Gold Jacket Kids Sign Letter of Intent

High school seniors across the nation signed their letters of intent to play athletics for their respective colleges yesterday. Three of those student-athletes were children of Gold Jackets (Michael Irvin, Mel Blount and Warren Sapp).

Michael Irvin Jr. committed to play college football at the University of Miami, where his father played.

The 6’3”, 220 pound tight end played at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. According to 247Sports, Irvin, Jr. is the 33rd ranked tight end in the country.

"He (Irvin, Sr.) was proud of me when I told him of my decision, and he thinks it will work out for me just like it did for him going there," Irvin Jr. told 247Sports. "I chose Miami because of the tradition, and it's a great program."

He had scholarship offers from many schools including Georgia, Michigan, Syracuse and Texas.

Khalid Blount committed to continue his football career at Duquesne University where he is projected to play on the defensive line. Mel and his wife were on hand at Khalid's high school for when he made the announcement.

“I am excited for him,” said Blount to Steelers.com. “I think it’s awesome because he is a bright student, a good kid, and a good athlete. I think he will do well at Duquesne. That is what we are excited about. The thing we always told our kids is you can have this dream of playing sports in high school or college. We don’t care if you do that or not, but always remember there is a lot of life left. When careers are over you have to be able to be productive in society and do other things. We have always stressed the importance of education.

Khalid had 43 tackles in 2015 and helped his high school win back-to-back conference championships.

Warren Sapp's daughter and Hall of Fame presenter Mercedes also signed a letter of intent to play soccer at the University of Missouri. Mercedes is a goalkeeper at Lake Highland Preparatory School where she earned All-State honors.

Congrats to Irvin, Jr., Khalid, Mercedes and all the college recruits on your decisions! We wish you the best and hope that you carry the great values learned from sports with you to succeed at school and in life.