As of Thursday night, Anthony Schwartz is officially off the market as a high school football and track and field recruit.
The Plantation American Heritage (FL) High senior, a four-star wide receiver and blue chip sprinter who owns a world youth record in the 100m, committed to the University of Auburn during first half action at the Under Armour All-American Game at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
And what a whirlwind recruiting saga it's been for Schwartz, who's been pursued intensely by heavyweight track and field powers and Power Five football schools including Auburn, Miami, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Michigan, among others.
That list didn't even include the University of Houston, which is quickly becoming one of the top sprinting schools in the country and which went after Schwartz hard -- the key recruiter being former Olympian Carl Lewis.
At Auburn, Schwartz will work exclusively with Tigers sprints coach Henry Rolle, who is in his 19th year with the Tigers. He's a native of the Bahamas who has an exceptional youth and collegiate background.
While Schwartz, who ran 10.15 seconds at the Florida Relays last spring to set his world youth record, is only technically committed to Auburn, this almost assuredly ends the Florida native's recruiting process until February 7, when he can officially sign with the Tigers. Schwartz contributed to American Heritage's fourth championship in the last five seasons.
All along, Schwartz maintained he was only going to a program that would allow him to keep an equal balance of football and track throughout his collegiate career.
And the Tigers may in fact allow him to do that. If so, they get arguably the most accomplished sprint talents in the country for the class of 2018.
Schwartz ran a wind-legal 10.15, giving him the sixth fastest prep 100m of all-time -- and the fastest in March -- but he also logged a national championship in the 100m at New Balance Nationals Outdoor (10.27), was second at the Adidas Boost Games (10.41), and earned a third-place outing at the USA Jr. Championships (10.40), qualifying him for Team USA's Pan American Jr. Games relay squad. He logged five wind-legal times under 10.40 on the season.
He also set a wind-legal best of 20.66 in the 200m (one of two in his junior season), and had five wind-legal times under 21.15. He was second to Tyrese Cooper in the event at NBNO.
He's an accomplished relay specialist who ran lead-off for Team USA the Pan American Junior Games, helping the American junior team to a first-place effort.
He even battled through an injury at the Florida Class 2A state meet, choosing to step to the line at the 200m after he had already aggravated his hamstring in the 100m, finishing last.
Schwartz is not only a primetime recruit for the Auburn football team -- a speed threat for one of the best teams in the country -- but he will almost certainly make an impact at the collegiate track and field world, and probably sooner rather than later.
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