In the world of high school transfers, athletes are more likely to move from a smaller to a bigger school, especially in the WPIAL. But unlike some of his contemporaries, Class of 2019 wide receiver Rahmon Hart is going against the grain, opting to transfer from Class 5A Plum to Class 1A Imani Christian Academy.
He made the announcement earlier today on Twitter.
Though some may believe he is transferring for athletic reasons, Hart decided on Imani Christian because of their dedication to helping students in the classroom
“My family and I were looking for a school with good teachers who really care about the students,” Hart said. “Imani might be smaller but I think it is a great school. They were very impressive. I can’t wait to be part of the family environment. “
Last season Hart was one of the more impressive sophomores in the WPIAL. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound wide out caught 25 passes for 545 yards and 6 touchdowns. Despite tremendous production from Hart, it was a rough year on and off the field for the Mustangs. A 0-6 start was then combined with the tragic death of their assistant coach and former Pittsburgh Steeler Lorenzo Freeman on October 10. The Mustangs would rally behind the loss of their coach to win two of their three final games, but still finished towards the bottom of their conference at 2-7.
Like his old team, Imani Christian struggled at the beginning of the season dropping five of their seven games. However, the Saints were able to win their last two games to clinch a spot in the Class A playoffs for the first time. They won their first playoff game in school history over Our Lady Scared Heart before losing to Rochester in the quarterfinals.
Though Imani Christian has less than 20 guys on their team, they were set to return a talented roster even before Hart’s decision to transfer there. Saints offensive coordinator LaRoi Johnson thinks Hart will be not only a great addition to the team, but the Imani Christian family as a whole.
“We are excited about RJ coming into our school and being a leader in the community,” Coach Johnson said. “In the football sense we believe RJ will add a prescence in the redzone and allow for a more balanced attack on offense. He has outstanding frame which allows for a bigger catch radius which will make him a huge target on 3rd down.”
Though Hart was on a bad team last season, he was still able to attract interest from several Division One schools including Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia and Notre Dame. Temple, Toledo and Howard are the only schools to offer him a scholarship, but you can expect that list to grow over time.
When he eventually decides on a college, Hart wants to play for a school that not only values its football program, but its academics as well.
“My dream is to play for a college that has a good academic reputation and a football program that really appreciates what I can contribute to the team,” Hart said.
