PORT ST. LUCIE – Knijeah Harris had six Power 5 colleges to choose from during Saturday’s (May 7) commitment ceremony at Centennial High School’s auditorium.
With a host of family members, friends, and coaches on hand to witness the special occasion for the 247Sports.com four-star offensive lineman, the schools in play were Florida, Miami, Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and Michigan State.
The IMG Academy 2023 offensive lineman pulled a move that stunned many people in attendance.
As Harris thanked his parents, loved ones, and others for helping him reach this point of his young life, he said the following:
“For the next 3-4 years, I’ll be…to the…,” Harris said right before his decision.
The 6-foot-3, 335-pound offensive lineman reached for the Miami hat on display as if he was going to go with the ACC school.
But in a pump fake on that, he let his hand go from the Miami hat to the laughter of his mother and said the following next.
“I’ll be going to the University of Florida,” Harris said as he pulled his Florida hat from a box below a table and then opened up his jacket that revealed a Florida Gators shirt.
Harris’s mom took her orange shirt off and showed off a blue Napier Nation shirt, while his father took off an IMG Academy shirt and revealed a Florida shirt of his own.
And much to the bewilderment of those in attendance, a curtain behind the stage opened and displayed a blow-up graphic of Harris in Florida Gators football gear.
After the ceremony ended, Harris hosted a photo-op session with everyone at the ceremony and spoke about the reasoning for his decision.
“My visit…great visit. Felt like home,” said Harris, who began his high school football career as a freshman at Centennial before transferring to IMG Academy afterward. “Taking to Coach [Billy] Napier and all the coaches, they all get it.”
Harris transitioned over to his high school journey, which has been at IMG Academy since his sophomore year.
“Two years ago, I had an opportunity to go to IMG with one of my teammates (Kamari Wilson; 247Sports.com five-star safety; 2022 class; Florida enrollee in January),” Harris said. “Ever since then, it’s been amazing. Going against the best, playing against the best week in and week out. I developed great. I gave Centennial an A for helping me get recruited and allowing me to go.”
Harris spoke about his hometown of Pahokee in his own way.
“I moved away from there when I was 10 years old,” Harris said. “But you know I have a lot of ties there with my family. So I go down there every once in a while. I have some people from there and from here (Port St. Lucie) supporting me today. So you know, that’s always going to be home.”
Harris spoke of the immense level of love he has been receiving – and will always receive – from his family and beyond.
“It’s a blessing to have all these people supporting me,” Harris said. “Without all these people, I wouldn’t be here today. I’m just blessed. God put me in the position, and I’m going to take advantage of it.”
