Episcopal receiver Jaylen Waddle is skipping the early signing period to see where coaches wind up.
Waddle skipping early signing period to watch coaching carousel play out
Jaylen Waddle became a case study with one tweet.
The receiver from Episcopal announced he would not sign during December’s new early period and likely wait until February’s regular signing period.
The replies to that tweet range anywhere from surmising that the wideout is seeking attention to shrewdly waiting on the coaching landscape to be pieced together.
It has much more to do with the latter, and Waddle believes he can’t be the only one feeling like it’s better to wait.
“I know they’re secondguessing right now,” Waddle said of other recruits. “I think it’s going to be a lot more recruits that wait a little longer.”
Questions are aplenty as the new early signing period begins in just six days. Maybe Waddle’s experience for the next month will partly answer a few questions for college and high school coaches. Plenty of questions
What happens when a recruit — uncommitted or not — decides not to take advantage of the early signing period? How does it change his recruiting process and college coaches’ plan of action? How do coaching changes figure into all of this?
Waddle is directly in the middle of this offseason’s coaching carousel. His top six schools are Alabama, Texas A&M, Florida State, Oregon, TCU and Texas. Jimbo Fisher, who’s already become a fixture on the Houston recruiting trail, left the Florida State job for Texas A&M. Willie Taggart just left Oregon for Florida State.
Assistant Marcus Arroyo recruited Waddle to Oregon. Arroyo has just been promoted to offensive coordinator, with Mario Cristobal replacing Taggart as head coach. Assistant Tim Brewster recruited Waddle to Florida State and just joined Fisher’s staff in College Station.
One underlying note that gets lost in the coaching carousel — the assistant hires are just as important as the head coaching hires for recruits.
“It’s really hard because that’s the coach that recruited you,” Waddle said. “Who’s to say that the next coach they get doesn’t run the same offense? They run a different offense that you came for. Or don’t use your position as much as your old coach does. I think it’s very important.”
Waddle believes what some other coaches believe about the early signing period — it comes with more pressure on recruits amid a chaotic coaching carousel. So why not deflect said pressure if you can?
The receiver knows the attention will only ratchet up, too. He’s already one of the country’s most sought-after players. If the staffs at his top six schools will only partly fill their classes in December, they can leave a spot open for him and directly focus their efforts on him come January. Another opinion
Episcopal coach Steve Leisz, whose program is a hotbed for Division I talent, says the early signing period is great. Committed players who don’t want to toil in the wind for another month can end the process and sign early. It ends the process early for much more than the recruit. Family, friends and coaches are affected, too.
The head coach understands Waddle’s wait, though, even if players are advised to choose the school and not the coach. He shouldn’t take a jump he isn’t ready for.
But Waddle is the top slot receiver in the country. He can pull a power move and wait.
The fringe recruit who is a second option for some college programs probably can’t. The options could be limited come February as classes will be partly filled. That goes for the late bloomers still playing in the playoffs, too.
Leisz said all recruits should only commit and sign when absolutely ready but some will have to balance that with locking down their spot in a class before it’s gone.
“If he doesn’t take it, it’s not going to be there,” Leisz said. “They’re going to lose it.”