FORT LAUDERDALE – Jaydon Hood needed to do this.
In what will certainly go down as an opportunity to get showcased on a bigger stage, the junior linebacker and his parents agreed that he’ll be transferring from Cardinal Newman to St. Thomas Aquinas. Hood revealed his decision today on his Twitter social media platform.
This was a choice that Hood and his family spent a lot of time mulling over, and it was most definitely not an easy one.
“I wanted to challenge myself harder on this level,” the 6-foot-1, 212–pound inside linebacker said. “I always wanted to play on a national stage and really play against top talent. This gives me the chance to challenge myself and truly get ready for the next level.”
Hood is the third area junior over the past six days to transfer to St. Thomas Aquinas. He joins outside linebacker Jordan Kolnick (Palm Beach Central transfer; Jan. 14) and offensive lineman Gunnar Hansen (American Heritage-Delray Beach transfer; Jan. 15) as the Palm Beach County players who will play for the Raiders this upcoming fall season.
Shea Hood, the mother of Jaydon Hood, spoke with New Era Prep about the big decision.
“We’re very excited and looking forward to what the future holds for him,” Shea Hood said. “Even though Newman is family and we loved it, he seemed to be ‘outgrowing his tank’, so to speak. When he lost the last playoff game, he was so frustrated and we knew he wanted a better opportunity. So that opened the door to quite a few schools and we just started researching. He kept saying he needed to play and beat the best to be the best. So we knew it was great opportunity to check all boxes and more.”
Shea Hood didn’t stop there.
“When we reached out to them, it was a natural connection,” Shea Hood said of St. Thomas Aquinas. “It was tough because there was another school he really wanted to go to. But in the end, we knew this checked all his boxes.”
Jaydon Hood wants to make it crystal clear that there’s definitely no bad blood or negativity that came from his Cardinal Newman
experience.
“Honestly, it’s been great and fun,” Jaydon Hood said. “It was everything I needed to get to this point. It’s helped me to be the young man I am today. The coaches and the teachers are more like family, and the team are my brothers. Many of the parents really supported me and I always felt that.”
Shea Hood was appreciative of how the Cardinal Newman coaching staff took care of Jaydon Hood while he was there.
“The coaches at Newman have been extremely supportive of Jaydon,” Shea Hood. “They empowered him and trusted him to grow into a well-rounder leader. Jaydon took his leadership role very seriously.”
Jaydon Hood’s college recruiting process also played a role in his decision. Right now, the rising star has 12 offers on the table, including Syracuse, Miami, Maryland, Kentucky, Washington State, UCF, USF, and FIU.
Jaydon Hood said there are no favorites at this time.
“I dont really have a leader yet,” Jaydon Hood said. “I thought so before, but after doing research, I’m seeing things differently. So I’m trying to stay really open for a place that’s like home.”
Jaydon Hood will look to improve on his amazing junior season. He finished his 2019 campaign at Cardinal Newman with 115 tackles (25 TFL’s), seven sacks, four forced fumbles, one interception, and two total touchdowns.
PHOTO CREDITS: Keith Forde and AA-DM Panozzo
