Sachse QB Jalen Mayden is a top national prospect in the 2018 class, but he’s never been one to sit around and let the recruiting process come to him. Mayden, out of Sachse (TX), has been on recruiting radars for the better part of two years. Part of that is because of his talent, and part of it is because he’s done a good job of being proactive in getting time with college coaches.
A couple weeks ago, Mayden took a few days out of his schedule to hit some campuses in the Southeast before hitting the Rivals.com Underclassmen Challenge in Atlanta. Before hitting that event, Mayden made unofficial visits to Auburn, Georgia and Clemson.
Key quote: “The Clemson visit, I just went to talk to the coach. We chopped it up a little bit,” Mayden said. “The Auburn visit, I just went to kind of get a feel for it. Auburn has been one of my favorite schools growing up, watching Cam Newton, Nick Marshall and all of them. That really fits my style of play. Georgia, I just went to the camp because I wanted to work with the quarterback coach. We have a good relationship.”
Thoughts on Texas: Mayden has visited the University of Texas a handful of times. He has always been open about his strong feelings towards the UT program, he reiterated those thoughts when we spoke with him recently.
“Really, there’s nothing really better than Texas. I really like Texas. I grew up a Texas fan,” Mayden said. “Really, when I choose a school, I like tradition. Their tradition runs deep.”
Contact with UT: The 6-2, 196-pound Mayden keeps in touch with Texas offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert every couple weeks. The Longhorns have yet to offer, and Gilbert has told Mayden it’s because Texas is being extremely thorough with its quarterback evaluations in the 2018 class.
“He said they take their recruiting a lot slower because when they pick the QB, they want it to be the QB,” Mayden said. “They don’t want someone who will come in and just be okay. They want the right fit, the kid who is going to be the face of their program.
“He said he’s really seen enough. All I need to do know is just lead my team.”
Plans to trim his list: Mayden currently holds offers from Houston, Illinois, Louisville, Mississippi State, Ohio State, Oregon State, Syracuse and Utah, among others.
A Rivals100 member, Mayden hopes to make a top 10 later this summer. He likes Texas a lot, but are the Longhorns are sure thing to make the cut?
“I don’t really have the offer yet, so I’m not sure,” Mayden said. “That’s all I’m waiting on.”
