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football Edit

Miami flips Jakai Clark

Jakai Clark received a surprise offer from Miami last Wednesday. Jess Simpson, the defensive line coach for the Hurricanes showed up at Loganville (Ga.) Grayson that day, and before the day ended, Clark had the offer.

The 6-foot-2, 306 pound center was committed to Illinois at the time and had never even received a letter from Miami. He had never spoken to a coach on the Hurricane staff. Until December 5. That offer really gave Clark a lot to think about.

He quickly scheduled an official visit for the weekend, and before he left Coral Gables, he was committed to Mark Richt and the Hurricanes.

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IN HIS OWN WORDS

"I just wanted to get to Miami and see how I felt around the coaches," said Clark. "I left for the visit with the mind set of; if I feel wanted and needed, and I don't feel like a back-up plan, then I will probably end up at Miami.

"The coaches made me feel important. They spent a lot of time with me. They had a lot of great things to say. I kind of knew, if I liked it, I was going to commit, so I did.

"I met with coach Searels Sunday morning first, and he told me if I wanted to commit to let coach Richt know. I went into coach Richt's office, we talked and I told him I wanted to commit to Miami. We were going to try to keep it quiet, but as soon as I told coach Richt, he ran out and told coach Searels. Coach Searels started screaming and telling everyone. It was crazy.

"The vibe at Miami was just different. It was like I was in my own world. It is winter everywhere else, and I am in Miami, on the beach and it is warm. It was just different and I liked it.

"The school is great too. It is a smaller campus and much easier to get around than other places I have been. I liked it. My parents liked it. There is not much more you can ask for than what Miami has to offer.

"There have been a lot of ups and downs in my recruitment, but I know Miami is the right place for me. I really knew it Saturday. I talked to my parents about it then, then I talked to coach Richt Sunday morning.

"I feel really confident in my decision and I think Miami is going to do great things in the future."

RIVALS REACTION

Clark is a football player. He is a true center and a leader up front. This is a good pick up for Miami and Clark will come in ready to compete. He plays at a top program in Georgia, his head coach is a former SEC offensive lineman and he is a tough young man. The center position is not flashy, but very important and Clark will give Mark Richt and his staff a real option here in the years ahead.

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