After covering college football recruiting for over two decades, I’ve spoken to and interviewed thousands of players. There were some that I just knew would be destined for greatness; Brandon Mebane, Budda Baker, Richard Sherman, Reggie Bush, Maurice Jones-Drew…to name only a few.
In talking to players, it’s not just their stars or stats that are taken into account, but also their personalities and outlook and attitudes about the game and life in general.
It’s about the “it” factor. That thing that jumps right through the phone (Yes, remember those? Texts are okay, but hearing a voice is still very important).
There are a great many players with freaky athletic ability, but only a small percentage make it to the next level.
So that brings me to the subject of Jamaal Jarrett from Grimsley High School in Greensboro, North Carolina.
His offer list is a who’s who of the biggest Power Five names in college football. And his latest offer came yesterday from the Washington Huskies.
“I just got off the phone with Courtney Morgan five minutes ago”, Jarrett told Realdawg.com yesterday afternoon, “I don’t know much about Washington, but I am doing my research now…Courtney Morgan is my guy.”
Morgan had been recruiting Jarrett while still on staff at Michigan.
“I definitely want to try to get up (to Washington) and see what it’s all about. I know Courtney wants me to get up to visit, so we’ll work all that out.”
Morgan, who’s 6-5, 335 may seem a serious fur piece from Seattle, but that might not be a problem, “It doesn’t really matter if it’s East Coast, West Coast, Midwest…I’m just looking for a school where I can get in and play as early as possible. But also academics.”
Jarrett is interested in Engineering.
This is one of those “it factor” guys; very articulate and knows what he wants, “I want to get to the NFL”, Jarrett explained, “I want to get a house for myself, take care of my family, and give back to the community I was raised in.”
One of his biggest mentors is his offensive line coach, Will Brown. Before transferring to Grimsley, Jarrett played at Ben L. Smith High School, but began at Grimsley at the end of is sophomore season, where now he plays defensive line only.
Again, you do have to have that solid rock of athletic ability in order to have the “it” factor, so try this on for size.
During our interview, the usual question was asked “Do you play any other sports?”
Jarrett replied, “Yes, I run track.”
Alrighty then…6-5, 335 and runs track?
“It’s called the Big Man relay and I also ran the 200”, Jarrett said, but he also throws the shotput with a personal best of 45 during his sophomore year.
Add to that a deadlift of 515 and he runs a 5.2 40.
Is it any wonder that the best of the best are lining up to offer this 2023 prospect? He should be a five star before it’s over.
But this is off-the-field stuff, let’s talk about Jarrett’s on-field performance.
“My biggest strengths…are dominating the man in front of me by using my length and strength to defeat him. And I’m a leader. When we’re in a bad situation on the field, I tell the team to keep their head up and I’ll keep my head up as well and we can fight through the battles that we have on the field.”
That’s a guy you want in the trenches with you — and in the huddle when the game is on the line.
Jarrett feels his best move is the rip, “But I’m also good at the bull rush”.
He has a quick first step, a fast twitch, he plays through the whistle, he’s huge, and just a force to be reckoned with on the field.
Anyone who follows Husky recruiting knows that it’s one thing to think outside the box, but with guys on Kalen DeBoer’s staff like Courtney Morgan, there is no box.
Morgan has brought true national recruiting efforts to Montlake BLVD in a way that Husky fans have never seen, but they’ve wanted to see it. This is Big Boy football now at Washington, and offering a guy early like Jarrett is a testimony to this effort.
Jarrett hasn’t yet been to the Pacific Northwest, but if the Huskies can get a visit out of him that would be a huge step.
