Riverdale's Jaheim Clarke, North's Atavious Weaver, Dunbar's Javieane Stevens announce commitments
Riverdale defensive back Jaheim Clarke had plenty of quality options to choose from.
The 3-star prospect, who owns a high grade-point average, had five offers from Ivy League programs in Harvard, Yale, Penn, Princeton, and Dartmouth. Or, he had the opportunity to play in a Power Five conference in college football.
Clarke opted to go with the latter, committing to llinois on June 19 following an official visit to Champaign.
"They recruited me last September, so that was close to half a year, and were recruiting me to this day when I committed" Clarke said. "Coach (Aaron) Henry and the whole coaching staff all texted me, came to my school like four times, more than any other coaches, with the whole coaching staff. That played a big role with me.
"On my official visit, the players were so welcoming. I got to meet former Lehigh defensive back Jartavius Martin. He and I were talking about a lot of stuff that happened in the couple past years of my life, and he played a big role on me because he was so welcoming. He gave me tips, he believed in me that I could go to the next level."
Clarke led the Raiders with four interceptions in 2021, displaying his talents as one of the area's premier defensive backs. He also had a conversation with Kerby Joseph, who was selected in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions.
"I also chopped it up with him," Clarke said. "He believes in me wearing his number (25). He feels I can come in, start as a freshman, and do big things."
North's Atavious Weaver picks Western Kentucky
You can't miss North linebacker Atavious Weaver when he's on the field.
His 6-foot-3, 225 pound frame is hard to miss, and one that's projectable at the next level.
He announced a verbal commitment to Western Kentucky earlier this week following a visit taken on June 17.
"During the visit the campus really felt like home and the coaches made it even better," Weaver said. "And the coach coaching my position coached many players in the league now."
Weaver led the Red Knights in sacks, with nine, while finishing second on the defense with 62 tackles. He feels like he has more to prove this season, when North is expected to be better and healthier on both sides of the ball.
"I’m training to be the best this season and to show the coaches at Kentucky what I really can do," Weaver added. "We have a great team this year. A lot of our guys are back from injuries and I like us competing for states this year."
Dunbar's JB Stevens headed to UMass
Dunbar defensive lineman JB Stevens is going to New England.
Stevens committed to the University of Massachusetts Amherst late last month after a junior season where he finished with nine sacks, helping the Tigers to an undefeated regular season before falling in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs to Plantation.
Listed at 6-foot, 200 pounds, Stevens was quick off the line of scrimmage last season, consistently giving opposing offensive linemen trouble in the trenches. As a junior, Stevens tallied 54 tackles, 18 of them for loss.
Both statistics were second on the defensive line to Demetrie Morgan (71 tackles, 22 tackles for loss), but Stevens had the higher percentage share of tackles for loss relative to tackles, with one out of every three tackles coming for loss. Morgan was just under 31 percent in that same category.
Follow Southwest Florida Sports Writer Alex Martin on Twitter: @NP_AlexMartin. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Jaheim Clarke to Illinois; Atavious Weaver to WKU; JB Stevens to UMass
