On Friday morning, Miami went into South Georgia and beat out Auburn and North Carolina for Savannah (Ga.) Benedictine Military School EDGE Herbert ‘Third’ Scroggins.
The Tigers were the heavy favorite on the Crystal Ball this summer, but after finishing out the official visit process in Coral Gables with the Hurricanes, he has elected to play his football in South Florida under the tutelage of an NFL Hall of Famer.
“I took my last [official visit] and I came in with an open mind,” Scroggins told InsideTheU ahead of his announcement. “Auburn was a good school and I was leaning towards them, but when I took that OV to Miami, the players and the coaches, they were setting things up. [Mario] Cristobal played a good role in there because he’s a very humble dude, he’s very down to earth. You can have a conversation with him. Really the whole coaching staff and the players, it’s just down-to-earth people. It just gave great vibes throughout the whole visit.”
The opportunity to learn under Taylor, who has played the game at the highest level and was awarded a gold jacket after a career that produced 139.5 sacks, was too difficult to pass up.
“It was hard. You can’t pass up that opportunity to be coached up by a Hall of Famer. He knows–he played the same position as you. He can better your craft and better your game. You can’t really pass up on that, man. He’s a great coach, great guy,” Scroggins said.
Set to arrive in Miami in January as an early enrollee, the 6-foot-2, 235-pounder is eager to get down and get to work at the turn of the calendar.
“Going against great competition and being coached by Coach Taylor. I just want to develop and get better, man. My dream is to make it to the NFL since I was little–I always had that dream. I just want to go there and work, work my tail off, and just get better day by day. That’s what excites me most–getting better day by day in that heat, in that weather.”
Scroggins, who is considered an ’88’ prospect according to 247Sports, generated 12 sacks as a junior while adding ten more tackles for loss. He also played basketball as a junior for the Cadets.
The Hurricanes now own 14 commitments in the Class of 2025. The group ranks No. 15 nationally.
