Earl Little Jr. continues American Heritage’s SEC pipeline at cornerback
Many high school football prospects pull out a baseball cap when they announce what school they’re picking. American Heritage star defensive back Earl Little Jr. went a different direction on Wednesday. He picked a hat he saw his future coach wear: a wide-brimmed boater hat emblazoned with the letter ‘A.’
“Coach [Nick] Saban wears this hat during the practice all the time,” Little said. “That’s going to be my coach in the future, so I just try to copy him and make him proud.”
Little chose Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide at a signing ceremony at his school on Wednesday, which was the first day of the Early Signing Period. The ceremony was broadcast live on ESPN2.
“Alabama’s a very prestigious school,” Little said. “They put out a lot of talent every year, especially at the DB position.”
Little chose the Crimson Tide over FSU and Miami. His father, Earl Little Sr., played for Miami, and the Hurricanes made a push for the younger Little after they hired new coach Mario Cristobal.
“I learned a lot of things from coach Cristobal,” Little said. ”He wanted me to get there. He’s from Miami, so he wanted me to stay in Miami, stay home with him. He’s cool with my father, so that relationship is pretty cool. He was grinding hard for me those last couple of days. He got here, came to my house on the night he got to Miami, still in his suit, so I commend him for that.”
Little, who was a Sun Sentinel Super 11 pick entering the season, is rated a four-star prospect in 247Sports’ composite rankings. He is listed as the No. 12 cornerback and No. 101 player in the 2022 class.
Little, had 34 tackles in his senior season, looks to join an elite group of Heritage grads at corner who recently went on to play in the Southeastern Conference and then the NFL.
Marco Wilson, who graduated in 2017, went to the University of Florida and is a rookie with the Arizona Cardinals. The next year, Patriots coach and former Dolphins cornerback standout Patrick Surtain saw Tyson Campbell (Georgia) and his son, Patrick (Alabama), put the pen to paper. Campbell is a rookie with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Surtain is having a standout debut season with the Denver Broncos.
Little said he spoke with the younger Surtain and former St. Thomas Aquinas defensive back Jordan Battle about their time at Alabama.
“We all have a strong relationship, just asking those guys about the school what it had to offer and what coach Saban taught them,” Little said. “Just getting tips and chips from them so I can use them ... And they told me nothing but great things about the program.
