CCC’s Brett Seither picks Georgia over Alabama

CLEARWATER — After weeks of entertaining coaches and making official visits, Clearwater Central Catholic tight end Brett Seither narrowed his choices to Alabama and Georgia. He kept fans of both schools guessing right up until his Wednesday afternoon signing day ceremony.

He plopped both schools’ hats on the table in front of him. But there was no bait and switch. He’s a Bulldog.

“‘I wasn’t sure until (Tuesday),” Seither said. “It just felt right. Georgia overall is a great place to be.”

Seither emerged as one of the more highly coveted tight ends in the country. In his senior season, he had 42 catches for 630 yards and six touchdowns. Aside from Alabama and Georgia, he also had offers from Georgia Tech and Penn State.

Both Alabama and Georgia made every effort to sign Seither. Alabama coach Nick Saban made an in-house visit. And Georgia coach Kirby Smart landed a helicopter on CCC’s football field to visit Seither.

“It’s been crazy but luckily I have a good support system and I was able to keep my head on straight,” Seither said. “Overall this has been a huge blessing.”

Seither was joined on the stage by teammates Jerjuan Newton and Kennedy Roberts. Newton signed with Toledo and Roberts signed with Coastal Carolina.

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Also in attendance was Seither’s mother, Beth. She wore a CCC jacket before the announcement, but once her son made his decision official, she revealed a long-sleeved Georgia shirt.

She had a hunch that was where Brett would end up, but she wasn’t sure until Tuesday.

“I bought the shirt when we went on the trip (to Georgia),” she said. “Then we went to Alabama and I thought he was going to go to Alabama. When Kirby (Smart) landed the helicopter I decided that I was going to wear my Georgia shirt because that might be my only chance. Then he told us last night and I decided to wear the shirt here. But he wanted me to keep it covered up until he made his decision.”

Seither’s father, Bert, is a pilot for Southwest Airlines. He was in Dallas for training and couldn’t attend the ceremony, though he did watch it on Facebook Live. Bert retires in May, and Beth said that should allow them to fly to Athens several times a season to see Brett play.

“Thank goodness for Southwest Airlines,” she said. “We’ll get to fly up there (for free), space available of course.”

Seither said staying close to home wasn’t a priority.

“It really came down to what is best for me,” Seither said. “Where the school was didn’t matter.”

Rodney Page can be reached at rpage@tampabay.com. Follow @RodneyHomeTeam.