One trip to the University of South Florida campus in April convinced rising senior Chris Garye Jr. that he had found the perfect place to play college football.
A few months later, Garye made it official by committing to the Bulls as part of their 2011 recruiting class.
Garye, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound safety at Tallahassee Lincoln High, becomes USF's fourth public commitment. He selected USF over scholarship offers from Iowa State, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, FIU, Louisville and Illinois, among others.
"I liked the surroundings at USF," Garye said. "When I went there for Junior Day, all the coaches there were all into the players' academics.
Every player had a laptop to help them stay on top of all their school work. That impressed me."
Garye said he was also impressed by first-year USF coach Skip Holtz.
"He loves to be with his players," Garye said. "That's all he talked about when I was down there. They've got real good chemistry."
Garye joins former Lincoln teammate B.J. Daniels, who started at quarterback for the Bulls last season. Daniels and Garye were teammates in football and basketball at Lincoln.
"B.J. is a big reason why I picked USF," Garye said.
Lincoln coach Yusuf Shakir said Garye is a "great fit" for the USF program.
"The coaches there, especially Rick Smith - their defensive backs coach - love big safeties," Shakir said. "It's a great up-and-coming program that really develops their players. Coach Holtz has been known for developing kids. I'm happy for Chris."
Garye, who also competed in track this past season for the Trojans, said he plans to take his official visit to USF following his senior season at Lincoln. He said he still expects to hear from other college coaches despite his commitment.
"I'll be straight up with them and tell them I'm going to USF," he said.
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