Georgia Tech has another addition through the transfer portal. Auburn defensive back Ahmari Harvey, who was a four-star prospect coming out of high school, announced his decision on Saturday to transfer to Tech.
Harvey, from Tallahassee, Fla., visited Tech on Thursday and chose coach Geoff Collins’ team over Florida Atlantic. He became the fifth player to transfer to Tech since the end of the season. Quarterback Zach Gibson (from Akron), offensive lineman Pierce Quick (Alabama) and Paul Tchio (Clemson) and tight end Luke Benson (Syracuse) are the others.
“What stood out?” Harvey asked in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “The family environment, it felt like home. When I came down here to visit, everybody on the whole staff was showing love. Not even just the defensive coaches.”
Harvey plans to enroll at Tech for the coming semester, which would allow him to participate in spring practice.
Harvey went into the portal in mid-December after one season at Auburn, in which he did not appear in any games. In high school, Harvey was rated the No. 214 prospect in the 2021 class nationwide and the No. 14 safety. Harvey, listed at 6-foot-0 and 172 pounds, said that Tech coaches told him that they envision him as a cornerback.
Harvey arrives as the careers of cornerbacks Tre Swilling and Tobias Oliver finish, as well as those of safeties Juanyeh Thomas and Tariq Carpenter.
“They’re losing a lot of guys in the secondary this year,” Harvey said. “They need some people to replace them, so that was very eye-opening to me.”
Harvey said he met most with defensive coordinator Andrew Thacker, as new defensive backs coach Travares Tillman was not able to attend the visit. He also met with Collins and learned about Collins’ history of sending defensive backs to the NFL.
“When I talked to coach Collins, that’s what really stood out to me,” Harvey said. “Coach Collins is a defensive coach and a defensive back guru. He’s put a lot of corners in the league.”
Harvey has four seasons of eligibility remaining.
“I’m a dawg,” he said, describing his playing style. “I’m a smart player. I’m a ballhawk. A lot of DB’s panic when the ball’s in the air. I’m the type of DB to go attack it.”
