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Randy Shannon might have Miami's next great DB in Prince Kent.

Kent Committed To Doing It The Right Way

By Billy Tucker, Scouts Inc.

This week saw one of the most coveted defensive back prospects come off the board when ESPN 150 Watch List safety Prince Kent (Norcross, Ga.) announced he was headed to the University of Miami. As most prospects commonly use this public platform to boast and declare how their elite skills will make an immediate impact at their chosen institution, this 18-year-old surprised many with a different kind of commitment speech.

Prior to announcing his pledge to Miami, Kent didn't remind the packed house at Norcross High School about his rare combination of strong safety size and cover-corner speed. Instead, they heard a personal pledge, a promise of sorts, on how he planned to transform his life in an effort to become a better son, teammate and overall person.

On Monday, July 21, Kent made four important commitments: to his mother Bernetta Walker, to his Norcross teammates and coaches and finally to the University of Miami.

In March 2008, Kent made some off-field noise -- but it wasn't about his soaring recruiting stock. The Georgia native told the audience he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but "what happened, happened," and he couldn't do anything about his brush with the law now -- stemming from a BB gun incident -- except to try and learn from it and evolve as a person. Kent started off his news conference by making a heartfelt pledge to become a better son to a military mother who has served time in Iraq.

"I told my mom I was going to learn from my mistake, become a more positive person and show people that wasn't my real style," Kent said. "I made a commitment to do the little things for people that are not expected and just to become a better person and son. I made a commitment to my mother that one mistake was not going to bring me down, and that I would correct my image for her."

Kent attributed his current success to the hard work of his fellow teammates then vowed to become a better one himself. The 6-foot-3 defensive back acknowledged he was often touted as one of the nation's premier players during the summer camp circuit, but Kent said it deflated his ego more than pumping it.

"I told my teammates I knew I was personally ranked high on the scouting services, but realized the importance of teamwork this summer during camps," Kent said.

"I told them when I did one-on-one drills and was locked up on an island [covering faster wide receivers], the QBs had all the time to throw, and I didn't look as great without my D-line there to pressure the pass," Kent said.

Kent made a commitment to stress the importance of teamwork this fall and to become a better leader.

Kent gave appreciation to the Norcross coaching staff for molding him and then made a commitment to provide more than just big plays his senior season. The skilled athlete pledged to lead by example in an effort to bring the team further in the Georgia state playoffs.

"I let my coaches know that I was making a commitment to bringing it every day to practice and to being the leader that they need," Kent said. "I made a promise I would help our team win and take our program to the next level."

Kent first told the audience he was blessed with opportunity to choose from his final three schools of Clemson, Alabama and Miami. He noted that they all offered the similar attributes he was looking for in a program; most importantly, great coaches and a solid education. Though in the end, he stated it was Miami's rich football history and his comfort level with the school that sold him.

"I committed to Miami because it just felt like home the moment I stepped on campus; I loved the atmosphere," Kent said. "I also like its great tradition and how their alumni come back to finish their degrees and support the program."

Kent added that Miami is doing great job of rebuilding the program; similar to the way this young man is transforming his own life. The future Miami Hurricane admitted he was pacing around the bathroom prior to his announcement with similar nerves he gets on game day. So why did he instill the added pressure instead of just the traditional donning of the college hat?

"I wanted to make it into something positive and send a good message," Kent said. "People called me after and said they really felt where I was coming from. A few even said they were crying at the press conference."

Prince Kent made a significant football commitment this week and perhaps a more important pledge to change his life in a positive way. It looks like he is off to a promising start.

FSU Building Strong D-line Class

Florida State claimed the No. 8 spot in our most recent class rankings in large part due to the dominate defensive front it is luring to Tallahassee. That future line got even more explosive this week when Under Armour All-American Demonte McAllister (Tampa, Fla./Alonso) pulled the trigger after the Seminole Showtime Camp on July 19.

McAllister joins fellow ESPN 150 Watch List defensive linemen Brandon Jenkins (Tallahassee, Fla./Florida), Ed Stinson (Homestead, Fla./South Dade) and Jacobbi McDaniel (Greenville, Fla./Madison County), arguably one of the premiere defensive tackles in this class. All four are quicker, disruptive linemen with the coveted skill of getting after the quarterback; an instrumental part of Mickey Andrews' defense that has been recently dormant. This type of committed quality might have been more expected in years past when the Seminoles were a perennial power and had a reputation for placing defensive linemen high in the NFL draft. Yet, the subpar campaigns, much hyped off-the-field issues and uncertainty surrounding an ageless head coach have done little to deter these four prospects from choosing the Seminoles. FSU's proximity for in-state players, veteran coaching staff and storied tradition still hold a lot of weight for top-tier prospects, but sometimes it is other variables, as in the case of McAllister, that can't be measured.

Katina Daniels, McAllister's mother, was a highly-regarded student-athlete with a cherished scholarship to FSU out of high school, but unfortunately never got to fulfill her dream of attending. She did tell us she had a different kind of dream a few years ago, a vivid one, in which her son won two national championships at Florida State and handed her one of the rings in appreciation for all she had sacrificed for him. While not the sole reason for his commitment, Daniels did say her son's ability to fulfill both their dreams was influential.