UCF and Minnesota are the final two schools for an intriguing defensive end prospect flying mostly under the radar when it comes to recruiting.
Tai'yon Devers graduated last spring from Pompano Beach (Fla.) Blanche Ely following his first ever season playing football. The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder moved on this fall to Georgia Prep Sports Academy, catching the attention of a handful of schools while registering 13 sacks.
A mid-year transfer eligible to enroll in January, UCF hosted him on an official visit this past Wednesday and Thursday.
"It was awesome," Devers said via text on Friday. "Felt like home again. "My favorite part was getting to know the players and wearing the jersey around campus."
The communication with Devers was brief as he was getting ready to board a plane for his second official visit to Minnesota. Oregon, San Diego State and Eastern Michigan had also been in communication.
Devers said he would announce a decision between the Knights and Gophers following his trip to Minneapolis.
During his attempt to garner recruiting publicity as a senior last year at Blanche Ely, Devers wrote the following biographical information at a site called ThePlay-Book.com, which touts itself as a "social network for athletes."
"I am a graduating senior and student-athlete at Blanche Ely High School. I started at defensive end on the Varsity football team. This is the first year that I played high school football and the only time that I ever played in the position of defensive end. Because of my stature, I was being groomed for wide receiver. Much to my surprise, my coach decided to move me to defensive end. I must admit that I was not thrilled about the shift initially, but I decided to submit to my coach's vision. With his guidance and the defensive coaching staff, I excelled as a defensive end. The experience of switching positions along with my accomplishments taught me that if I am flexible, versatile and remain coachable, I can excel at anything in life. I am not afraid of hard work and take direction well."
Last January, Devers earned Outstanding Defensive Player honors at the annual Broward County North-South All-Star Game.
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