Maryland defensive lineman Chandler Burkett was set to attend Florida International after he graduated from Deane Bozeman School (Panama City, Fla.) in 2013, but his plans were altered when FIU's head coach, Mario Cristobal, was let go after the 2012 season.
FIU took more than a month to hire its next coach, leaving Burkett in limbo. Burkett began circling back to schools he considered before committing to FIU in July 2012, such as Maryland, Florida Atlantic and Troy. Burkett visited College Park, Md., in January 2013.
"That was the only visit he took and he called us and said, ‘This is where I'm coming. I feel at home. I feel very comfortable. This is where I'm supposed to be,'" William Tillman, Burkett's high school coach, said. "And I said, ‘You know, everything happens for a reason.' The good Lord has a plan for us even when we don't know what that plan is, and I truly feel that was where Chandler was supposed to be the whole time."
