Alonso’s Chickillo picks Miami

Posted Sep 9, 2010 by Katherine Smith

Updated Sep 9, 2010 at 02:09 PM

Anthony Chickillo had a lot of people in his ear.

His parents, his coaches, Plant’s James Wilder. Heck, even Tampa Bay Bucs first-round draft pick Gerald McCoy offered his opinion.

In the end, the Alonso defensive end listened to his gut. And his gut told him to keep it in the family.

Chickillo announced he will play for the University of Miami during a ceremony in his school’s gymnasium on Thursday. He chose the Hurricanes over Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Tennessee and USF.

He’ll become a third-generation Hurricane, following in the footsteps of his father and his grandfather. Miami was the second Division I school to offer Chickillo a scholarship. Soon after, others began poring in reaching nearly 50.

After a summer of campus visits, Chickillo narrowed his choices down to six and the advice from others heated up.

During a photo shoot at One Buc Place, McCoy spent some time with Chickillo and his mother discussing the pros and cons of recruiting and gave the Ravens defensive end some tips on how to handle the pressures of recruiting. Plant’s Wilder, who committed to Florida State last month, offered his own advice and even some enticement to join him.

Like Wilder, Chickillo can now concentrate on his senior season without distractions from the recruiting process.
Chickillo wants to break the county’s sack record. He had 12.5 sacks last year despite missing half the season with a broken collarbone.