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Local Athletes Living Out Their Dreams On National Signing Day

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – It's the day high school football players dream of, and college football fans can't wait for.

It's National Signing Day.

What happens on this day will shape the future of college football for players and schools across the country.

At high schools across Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, students gathered to see where their football playing classmates would be heading for the next four years.

The Miami Hurricanes have picked up a pair of top wide receiver recruits in Jeff Thomas from East Saint Louis, Illinois and Mike Harley from St. Thomas Aquinas here in South Florida.

Of Miami's 24 new recruits, 16 are from inside the state of Florida. Richt spoke about the recruiting class during an interview on CBS4 radio partner 560 WQAM.

Click here to see more from what Richt had to say and to hear the interview in its entirety.

The Florida Gators received a commitment from the highly coveted Tedarrell Slaton, a big man that can play offense or defense.

The choice to stay in state was easy for Slaton, a four-star defensive tackle and offensive lineman, as playing in front of his family was a major factor in his decision.

"It's real important to my mom," Slaton said. "This decision came based on what she said to me when she told me she wanted to watch me play so I felt like Gainesville was right place. You know that blue and orange stands out better than anything."

The Gators also landed cornerback C.J. Henderson, who signed his commitment at Columbus High School in Miami.

Henderson had previously committed to the University of Miami but Florida continued to pursue him and in the final hours, the 4-star athlete had a change or heart.

"I just felt like that's where my heart was so I had to follow through with it," said Henderson.

Back in South Florida, new FIU head coach Butch Davis brought in a recruiting class of 20 new players.

All but one of those players are from inside Florida, the majority of which come from the southern part of the state.

It's also worth noting that the Kedonis Haslem, the son of longtime Miami Heat star Udonis Haslem, committed to playing for the University of Toledo.  Haslem is a 6'3", 290 pound offensive guard.

To follow all the latest National Signing Day news and updates, visit CBS Sports 2017 National Signing Day Live Blog.

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