Jahfari Harvey

Early life

Harvey was born on May 2, 2001, and grew up in Port St. Lucie, Florida. He first attended John Carroll High School in Fort Pierce, where he played defensive end and outside linebacker. As a junior in 2017, he tallied 91 tackles and 12 sacks while scoring two defensive touchdowns. He played his senior year at Vero Beach High School, posting 85 tackles, 18.5 tackles-for-loss (TFLs) and 7.5 sacks. A four-star recruit, Harvey was ranked by Rivals.com as the 11th-best defensive end prospect nationally, and he committed to play college football for the Miami Hurricanes.

College career

Harvey redshirted as a true freshman at Miami in 2019, recording one tackle. He then posted 18 tackles, five TFLs and 1.5 sacks while playing in 10 games in 2020. He entered the 2021 season as a starter. That season, Harvey appeared in 12 games, five as a starter, and recorded 26 tackles, 6.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks. He recorded 31 tackles, 7.5 TFLs and 5.5 sacks in 2022, then had 23 tackles, 2.5 TFLs and one sack in 2023. Harvey transferred to the SMU Mustangs for the 2024 season, posting 31 tackles, 12.5 TFLs and 7.5 sacks to conclude his career. In his collegiate career, he posted 130 tackles, 22 TFLs and 18.0 sacks in 64 games.

Personal life

While at Miami, Harvey owned two pythons, including a three-foot long ball python named Yak, as well as a four-foot long mangrove monitor he named Psycho.