As you may have seen in the post introducing me to the CanesInSight team, I work at Miramar High School. Today, I had the chance to speak to one of the highest rated players on the Patriots’ roster: Linebacker Jermaine "Country" Grace. Here’s what the 4 star prospect had to say about his recruiting process, and how the Canes fit into the picture.
Underwood: Tell me how your recruiting is shaping up at this point.
Grace: Right now, UM and Tennessee are in the lead in my top 5. I’m still looking for other 3, but should have them soon. Being in Tennessee (for a camp) was fun for me. Being in other places, meeting new people and seeing new things is awesome. I want to visit other places, further places, and see how the environments are, and find out if they’re for me.
Underwood: Miami is an ACC school. Tennessee is an SEC school. Are you looking to stay in the ACC/SEC area, or might you be looking west, a la 2012 Miramar graduate Marrell Jackson, who ended up at Hawai’i?
Grace: SEC is a conference I want to visit. You play great competition, and they have great teams all over. If it’s not an SEC team, I’ll probably stay ACC. That's where I'm really looking right now.
Underwood: So you want to be somewhere that plays in Miami on a regular basis?
Grace: Yeah, that’s pretty big to me.
Underwood: Ok. Well, you’ve already mentioned Miami, what other ACC schools are recruiting you?
Grace: Florida State has been talking to me a lot. A couple others too.
Underwood: Now, with Malcolm Lewis, Tracy Howard, and all the South Florida guys being at the U now, is that a factor in choosing your collegiate destination?
Grace: It’s a big draw, seeing those guys there at the U. I grew up with them, played with them for 7 or 8 years. If I go to Miami, Tracy can help me learn the defense, and hopefully I can go there and have the same kind of impact that he’s having as a true freshman.
Underwood: Will you be attending UM senior day this weekend?
Grace:Yeah, I’ll be going there. Coaches have been trying to get me to take an unofficial visit to see Tracy and Malcolm in practice for a while, but it just hasn’t worked out yet. I’m excited, and I’ll be there on time for Senior Day.
Underwood: You mentioned playing as a freshman is important to you. Is it a deal breaker?
Grace: It matters, but it’s not everything. If the coaches redshirt me, I’ll use that year to focus on academics, and continue to get bigger, faster, and stronger so when I come back I can start. Whatever I have to do, that’s fine. I know I’m a hard worker. I’ll show the coaches that I am focused, and earn my way on the field.
Underwood: You get a lot of mail from a lot of Schools. What makes a school fall off your list?
Grace: Things like what’s happening at Penn State. They’ve been in the news almost every day, and it’s pretty much all bad news. That’s just a lot of drama, a lot of stuff going on right now. I don’t think that would be the place for me.
Underwood: Speaking of drama, the threat of sanctions is looming at Miami. If the NCAA comes down harsh, would that eliminate the Canes for you?
Grace: Yeah, I see what you mean. But, here’s the difference between the Penn State situation and whatever might happen to the U: Penn State has never been through anything like this. They have never had sanctions, and had to recover. Miami has. That shows me that even if the NCAA took scholarships, or whatever, Miami has a plan, and they will recover. So for me, that actually is a good thing. They know how to handle the pressure, and come back even stronger.
Underwood: Thanks for the time Country.
Grace: No problem
That's what Jermaine Grace had to say. What say you, Canes fans?
Underwood: Tell me how your recruiting is shaping up at this point.
Grace: Right now, UM and Tennessee are in the lead in my top 5. I’m still looking for other 3, but should have them soon. Being in Tennessee (for a camp) was fun for me. Being in other places, meeting new people and seeing new things is awesome. I want to visit other places, further places, and see how the environments are, and find out if they’re for me.
Underwood: Miami is an ACC school. Tennessee is an SEC school. Are you looking to stay in the ACC/SEC area, or might you be looking west, a la 2012 Miramar graduate Marrell Jackson, who ended up at Hawai’i?
Grace: SEC is a conference I want to visit. You play great competition, and they have great teams all over. If it’s not an SEC team, I’ll probably stay ACC. That's where I'm really looking right now.
Underwood: So you want to be somewhere that plays in Miami on a regular basis?
Grace: Yeah, that’s pretty big to me.
Underwood: Ok. Well, you’ve already mentioned Miami, what other ACC schools are recruiting you?
Grace: Florida State has been talking to me a lot. A couple others too.
Underwood: Now, with Malcolm Lewis, Tracy Howard, and all the South Florida guys being at the U now, is that a factor in choosing your collegiate destination?
Grace: It’s a big draw, seeing those guys there at the U. I grew up with them, played with them for 7 or 8 years. If I go to Miami, Tracy can help me learn the defense, and hopefully I can go there and have the same kind of impact that he’s having as a true freshman.
Underwood: Will you be attending UM senior day this weekend?
Grace:Yeah, I’ll be going there. Coaches have been trying to get me to take an unofficial visit to see Tracy and Malcolm in practice for a while, but it just hasn’t worked out yet. I’m excited, and I’ll be there on time for Senior Day.
Underwood: You mentioned playing as a freshman is important to you. Is it a deal breaker?
Grace: It matters, but it’s not everything. If the coaches redshirt me, I’ll use that year to focus on academics, and continue to get bigger, faster, and stronger so when I come back I can start. Whatever I have to do, that’s fine. I know I’m a hard worker. I’ll show the coaches that I am focused, and earn my way on the field.
Underwood: You get a lot of mail from a lot of Schools. What makes a school fall off your list?
Grace: Things like what’s happening at Penn State. They’ve been in the news almost every day, and it’s pretty much all bad news. That’s just a lot of drama, a lot of stuff going on right now. I don’t think that would be the place for me.
Underwood: Speaking of drama, the threat of sanctions is looming at Miami. If the NCAA comes down harsh, would that eliminate the Canes for you?
Grace: Yeah, I see what you mean. But, here’s the difference between the Penn State situation and whatever might happen to the U: Penn State has never been through anything like this. They have never had sanctions, and had to recover. Miami has. That shows me that even if the NCAA took scholarships, or whatever, Miami has a plan, and they will recover. So for me, that actually is a good thing. They know how to handle the pressure, and come back even stronger.
Underwood: Thanks for the time Country.
Grace: No problem
That's what Jermaine Grace had to say. What say you, Canes fans?
