Miami football picks up commitment from 3-Star DT Jason Blissett

Three-star defensive tackle Jason Blissett from Brooklyn, NY announced his commitment to the Miami football program on Friday afternoon.

Blissett becomes the second defensive tackle committed to the Miami football program for the Class of 2019. He is 6’3.5 271 pounds. Blissett is probably going to have to bulk up before getting any playing time at Miami.

Blissett is the 551st ranked player, the 35th defensive tackle and third overall player in New York in the Class of 2019 according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He is Miami’s 17th commit for 2019. He joins Jalal Holley as the second defensive tackle to commit to the Miami football team for the 2019 class.

Blissett is the tenth ranked player in the Miami Class of 2019. He sent out a long tweet this afternoon explaining his decision to commit to Miami. It’s is fairly generic thanking his family and coaches. He did not go into any detail in his Tweet why he chose the Hurricanes.

Blisset was being pursued by several other schools. That included Boston College, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Virginia and Wake Forest in the ACC and Florida.

Blissett is a key commitment for Miami Defensive Coordinator Manny Diaz and the Hurricanes defense. They will lose starting defensive tackle Gerald Willis and backup Tito Odenigbo after the 2018 season. Nesta Silvera, Jon Ford, Pat Bethel and Jordan Miller are the only returning scholarship defensive tackles for 2019.

Rutgers had been hot after what for them was a local player. NJ.Com reported that getting Blissett to the Paradise Camp in July was the deciding factor. Blissett spoke to NJ.Com about why he didn’t choose to play for the Scarlett Knights. 

"“Rutgers is a great program, even better people…but I just found a better fit.”"

Blissett spoke to 247 Sports’ Inside the U about why he chose Miami.

"“I just determined that it’s best place for me,…(Defensive Line) Coach (Jess) Simpson seems like a great guy to play for and a great type of role model.I also like how football is big there and how its a powerhouse, but at the same time it’s a good spot for me academically. Miami is a great city as well so it seems just like a perfect fit.”"

Blissett continued below.

"“Coach Simpson said they see me primarily as a three-techinque, but he thinks there’s a chance that I could maybe slide over into a five.I really like Coach Simpson because he was in the NFL and knows a lot about the game. He’s very technical and knows all the fundamentals about being a good defensive lineman at the next level.”The facilities there are beautiful. I had high expectations coming into my visit, but I was still amazed.”"

Miami’s most recent signings from the New York area are current starting left guard Jahair Jones who signed out of Junior College and running back Gus Edwards who was from Staten Island. Edwards ironically transferred to Rutgers for his final season of college football in 2017 after graduating from Miami.

Miami holds firm with the nation’s 18th ranked recruiting class for 2019. The Hurricanes are third in the ACC behind Clemson and Florida State.