Gators want South Florida pledge

A year after Miami and Virginia Tech bolted for the ACC, a Big East team is again trying to hold on to something they feel belongs to them.

Miami (Fla.) Southwest High’s Chris DeArmas committed to South Florida for a number of reasons. However, many thought his decision to play for the Bulls came after larger programs failed to show interest in the offensive lineman. Now that theory is being put to the test, as the 275-pounder is receiving heavy interest from some major schools in the ACC and SEC.

"I turned down Maryland the other day," DeArmas said. "It’s kind of tough with some great schools talking to you. But I’m pretty psyched that South Florida was the right choice for me.

Still, right now it’s South Florida, Florida and Miami, and Miami hasn’t shown any interest so I had to make the right decision."

While his commitment to South Florida remains firm, he says that he will visit Florida in the near future. He claims that he’s looking forward to talking to the coaches and experiencing the Florida game day atmosphere.

"I speak to Coach Anderson at Florida over the phone at Florida, and we’ll see how it goes [when I visit there]," DeArmas said.

Despite his impending visit, DeArmas, who is one of the Miami area’s “sleeper” recruits, says he won’t waver on his commitment to South Florida.

"I doubt I could go there, because I saw what I needed to see of the coaches and the environment before I decided on South Florida," DeArmas said. "It’s a big factor that they’re going into the Big East next year.

I’m trying to go from playing on Friday nights to Saturday nights to Sunday mornings, and I need to get exposure. I think the Big East will still be a top conference, and South Florida should compete with the recruits they’re getting."