The Indiana Hoosiers are the kings of the college football world, and junior defensive back Jamari Sharpe had a big role in making that happen.
Sharpe stepped up in the clutch for the No. 1-seed Hoosiers in Monday’s College Football Playoff national title game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., as he preserved Indiana’s lead for good with a game-sealing interception off No. 10-seed Miami Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck.
Sharpe, who attended Northwestern Senior High School in Miami, Fla., did not receive an offer from the Hurricanes, and that was certainly not lost on him amid the celebration on the field after the contest.
“I guess I showed them tonight why they should have recruited me,” Sharpe told reporters,via Michael Niziolek of The Herald-Times.
With Miami down by six points and only 52 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Beck loaded up for a long pass on a 1st-and-10, but Sharpe perfectly timed where the ball was going to be, resulting in his memorable defensive play and in a 27-21 victory by the Hoosiers.
Before facing Miami, Sharpe hadn’t recorded an interception since 2023, but his game-clinching pick that snuffed the Hurricanes’ comeback bid is one that will be talked about for a very long time in Bloomington.
