PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — In life, they say it's not how you start; it's how you finish, and for Jayvon Dawson, his football start is one of a kind.
"Back in Little League, I first played as a quarterback trying to dab on everybody," said Dawson.
WATCH BELOW: Jayvon Dawson went from QB to elite edge rusher at Santaluces, earning offer from Miami
Dawson was a solid quarterback, but it wasn’t until he got to high school at Santaluces that he was humbled.
"My coaches were saying, 'You're not going D1 playing quarterback,'" said Dawson.
Dawson is 6-foot-4 and more than 200 pounds, so coaches got creative in his first three years on where they'd pay him.
"He played receiver before we were able to get him on the defensive side of the ball," head coach Samuel Putmon said.
That defensive side of the ball is where he shined.
His junior year, he was a man amongst boys and had nearly every school you could think of calling.
"Miami, (the University of North Carolina), Georgia and many others," said Dawson.
Dawson was a game-wrecker the last two seasons, getting to the quarterback at ease and stopping almost every run game the Chiefs faced.
He was so good the University of Miami pulled out the big dogs during his recruitment.
"(Defensive coordinator Corey) Hetherman and (defensive line coach) Jason Taylor," said Dawson.
Dawson wasn't born when Taylor was dominating the NFL for the Miami Dolphins, so he didn’t even know who was recruiting him until days later.
"I was looking up d-ends trying to work some moves on my game and get better at my game, and then he popped up playing for the Dolphins. That's how I started to know him," said Dawson.
Star-struck by his lead recruiter and the Hurricanes' facilities, Dawson made his coach a promise.
"I already told my coach if Miami offers me, I'm fully committed," Dawson said.
During a visit to Coral Gables, Miami did just that and offered the three-star edge rusher. Dawson committed to the school on the spot.
"I kept God first, always kept him first, I just kept going and being consistent and disciplined,” said Dawson.
That positive mindset has him ready to become an early enrollee at The U this December, and before he steps on the campus, his head coach has glowing reviews for the U’s coaches and fans.
"He's a great kid, a humble kid, a hard worker who does what's asked of him. It's easy to coach kids like that," Putmon said.
