It's National Signing Day in 1992.
Earl Little, one of the country’s true Blue Chip defensive back recruits, is gearing up to make his decision.
Little is down to Miami, his childhood favorite, and Michigan, the winningest college football program ever. USC is supposed to be a finalist as well, but the Trojans cancelled his official visit after rumors swirled that he silently committed to Miami.
The North Miami (Fla.) High standout grew up in the mean streets of Miami’s Liberty City and dreamed of one day suiting up for ‘The U.’ It was all Miami, Little recalls while reminiscing about his recruitment.
Until it wasn’t.
Little doesn't sign at a scheduled high school ceremony. The next day, the recruiting world receives some, well, rather shocking news.
“Miami was my heart and soul,” Little said. “You could not get me to go to any other school. The newspaper came to my school on National Signing Day, and I didn’t sign anywhere. I actually signed that night and came to school with Michigan gear that I had bought on my visit.”
Michigan pulls the upset. Little inks with the Wolverines and is ready to team up with fellow 1992 U-M signee and future NFL Hall of Famer Ty Law in Ann Arbor.
It's a match made in heaven — or at least it was supposed to be.
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Mamie Morris, Little’s mother, was unable to send her son off to Michigan.
On Little’s first day of high school, Morris had a kidney removed. Medical complications continued as Morris was forced to have back surgery soon after. Still, Little was set on going to Michigan.
A young Cam Cameron, who ironically ended up in Miami as head coach for the Dolphins more than a decade later, had forged a strong relationship with Little and Morris throughout the recruiting process.
Cameron was one of Michigan’s top recruiters and made frequent trips to South Florida throughout the fall. His top goal — land Earl Little.
“It just happened that Cam Cameron started recruiting me,” Little said. “This Michigan guy was at all of my football games. It was like ‘damn, Michigan is recruiting me hard.’ Cam just did a great job of recruiting me, and I watched all the Michigan-Ohio State games as a kid. How could you miss that Wolverine helmet? It’s one of the best helmets in college football. They had All-American wide receiver Anthony Carter from South Florida. Cam just did a great job.”
A much ballyhooed prospect, Little arrived on campus with big expectations.
Luckily, he brought some of that Miami swagger with him.
“Cam used to call me Earl I Ain’t Little,” Little said with a laugh. “He told me one time ‘you’re little, man.’ I said ‘I ain’t little!’ I put an emphasis on ain’t.”
Little impressed during fall camp and was a riser on Michigan’s depth chart. It appeared that he was right on track to live up to his billing and make an impact for the Maize and Blue as a true freshman.
Little still smiles while reminiscing about competing with future pros like Amani Toomer, Jon Runyan and Mercury Hayes. One of his favorite memories actually happened outside of the training room.
It was there where he ran into Michigan basketball superstars Jalen Rose and Chris Weber.
“I remember Jalen Rose and Chris Weber were having a conversation at Schembechler Hall,” Little said. “Jalen was actually a Miami Hurricanes football fan back in the day. If you look at the Fab Five documentary, he has a Miami sweatshirt on. He looked at me and asked ‘how did you come to Michigan and not go play football at Miami?’ I’ll never forget that.”
It was foreshadowing at its finest.
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Hurricane Andrew made landfall in Florida on August 24, 1992. The Category 5 storm is considered the most destructive hurricane to ever hit the Sunshine State, causing more than $27 billion in damages and leaving 65 people dead.
The tragedy obviously hit close to home for Little, who was getting ready for another practice 1,300 miles away from Miami. On top of that, Morris was dealing with another health issue. And oh by the way, Little had a child back at home as well.
“My mom was taking care of my daughter along with her mother because I had a daughter in high school,” Little said. “Things just weren’t working. Long story short, my mom had X-rays, and they thought there was a cancerous tumor on her one remaining kidney. My thing was ‘let me go see my mom for a weekend and then, I’ll come back to Michigan.’”
As Little put it, Michigan head coach Gary Moeller wasn’t having it.
Moeller did not allow Little to return home to Miami despite the circumstances. He wanted his prized defensive back to remain in Ann Arbor and finish out fall camp before the Wolverines’ opener at Notre Dame.
“This guy pretty much told me ‘don’t worry about what’s going on in South Florida; worry about what’s going on with Michigan football,’” Little said. “I decided to go home. I asked the grad assistant for a ride to the airport, and he told me that Coach Moeller said I needed to find my own way to the airport. I’m a young teenager from South Florida, and I needed to get to my Detroit to see my mom.
“After that happened, my mom told me I wasn’t going back. She said 'if he can treat you like that during a time like this, well, you know.'”
Morris’ kidney was actually healthy, and no cancer was found. But Little never did go back to Michigan.
Instead, Little decided to take care of his family and transfer to Miami. There, Little became a fixture at cornerback for the Hurricanes and eventually spent nine years in the NFL.
“I really do believe everything happens for a reason,” Little said. “It worked out for me in the end.”
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As soon as he steps out of his father’s dark grey Tesla, Earl Little Jr. laughs. He knows he’s in for a long day of interviews and photos.
It comes with the territory. After all, Little Jr. is one of the top 2022 recruits in the country.
The Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) American Heritage cornerback has already accepted an invitation the Under Armour All-America Game and holds offers from traditional college football powers like Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma and….
Michigan.
“My dad told me he signed there and went there,” Little said. “I want to see it for myself. I want to see how they can help me better myself and improve my game. I also want to learn more about the defensive scheme. They are up there for me.”
It’s safe to say Little Sr. didn’t have the best ending at Michigan. But he still cherishes all the friendships and memories he made during his short time in Ann Arbor.
Some may think he still holds animosity against Michigan. But that’s just simply not true. In his own unique way, Little Sr. is still part of the Michigan program at heart.
“What happened back in the day is back then,” Little Sr. said. “Cam Cameron and Lloyd Carr were on my side. I lost so much respect for Coach Moeller. So much respect, man. But I always watched Michigan and supported my teammates. To this day, I support Michigan football. It was one individual not the program.”
Little Sr. has even gone as far as to inform his son about the positives of potentially siding with Michigan.
“It’s a great academic school,” Little Sr. said. “The campus is huge. There was like 44,000 people when I was there. I just let him know that the education is great. There are a lot of big-time people that contribute to our country that went to Michigan. The alumni base is great. Playing in front of 100,000 people can be great. That big, yellow block M speaks for itself.”
Little Jr. doesn’t just hold a Michigan offer. He’s a huge target for next cycle.
In fact, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh personally video chatted with Little Jr. and his father a few weeks ago. And Little Sr. is already game planning an unofficial visit to Michigan for the fall — it will be his first time back on campus since that ominous day he had to find his own ride to the airport.
“I don’t know Coach Harbaugh personally, but we had a great Zoom call,” Little Sr. said. “I told him we had a lot in common — we both went to Michigan, and we both wore No. 4. He’s a great coach. He’s an offensive player that has a defensive mentality He has that fire in him. My buddy Devin Bush Sr. tells me good things about Coach Harbaugh.
“I can see things for myself, but it’s good to have a really close friend of mine give me insight. He worked with him up there, and he’s like my brother. I’m definitely going to take (Earl Jr.) up there for a game. That’ll be fun.”
Little Jr. finds it amusing that he has a chance to finish what his father started if, by some weird twist of fate, he lands in Ann Arbor.
“That would be pretty cool,” Little Jr. said. “If I followed in his footsteps, I’m pretty sure people would know me well because of him. It would just be cool (laughs).”
Little Sr. would be all for it.
“Oh man, that would be cool,” Little Sr. said. “Wherever he goes, our family just wants to see this young man continue his education and play college football. Anything after college football is a bonus. It would be crazy to say that my son signed with Michigan out of high school just like I did.
“But if he goes there he’s staying (laughs). My thing wasn’t about loyalty. It was just something that turned ugly between me and the head coach. Like I said, I still support Michigan.”
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