In this installment of the Recruit Notebook, we meet the latest talented pass rusher to join the talented, but rebuilding, Canes DL: DE Jahfari Harvey.

Bio

Jahfari Harvey wasn’t always a blue chip caliber recruit. As a junior at John Carroll Catholic school, Harvey was a 3-star prospect despite a robust stat line of 91 tackles, 12 sacks, and scored 2 defensive touchdowns in 2017. Harvey was a 1st team all-area player, and colleges started taking note.

Along with Miami, Georgia, Michigan, and Oregon all offered the 6’4” 225lb rush end. Miami, however, did so early on and worked to build a relationship with Harvey, and that paid off with building a strong connection with Harvey, which led to his commitment.

After Harvey transferred from Carroll Catholic to Vero Beach, his play continued to be exemplary. He routinely dominated games, and showcased elite skills that were far over his 3-star ranking. Harvey finally got a rankings bump to 4-stars early on in his senior season, and continued to prove why he’s touted as a blue chip recruit from there.

Harvey ended the 2018 season with 85 tackles, 18.5 TFL (something Miami’s defense is designed to give its players a chance to create, so that fits well), 7.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 3 fumble recoveries. And, that was against a high end schedule in Florida’s largest HSFB classification: 8A. So, Harvey wasn’t playing against scrubs; he was dominating the best of the best.

And moreover, once he committed to The U, Harvey was 100% locked in, and didn’t waiver at all, even when Manny Diaz left to be Temple’s new head coach.

And that, my friends, is why you should be very, very excited to have Jahfari Harvey on your team.

Recruiting Ranking

On the 247sports composite, Harvey is a 4-star prospect, the #14 DE nationally in this class, #33 in the State of Florida, and #220 recruit overall.

Harvey picked Miami from a long list of offers including Boston College, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Michigan, and Oregon.

As a Player

Harvey is well built at 6’4” 225lbs. He could stand to put on 20lbs of muscle, but Harvey is the same size coming out of HS as Jonathan Garvin was in the class of 2017. If you’ve been following Miami at all, you know that Garvin has both added weight and been a dominant player at DE for Miami.

Harvey’s first step is electric. His pass rushing moves are good and will only improve with time. The weight and strength that he’s sure to add in college will help Harvey be a better run defender, though he was fine at the HS level.

Lastly, Harvey has a knack for making big plays. Batting down passes. Sacking the QB. Forcing and recovering fumbles. If presented with the opportunity to make a play, Harvey invariably makes it. And that’s a special trait to have.

Strengths

• Athleticism
• Quickness/first step
• Pass rushing
• Motor
• Playmaking

Weaknesses

• Needs to add weight
• Run defense

2019 Outlook

Harvey is a player who has a chance to work his way into the lineup for the Canes in 2019. He probably won’t start, but he could be used in the DE rotation, and on special teams.

Chances for a redshirt: 1/10

There’s always the chance that a freshman could redshirt, but Miami needs DEs and Harvey is a darn good one. Miami is known for playing the players who earn their way on the field, and Harvey figures to do just that.

That’s it for this installment of the Recruit Notebook.

Go Canes