Gwinnett Daily Post

Buford's Mikey Bart

Before Mikey Bart's high school football career ends, the Buford senior made a decision about his college future.

The tight end/defensive end committed to the University of South Florida before his team begins its playoff run. Buford will host Cedar Grove in the first round of the Class AAA playoffs on Friday.

"I really liked the campus, I liked the coaches. The football team, the position they want me at is tight end. I feel like I can come in and compete right away," Bart said. "I feel like right now it's late (in the recruiting process) and I wanted to make a decision."

The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Bart chose South Florida over offers from Syracuse and Central Florida.

"Central Florida was a similar deal (as South Florida) in that I liked the coaches. I felt more comfortable with the coaches (at South Florida)," Bart said. "With Syracuse, I didn't hear much from them until recently. I never visited them, but they wanted me to come up there. I just wanted to go ahead and commit."

Bart is second on the team in receptions with 11 catches for 123 yards. He also has 22 tackles, four sacks, six tackles for loss and a forced fumble on defense. He's being recruited as a tight end for South Florida.

"They liked how physical I am, but I'm pretty explosive with the ball in my hands," Bart said. "I really like Coach (Skip) Holtz a lot. He's a great coach and they have a bright future."

Bart maintains a 3.0 GPA and plans to major in Business Management. He is the second Buford senior to make a college decision, joining Georgia commitment Josh Cardiello.