5 players pick Division I schools during Deerfield Beach’s ceremony
The Duffy’s Sports Grill in Deerfield Beach was the epicenter of the college football recruiting universe on Tuesday.
Deerfield Beach, which has sent many players to Division I college programs and to the NFL, hosted a commitment ceremony for five prominent seniors who will graduate in 2022: offensive lineman David Conner, wide receiver Joseph Kennerly, linebacker Daterius Lee, running back Jaziun Patterson and defensive lineman Alton Tarber.
Two players decided to stay in Florida; Conner committed to the Florida Gators, and Lee picked the Florida A&M Rattlers. The three others will head out of state: Kennerly committed to the Youngstown State Penguins, Patterson picked the Iowa Hawkeyes and Tarber committed to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
“It’s a great night,” Bucks coach Jevon Glenn said. “It’s one of those special nights in our program where we can come out and just celebrate the individual success, which actually ties right into team success. It never gets old to be able to watch these kids be able to tell mom and dad that college is paid for.”
Patterson closed the night with his commitment to Iowa. The Bucks running back is rated a three-star prospect in 247 Sports’ composite rankings, and he is listed as the No. 34 running back and No. 463 player in the 2022 class. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Patterson ran for 511 yards and seven touchdowns on 63 carries last season and was an All-County honorable mention.
Patterson said his relationship with the coaching staff is what drew
him to the Big Ten program.
I like the people,” Patterson said. “I feel like their intentions are genuine with me. I feel like they’re interested in me as a person and as a player. I felt like that’s family and that’s the type of crowd I want to surround myself with for the next three to four years.
“I love coach [Kirk] Ferentz. I had a one-on-one conversation with coach Ferentz about life and stuff. Coach [Ladell] Betts, he’s my guy. I already had a relationship with him.”
Tarber joins Patterson in heading to an out-of-state program, but he is headed to the Atlantic Coast Conference. Tarber is listed as the No. 142 defensive lineman in the 2022 class and the No. 1,060 player in the class.
The Bucks defensive lineman was a second-team All-County pick after notching 28 tackles, including 11 tackles for loss, and four sacks. He
said he picked the Yellow Jackets because he wanted to live in Atlanta and had a close relationship with defensive line coach Larry Knight.
“The bond that I had with coach Knight [drew me to Georgia Tech],” Tarber said. “I had a good bond with coach Knight.”
Conner was the lone Buck to choose an in-state Power 5 program on Tuesday, committing to Florida. Conner is beginning his first season with Deerfield Beach after transferring from Martin Luther King Jr. High in Decatur, Georgia.
Conner, who is rated a three-star prospect and the No. 109 senior offensive lineman, knew he was going to commit to Florida after taking an unofficial visit to the campus and working out for the coaching staff in July.
“After the workout, I knew that was where I was going,” Conner said. “I knew I was going to be a Gator.”
Kennerly and Lee are both headed to FCS schools, with Lee choosing FAMU and Kennerly going to Youngstown State in Ohio.
Lee said it was important for him to chose a historically Black university such as FAMU.
“It’s a way for me to connect to my roots, honestly,” Lee said. “Just being able to show that you can do it from an HBCU, too. It doesn’t have to be a [predominantly white institution]. It can be anywhere. It was very important to me. I just want to be able to show young kids out here, growing up, that you don’t have to go to a big Power 5 school to be important or be successful.”
Lee said he and his newly committed Bucks teammates are hoping to lead Deerfield to the program’s first-ever state championship.
“All I’m going to stay is we’re back for states this year,” Lee said. “Deerfield Beach, we’re back on the rise.”