ST. MARTINVILLE – Harvey Broussard surprised the football recruiting world when the St. Martinville Senior High receiver verbally committed to the University of Memphis on Monday.

It wasn’t a shock that Broussard chose Memphis. It’s just that no one knew ahead of time outside of his immediate family, the Memphis coaching staff and a few close friends.

It’s rare these days for a prospect to commit to a school without one of the major recruiting sites predicting it beforehand. Insiders such as Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports usually get a heads-up so they can issue what’s called a “crystal ball.”

“I just kept it to myself,” said Broussard, who is ranked as the No. 21 prospect in Louisiana by the recruiting service On3.

The On3 “Recruiting Prediction Machine” gave Ole Miss a 64.7% chance of landing Broussard. Mississippi State, Arkansas, Florida, Penn State and Missouri were also listed, but not Memphis.

“Their coaches had been asking me to take an official visit,” Broussard said. “They said I wouldn’t regret it.”

With that in mind, Broussard visited Memphis over the weekend with his parents and the Tigers made quite an impression.

“I had a good conversation with the head coach,” Broussard said, referring to Ryan Silverfield. “He’s not just a coach. Once I get there, I’ll be part of their family. They plan to develop me into an NFL receiver and want to make sure I meet my goals.”

Broussard’s main goal is to become a freshman All-American. The Memphis coaching staff also made an impression on Broussard’s parents.

“They loved it,” he said. “Memphis checked off all of their boxes.”

Memphis quarterback Tevin Carter and running back Tyrell Raby, a Madison Prep product out of Baton Rouge, helped persuade Broussard.

“They said they could see me in that blue (uniform),” he said. “Once I put on that gear, I said, ‘this is it.'”

“The offense they run is similar to the plays we ran at St. Martinville. The coaches said there is no doubt I’m going to play as a true freshman. They said they don’t have a receiver like me who can go up and highpoint the ball, and they expect me to break some school records.”

Memphis, which posted a 6-6 record this season, will face Utah State in the First Responder Bowl in Dallas on Dec. 27. The program hasn’t had a losing season since 2013.

The 6-foot-4, 180-pound Broussard topped the 1,000-yard receiving mark each of the past two years while leading the Tigers to a semifinal and quarterfinal appearance. He was named district co-MVP this season along with teammate Steven Blanco.

Broussard, who has collected more than 30 scholarship offers, ranks third out of Memphis’ 19 verbal commitments according to 247Sports. He is a member of the basketball team at SMSH and also competes in track and field, where he qualified for the state outdoor meet in the long jump, triple jump and high jump.