All off season, Florida Memorial University’s head football coach Tim “Ice” Harris made sure he traveled the state of Florida and into Georgia. Last Wednesday, it started to pay off.
In his first year leading the rebirth of this football program, Harris saw 47 players sign national letters of intent to attend Florida Memorial and play football for the Lions
FMU, which will open spring practice on March 9th and play its first football game in nearly 62 years this coming August, will continue to recruit to fill the roster
Last Wednesday was a historic day for Florida Memorial University, the only historically Black college/university (HBCU) in South Florida, as it was taking part in what has become football's National Signing Day for the first time in the modern era.
Harris, a three-time winner of the Florida Dairy Farmers Coach of the Year Award and 2007 USA Today National Coach of the Year during his tenure as the head coach of Miami Booker T. Washington High School, said he and his staff did their due diligence in building the inaugural recruiting class.
"Last Wednesday was a huge success for Florida Memorial University football," Harris said. "As soon as I became the head coach, I hit the recruiting trail…as did the rest of my coaching staff once they came aboard. It was a special task building this class because we weren't just recruiting for specific positions of need – we were putting together the whole picture. We were looking for young men that were winners on the field as well as in the classroom. We wanted to recruit guys that are hungry, with a chip on their shoulder, and are ready to come in here and compete on and off the field."
Harris and his staff went from Homestead across the entire state of Florida and even into the state of Georgia to recruit talented, high-character young men that wanted to be a part of building something special here at Florida Memorial University.
The Lions signed student-athletes from Florida high school state championship-winning schools Miami Northwestern, Miami Central, and Miami Booker T. Washington along players with Miami-Dade County powerhouse programs Miami Carol City, Coral Gables, Miami Killian and Southridge High School.
In addition, student/athletes from Hialeah-Miami Lakes, Doral Academy, Alonzo & Tracy Mourning High, Hallandale, Coconut Creek, Fort Lauderdale Dillard and Pompano Beach Blanche Ely all had players sign with the Lions.
Harris and the Lions also went across the state – with prospects from St. Petersburg Lakewood, Kissimmee Poinciana, Jefferson County, Havana Gadsden County, Port St. Lucie Treasure Coast and Daytona Beach Mainland.
"My staff and I made a lot of great contacts and built relationships with a lot of schools and coaches during our time out recruiting," Harris said. "I look at the amount of schools that are represented on our list of signees and I think about the phone calls I continue to receive and I see that there a lot of people that are taking notice of what we're building here at Florida Memorial."
While Wednesday's signing class was vast, those student-athletes will be joining an already-growing roster of players that will be a part of the Lions' football program.
Harris already has 65 student-athletes within the football program that have been going through offseason workouts in preparation for this coming fall as they will compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics' (NAIA) Mid-South Conference.
Florida Memorial University’s first modern era football National Signing Day produced a total of 47 signees, Lions head coach Tim “Ice” Harris announced Monday.
A NEW ERA BEGINS
Here is a look at Florida Memorial University’s 2020 football signees:
Jordan Brown, MLB/TE, St. Petersburg Lakewood
Justin Carpenter, QB, Kissimmee Poinciana
Kevin Castor, DB, Miami Dr. Krop
Tyrik Collins, Athlete, Miami Central
Jerald Cooper, Athlete, Hialeah-Miami Lakes
Ladarius Edwards, LB, Coral Springs Charter
Jordan Elliott, QB, Jefferson County
Brandon Escalona, OL, Miami High
Naquan Fagan, LB, Miami Southridge
Christopher Francisco, OL, Doral Academy
Courtney Gordon, DB, Pompano Beach Blanche Ely
Favion Harden, DB, Fort Lauderdale Dillard
Anthony Harris, DL, Miami Carol City
Le’Treyveon Harris, OL, Bainbridge, Georgia
Quaylen Hill, DT, Kissimmee Poinciana
Roderick Howell, DT, Hialeah-Miami Lakes
Jerry Jean, LB, Fort Lauderdale Dillard
Jeremiah Jenkins, LB, Miami Booker T. Washington
Darian Johnson, DB, Coconut Creek
Tremaine Johnson, DB, Doral Academy
Wilkari Jones, WR, Miami Edison
Gregorie Jules, OLB/DE, Pompano Beach Blanche Ely
Nishon King, DB, Hialeah-Miami Lakes
Travaris Lark, DE, Miami Northwestern
Deandre Lawson, DE, Havana Gadsden County
Keane Lewis, DB, Miami Northwestern
Justyn Mack, OL, Miami Northwestern
DeMarcus McEachern, QB, Coconut Creek
Alonzo Missick, OL, Fort Lauderdale
Emmanuel Morency, RB, Hallandale
Wilson Noel, LB, Pompano Beach Blanche Ely
James Payoute, DB, North Miami Mourning
Earl Pope, WR, Miami Carol City
Armando Posse, QB, Miami Christian
Ariyon Riley, WR, Miami Killian
Mykel Rucker, DB, Coconut Creek
Katavion Scott, OL, Daytona Beach Mainland
Gabriel Showers, DB, Havana Gadsden County
Roland Smith III, LB, Miami Monsignor Pace
Terry Smith, S, Miami Central
Corey Stanley, WR, Miami Booker T. Washington
Andre Stringfield Jr., RB, Miami Northwestern
Armani Triplett, DL, Miami Killian
Vick Wimberly, DL, Bainbridge, Georgia
Derek Wright, DL, Port St. Lucie Treasure Coast
Myles Jordan, DB, Hallandale
Brant Williams, OL, Coconut Creek
PHOTO COURTESY OF MARCUS BENJAMIN