2023 early football signing day in Brevard County: Clemson, UCF, West Virginia sign players
Melbourne Central Catholic senior receiver DayDay Farmer pulled the rare surprise for a Brevard County high school football senior by signing with West Virginia after having been planning to play for the UCF Knights.
Farmer, a member of the 321preps Dandy Dozen list of top Brevard high school senior football recruits this year, has been a star receiver at Holy Trinity, Cocoa, and most recently MCC during his playing days.
"I just feel like it's a great opportunity to actually get outside the state of Florida and experience a whole new life and whole new world," Farmer said.
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In an injury-shortened 2023 season, he caught 18 passes for 302 yards, but the year before, he made 63 catches for 938 yards and scored 10 times through the air for the 2022 FHSAA Class 2S state champion Cocoa Tigers.
Heritage High's Adam Kissayi started the parade of Brevard County high school football signees Wednesday morning, putting ink to paper in the school's auditorium to play defensive end for Clemson.
Listed at 6-foot-7 and 230 pounds, the senior and 321preps Dandy Dozen recruit targeted the Tigers in his youth and set out to make it happen. He eventually attended a Clemson football camp and told head coach Dabo Swinney he was there to earn a scholarship.
"I just made it my goal to just grind, grind, grind and try to make it there," Kissayi said. "I didn't let nobody tell me no other answer. I had to make it, and that's what I did."
Rockledge High held an afternoon gathering to recognize the signing of two defensive stars: safety Jaylen Heyward and linebacker D.J. McCormick. Both signed with new Big 12 member UCF. Heyward was Brevard's most highly-touted senior recruit and initially picked Georgia, but switched in August. Both were on the 321preps Dandy Dozen list of the top senior recruits in the area.
Heyward talked about the end of the long recruiting process.
"This morning, when I woke up, I took a deep breath" he said. "It's a really big accomplishment. It's a blessing of God to be able to go to college for free and to go to college with my teammate."
McCormick, who has accounted for 318 tackles in three years with the Raiders, reflected on that ending.
"I was kind of sad, but I feel blessed at the same time," McCormick said. "It's a chapter coming to an end. I loved my time here. I wish I could get it back, but I'm on to bigger things."
Cocoa High and other Brevard County high schools will hold February ceremonies. Tigers defensive lineman Loren Ward did sign his papers with Florida Atlantic on Wednesday.
Today around the state of Florida: Signing day live blog
Early football signees from Brevard high schools
DayDay Farmer, MCC to West Virginia
Jaylen Heyward, Rockledge to UCF
Adam Kissayi, Heritage to Clemson
D.J. McCormick, Rockledge to UCF
Loren Ward, Cocoa to Florida Atlantic
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: 2023 early football signing day in Brevard County
