On the busiest day before National Signing Day in 2018, there was a traffic jam in front of a contemporary-style home with large windows and sharp angles at the end of a cul-de-sac in Plantation, Florida, some 25 miles north of Miami.
Over the course of several hours, groups of cars had pulled up to the end of the street and parked. Pat Surtain II says there were six groups, while his father and high school coach, Patrick, recalls five.
However many there were, these vehicles carried some of the most powerful men in college football. They were coaches representing some of the country’s most prestigious programs, Nick Saban from Alabama, Ed Orgeron from LSU, Dabo Swinney from Clemson and Mark Richt from Miami among them.
They each had made the pilgrimage with the same hope, but only one of them would be lucky enough to land the high school senior who was considered the top cornerback in the country. As the deadline for Surtain II’s decision approached, they arrived at the Plantation…