Shaw’s T.J. Harvey signs with Southern Mississippi

In the days leading up to college football’s early signing period, Shaw senior long snapper T.J. Harvey received interest from several prominent schools. In the end, Harvey decided to stick by the school that first showed major interest in his play.

Harvey signed a full scholarship with Southern Mississippi on Wednesday in a ceremony at Shaw High School. Harvey’s signing came after he originally committed to the Golden Eagles in July.

“As soon as I stepped on campus in July for a camp, I knew it was home,” Harvey said. “It was where I wanted to be for the next four years. The coaches welcomed me with such hospitality. All the players were so nice. Everything was so great, just to be down there and to see everything.”

Though Harvey had verbally committed to Southern Miss, he still had other options. Harvey said Georgia visited him a couple of days ago and inquired about how committed he really was. Georgia Tech showed interest as well and asked if Harvey would walk on to the team.

As tempting as staying in state could have been, Harvey ultimately passed on the Peach State schools.

“I just knew Southern Miss was where I needed to go,” Harvey said. “The main reason I wanted to be with Southern Miss was they stuck with me from the beginning. They’ve been on the journey with me, and it’s a great feeling to have them there.”

Wednesday’s signing was the payoff for an immeasurable amount of work by Harvey.

Harvey said he first started long snapping in seventh grade out of necessity but bowed out of football to play baseball instead. Harvey returned to long snapping as a sophomore at Shaw, and by his junior year he felt playing collegiately was a real option.

In order to reach that goal, Harvey knew he needed to practice relentlessly. So that’s exactly what he did. Whether in the backyard or at the beach, Harvey dedicated time to his craft in pursuit of becoming a next-level prospect.

“I don’t believe so much in luck. I believe in preparing,” Harvey said. “When people say, ‘Good luck,’ I don’t really look at that too much. It’s more of if you’ve prepared enough. I feel like the more I prepare, the more I’ll be prepared for Southern Miss.”

Harvey said he takes pride in representing Shaw at the next level, saying he hopes it sets the foundation for Shaw players to follow in his footsteps. Harvey’s coaches explained he regularly helped several Raiders, often showing them his snapping techniques as well as sharing his own experiences.

Harvey has done his part to help the Raiders program. Come next fall, he’ll get his chance to do the same with Southern Miss.

“It’s going to be a big atmosphere and a big stadium,” Harvey said. “It’s going to be a totally different feeling from Friday nights. I feel like I’ve prepared enough for that.”

This story was originally published December 20, 2017 at 5:59 PM with the headline "Shaw’s T.J. Harvey signs with Southern Mississippi."