Ray Lewis III follows in his parents’ footsteps and signs with Miami

There wasn’t a whole lot of suspense as to where Ray Lewis III was going to play college football.

[Pat Forde: Vanderbilt stages a Signing Day worth celebrating]

The three-star running back from Lake Mary (Fla.) Prep had his college decision made up long before he became a recruitable star. His dad, former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, is a proud graduate of Miami and his mother went there as well. So when Lewis III put his pen to a national letter of intent on Wednesday, it was to become a Hurricane.

Lewis III will likely play defensive back in college.

Lewis III acknowledged that the NCAA strife Miami is currently facing did weigh on his decision. The Hurricanes are awaiting looming sanctions following an NCAA investigation. However, the merit of the investigation was called into question after it was learned that the lawyer for convicted Ponzi schemer Nevin Shapiro, who got the invesitigation against Miami rolling in the first place, was part of the NCAA's investigative team.

''The sanctions and some of those things, it didn't change my decision whether I wanted to go there or not but it was something I thought about,'' said Lewis III, who likely will be a defensive back in college. ''It is unfortunate, but sometimes it's got to get worse before it gets better.''

[Related: National Signing Day winners and losers]

Lewis III begins his football career just as his father is ending his. The Ravens’ Super Bowl win against San Francisco was Lewis' final game and a fitting way to cap a career. Now, he’ll have nothing but time to watch his son carry on the Lewis family tradition in Miami.

"I made a stand my junior year in college, the year he was born, that it was time for me to go to the league," Ray Lewis said. "Now the year that he's walking into college I've made another stand that it's time for me to leave the league. Him being born has been a factor in entering the league and leaving the league."

- - -
Miss any of the big national signing day news? Follow along with Rivals.com’s comprehensive coverage of all the action.

Want to join the conversation? Hit us up on Twitter @YahooDrSaturday and be sure to "Like" Dr. Saturday on Facebook for football conversations and stuff you won't see on the blog.

Related college football video from Yahoo! Sports

Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports:
• USA's World Cup qualification off to a rocky start
• Can Upton brothers' bats hide Atlanta's pitching shortcomings?
• HGH testing coming soon to the NBA