-foot-11, 175-pound defensive back wasn’t even planning on taking a visit to Miami, the first school to offer him a scholarship. He had already taken four of his five official visits: Florida, FSU, West Virginia and USC. His last was supposed to be to LSU.
That is, until the middle of January when former Florida wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales, who reportedly left Gainesville on bad terms two years ago for an assistant coaching position at LSU, left the Tigers for the offensive coordinator job at Illinois.
When that happened, Howard canceled his LSU visit and decided to check out Miami.
“To be honest, I went down to the Miami visit with a closed mind,” Howard said. “I was like, ‘I’m locked down, I’m going to Florida.’”
But on Saturday, the second day of his official visit to UM, Howard had a change of heart and opened up to the idea of becoming a Hurricane. He told Miramar High teammate Malcolm Lewis, a UM oral commit since November, that night he knew Miami was the right place for him.
“It felt like I was in another world,” Howard said. “When I seen that, I was like, ‘Why not do it in my city with a group of guys I truly love?’”
Despite feeling at home in Coral Gables and notifying coaches Tuesday, Howard wasn’t completely sure of his decision until Wednesday morning, just hours before he publicly announced in front of a packed Miramar auditorium and on national television.
He weighed his options and looked at the opportunity each school presented, including the chance to play right away.
Howard said UM presented a better opportunity to see the field immediately. At UF, he would have to battle Marcus Roberson, Cody Riggs, Jaylen Watkins and four-star signee Brian Poole for a spot in the Gators’ youthful secondary.
“You don’t ever want to feel like you let anybody down,” Howard said, “but at the end of the day it’s a business decision, and I have to do what’s best for me.”
Contact Tom Green at tgreen@alligator.org.
