Four Miami-area football recruits choose Louisville

Mississippi's loss was Louisville's gain last weekend, as defensive backs and Southridge (Miami) teammates Gerrod Holliman and Andrew Johnson each decided to back off their verbal commitments to Ole Miss and instead plan to sign with Louisville.

Holliman made his announcement during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl game in San Antonio. As he was making his announcement on NBC's live telecast, Johnson donned a Louisville cap while watching the game with his family back in Miami.

"We felt we had a better opportunity to play for an up-and-coming program at Louisville," Johnson told the Miami Herald. "We love the atmosphere up there, and we thought it was a better situation for us since they don't have a lot of defensive backs coming back next season."

The 6-foot, 180-pound Holliman, rated the Miami Herald's No. 2 overall prospect in Miami-Dade County, had a county-best 11 interceptions and scored 12 all-purpose touchdowns his senior season at Southridge, which lost in the Class 6A regional semifinals. Johnson, who is 5-9 and 170 pounds, registered more than 1,400 all-purpose yards and 17 touchdowns.

Holliman and Johnson, rated the No. 8 prospect in Miami-Dade County by the Herald, give Louisville four recent commitments from Miami who switched to the Cardinals.

Northwestern (Miami) quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who also played in the all-star game in San Antonio, and Northwestern wide receiver Eli Rogers also backed off their verbal commitments to Miami and announced they plan to sign with Louisville.

KELVIN BENJAMIN GOES FOR FLORIDA STATE
Kelvin Benjamin had two very important decisions to make during the past few months, both of which would greatly affect his future. The highly touted 6-foot-6 wide receiver made the first one last summer when he decided to stay at state power Glades Central (Belle Glade) for his senior year after being informed that he would become ineligible for the final two games of the regular season and all of the playoffs because of the Florida High School Athletic Association-mandated age limit of 19 years, 9 months.

Benjamin, who turned down an option to attend a prep school last fall after conferring with his coach and family, recently played in the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl on New Year's Eve in Myrtle Beach, S.C., his first live competition since early November. Last weekend, he visited Florida State and announced at the end of the visit to Tallahassee that he plans to sign with the Seminoles next month.

Benjamin, who caught 30 passes for 551 yards and six touchdowns in eight games for Glades Central this past season, has the frame and athleticism to be a nightmare for smaller defensive backs at the college level. By choosing FSU, he could develop into a big-time receiver under the leadership of Seminoles receivers coach Lawrence Dawsey, who played at FSU and in the NFL.

A recent push by new Florida head coach Will Muschamp to sway Benjamin toward signing with the Gators caused Benjamin to delay his decision, which he was expected to make on Dec. 23. His comments after last weekend's visit to FSU indicate that his non-binding commitment to the ‘Noles is solid.

"I was leaning Florida State all along," Benjamin told the Orlando Sentinel on Sunday. "I'm 100 percent Seminole. That's where I'm going. It's where I wanted to be from the get-go. I'm a Seminole at heart. Coach Dawsey, he's been there at all three levels, high school, college and NFL, and I think he can teach me the things I need to do to get better."

Benjamin still has to meet the academic requirements of the NCAA's Clearing House, but both he and his former coach, former FSU and NFL standout Jessie Hester, have said that they don't anticipate any problems with that final hurdle. Benjamin was considering visits to Florida and Miami this month, but hinted that he likely will cancel them. "It would've been wise to visit the other schools and see what they have to offer, but if he's happy with that, then that's great for him," Hester told the Palm Beach Post.

Should highly touted Rashad Greene of St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) stick with his verbal commitment to FSU on National Signing Day on Feb. 2, the Seminoles could land two outstanding wide receiver prospects.

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