Feeling blue: John Carroll's Prince Strachan will run routes on Boise State's iconic field

It’s cliché to say dreams come true, but how else do you explain Prince Strachan’s story?

John Carroll Catholic’s 6-foot-4, 195-pound senior wide receiver verbally committed to Boise State on Wednesday morning.

It’s the next stop in a journey for the Bahamian-born Strachan who has followed in his family’s footsteps by leaving home and pursuing an NFL dream in the United States.

Prince’s older brother, Michael, made it.

He’s currently playing for the Indianapolis Colts after being selected in the seventh round in May and making an immediate impression with a series of highlight reel catches in the preseason.

Their dad, Jerome, was a track star on the island who fell in love with football while watching the Dallas Cowboys on TV. He played at Bethune-Cookman but his college career was limited because of a knee injury.

So, he passed on the dream to his sons.

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They snuck onto posh golf courses in Freeport so they would have nice grass under their feet as Michael and Prince ran routes.

Michael left the Bahamas — alone — after his freshman year of high school and wound up in Virginia. He earned a scholarship to Charleston University, a Division II program in West Virginia. It wasn’t some glamorous Power 5 program, but it got the job done.

Prince came to the United States shortly after his sophomore year started and settled in Fort Pierce. Calling him a long shot for a college scholarship at the time was probably giving him too much hope.

He was 6-foot, hadn’t spent much time in a weight room and spent even less actually playing football. He never put on pads before his first junior varsity game at John Carroll.

During the pandemic shutdown, Prince moved in with Michael in West Virginia and began to work out with his brother. Add in a three-inch growth spurt and Prince started to look the part of a college recruit.

A few months later, Prince started to play like a legitimate recruit. On the opening drive of the first game of his junior year for John Carroll, he leapt over a defender in the end zone to haul in a touchdown pass. He finished the year with 33 catches for 633 yards and eight scores.

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Prince didn’t relax after a breakout season. He couldn’t. He didn’t leave his family in the Bahamas and move in with strangers just to chill in a different country.

He ran track to improve his speed before spring football and never missed a football workout during track season. John Carroll athletic director/football coach Mickey Groody often had to kick Prince out of the weight room long after his teammates had left. Prince routinely spent 10-12 hours on campus each day because he was determined not to deviate from the plan of earning a college scholarship.

This past fall, Prince led the Golden Rams in every receiving category — catches, yards, yards per catch, yards per game and touchdowns. And like a true showman, he saved his best for last.

Prince’s 52-yard touchdown catch against Champagnat Catholic in the Region 4-2A championship was featured on the “You got Mossed” segment of ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown on Nov. 27.

On Sunday, Dec. 12, just three days before the early signing period, Prince was offered by Boise State. It was the only FBS offer for him, but it only takes one.

Prince traded in the legendary crystal blue waters of the Caribbean to accomplish the dream. Now, the journey is taking him to the iconic blue turf in Idaho.

Prince and his family will celebrate this moment, but don’t expect him to relax after this.

He doesn’t know how. He hasn’t accomplished his ultimate goal.

Not yet at least.

Santucci is the USA TODAY Florida Network Recruiting reporter

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: John Carroll Catholic WR Prince Strachan commits to Boise State