Avante George found everything he was looking for at Keiser University — a school in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The Rosewood senior signed a national letter of intent to play football for the Seahawks on Tuesday afternoon.
“It feels unreal. Time really flies,” George said.
During his recruitment period, George spoke with the coaching staff about his skills on the football field, but more importantly, they talked about George’s character off the field. George will head down to South Florida for his official visit on June 18.
“The recruiting process at first was really stressful. I didn’t know if I’d be playing anywhere at the next level, but during the season, Keiser saw one of my clips, and the head coach contacted me,” George said. “They wanted to make an offer, but they wanted to know how I was as a person before they made the offer.”
George, who plans to major in kinesiology, had a monster season for the Eagles. He rushed for over 1,300 yards, 18 touchdowns, and he averaged 160.6 yards in just eight games this season.
The Eagles reached the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1A football playoffs every season during George’s time in an Eagles’ jersey.
Rosewood also won the Carolina 1A Conference in 2019.
“Everybody here at Rosewood is like family. They’re more than brothers, and the coaches are like fathers to me. They helped me when I was low. They helped me with my schoolwork and everything.
“I want to thank the coaches for helping me get this far, and I also have to thank my dad because he put the ball in my hand at five years old.”
Keiser University, which only started its football program in 2018, finished 9-1 overall last season, including a 5-0 worksheet in Sun Conference play.
The Seahawks also reached the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) semifinals last season.
George’s biggest asset is the work ethic that he has shown in the weight room and workouts related to football, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to adjust to the faster pace of the college game.
“It’s always good to see someone get rewarded for hard work. Avante has put in an extreme amount of hard work ever since he walked on this campus,” Rosewood head coach Robert Britt said. “He was an automatic leader in the weight room. He didn’t get outworked in the weight room, and he always did everything we asked him to do.”
“I’m just extremely proud of him.”
