The Laker/Lutz News

Jaye Miner

Local gridiron star makes college announcement

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One of the area’s top football players plans to head north for his college career.

Jordan Miner, a rising senior defensive back at Wiregrass Ranch High School, has verbally committed to Penn State University, a Division I FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) program in State College, Pennsylvania.

Jordan Miner

He made the announcement on July 6, during a broadcast on Spectrum Sports Florida television network.

“I want to win states, so (making a decision) would be extra pressure off my back,” Miner said during the broadcast.

He added that academics was one of the biggest factors in his decision.

The four-star recruit — who claims nearly 30 scholarship offers — chose the Nittany Lions over University of Maryland, University of Oregon, University of Tennessee and University of Florida, among others.

In a later statement, Miner wrote, “…I would like to thank all of the coaches that took a chance on me in this recruiting process, but after all this time and prayer, I have decided it is best for me to attend college at Penn State.”

Miner (6-foot-1, 177 pounds) is widely regarded as one of the best players in Tampa Bay and throughout the state, based on various recruiting publications.

According to 247Sports, Miner is the nation’s No. 30 cornerback and the No. 49 prospect in Florida, ranked among the top 300 prospects for the 2018 recruiting class.

Other outlets, including Rivals.com, Scout.com and ESPN.com, have likewise rated Miner among the nation’s elite.

Jordan Miner was one of the key pieces that helped guide Wiregrass Ranch to a 7-3 mark and playoff appearance last season — its first winning campaign since 2010.
He finished the 2016 season with 38 tackles, hauled in three interceptions and forced a fumble last season. Also a standout on special teams, Miner averaged over 33 yards per kick return. (File)

“Miner flashes impressive ball skills by high-pointing the ball, but also does a nice job of transforming into an offensive weapon once tucking it away,” a Scout.com evaluation report reads. “He also impresses with his ability to adjust and track the ball through the air. Miner has to continue to strengthen up his frame, but is a tough kid who is willing to come downhill with physicality. He does a good job of reading and reacting, and then closes on the ball in a hurry. Miner is not a blazer, but does a nice job of accelerating away from opponents.”

Miner, meanwhile, was one of the key pieces that helped guide Wiregrass Ranch to a 7-3 mark and playoff appearance last season — its first winning campaign since 2010.

He finished the 2016 season with 38 tackles, hauled in three interceptions and forced a fumble last season. Also a standout on special teams, Miner averaged over 33 yards per kick return.

He isn’t the only blue-chip football prospect in Wesley Chapel, however.

Isaiah Bolden, a rising senior at Wesley Chapel High School, is another highly rated, four-star cornerback prospect.

Bolden (6-foot-2, 175 pounds) verbally committed to the University of Oregon in April.
According to 247Sports, Bolden is rated as the nation’s No. 20 cornerback and the No. 37 prospect in Florida, and ranked among the nation’s top 200 prospects for the entire 2018 recruiting class.

If Miner ultimately signs with Penn State, he will join one of the nation’s most recognizable college football programs — and one that’s on the rise under fourth-year head coach James Franklin. Last season, Penn State went 11-3 and made a Rose Bowl appearance after winning the Big Ten Conference championship. (Courtesy of Penn State Athletics)

All verbal commitments are nonbinding until prospects sign national letters of intent or financial aid papers. This year, prospects can sign as early as Dec. 20, due to the new early signing period. That 72-hour window runs from Dec. 20 to Dec. 22.

If Miner ultimately signs with Penn State, he will be joining one of the nation’s most recognizable college football programs — and one that’s on the rise under fourth-year head coach James Franklin.

Last season, Penn State went 11-3 and made a Rose Bowl appearance after winning the Big Ten Conference championship.

And, Miner likely won’t be the only athlete from The Laker/Lutz News coverage area on the Penn State football roster come 2018.

Gaither High School product Amani Oruwariye is entering his redshirt junior season with the Nittany Lions, as a defensive back.

Followers of the Pasco County prep football scene may recognize the Miner name.

Jordan’s older brother, Jaye Miner, was an All-State linebacker at Wiregrass Ranch High School from 2011 to 2014. He later played college football at Florida Atlantic University, a Division I FBS program in Boca Raton.

Published July 19, 2017

Sign Here: Local athletes commit to colleges

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High school seniors are used to writing.

On Feb. 4, though, a number of student-athletes did some writing that will change their lives.

Family members surround Mark Hutchinson, left, and Jaye Miner of Wiregrass Ranch High School as they sign their letters of intent to play college football. They're the first players in the school’s history to sign with NCAA Division I schools. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo
Family members surround Mark Hutchinson, left, and Jaye Miner of Wiregrass Ranch High School as they sign their letters of intent to play college football. They’re the first players in the school’s history to sign with NCAA Division I schools.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photo

“It feels good,” said Austin Yeloushan, a senior at Sunlake High School. “Finally, I’m committed and ready to go play somewhere.” Yeloushan was one of thousands of athletes around the country who participated in National Signing Day, the first day that a high school football player can sign a binding letter of intent with a member school of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

Yeloushan accepted an offer to attend Jacksonville University, where he’ll also play on defense for the Dolphins. In addition to the football opportunity, he was impressed with the school’s academic offerings and its location. He plans to study business.

He’s also working out several times a day and adding in a lot of running in order to get ready to play football at the collegiate level. Although he had a stellar high school career, Yeloushan knows that the level of competition is tougher in college, and he wants to be prepared.

“I feel like everyone that’s really good from their high school goes to college. So it’s just going to be like a big all-star game,” he said.

Jaye Miner, a linebacker from Wiregrass Ranch High School, feels the same way.

“In college it’s like an all-star team every game,” he said. “I know I can’t take anything easy. Everyone’s going to be bigger, stronger, faster.” Miner received 14 offers to play football at the next level, and chose Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton on National Signing Day. He plans to study photography, sports medicine or marine biology in the classroom, and learn from his more experienced teammates on the football field.

He might be getting some early experience himself when the Owls’ season starts. Due to a lack of linebacker depth at FAU, Miner said he has a good chance of starting games early in his career.

If he’s in the starting lineup when the Owls play Florida International University on Oct. 31, he’ll face off against a former teammate’s new school. Mark Hutchinson, a Wiregrass Ranch wide receiver, sat next to Miner on Feb. 4 and signed his own papers to play at the next level. He chose FIU and will attend on a full scholarship.

Not bad for a kid who was cut from his seventh-grade football team.

“It was my first year. I was scrawny. I was a skinny little boy,” Hutchinson recalled. “So I had to put in a lot of work, a lot of effort and focus. Because I knew this was something I wanted. I wanted to be an athlete in high school.”

Now that he’s completed a standout athletic career in high school, Hutchinson knows he’ll have something to prove when he enters college as a freshman. But working his way up is nothing new for Hutchinson. He started his freshman year on the junior varsity team before earning a promotion to varsity. He’s focusing on adding strength in the off-season to be prepared when they call his number.

Miner and Hutchinson are good friends and have been playing together for years. And even before they were seriously thinking about Division I college football and making big life decisions, this is a moment they considered.

“In Mark’s room right now, he has a chalkboard wall. It says ‘D-1 bound.’ We wrote that when we were in seventh grade,” Miner said.

Friends and family were in attendance at National Signing Day to congratulate the athletes, coaches praised their abilities, and the schools served cake to help celebrate the event. And while they’re proud of their athletes and have confidence in them at the next level, those athletes are leaving big shoes to fill on their football teams. When the new season comes around, the coaches will have to replace their talented athletes who have moved on from Friday night games to playing on Saturdays.

“You miss all your seniors. You really do,” said Sunlake coach Bill Browning at Yeloushan’s signing event. “And he’s been really successful here, so we’ll miss him.”

Published February 11, 2015