FORT LAUDERDALE – Let’s make this one thing crystal clear.
Regardless of where Jaydon Hood is at, he will always be one of Palm Beach County’s own. He’s from our area and spent most of his high school football career at Cardinal Newman, where he developed into a rising star at the linebacker position.
With that said, Hood is doing quite well right now in his short time at St. Thomas Aquinas.
“It’s great,” Hood said. “It’s highly competitive and it feels like family. My classes are doing well too, and my grades are still up.”
In less than three months, Hood has evolved from a budding star to a bona-fide national college football prospect. He’s now an ESPN four-star linebacker who has accepted an invitation to play in the Under Armour All-Star Game after his senior season at St. Thomas Aquinas ends.
Hood (6-foot-1, 217 pounds) is on the ESPN Junior 300. He’s currently ranked as ESPN’s No. 34 overall player in the state, No. 6-ranked inside linebacker in the nation, and No. 221-ranked overall player in the nation with a stellar 82 overall rating.
Part of all this was made possible by his memorable Under Armour Camp experience, which took place on March 8. The St. Thomas Aquinas middle linebacker ran a laser time of 4.59 seconds in the 40-yard dash, to name just one of his many feats at the highly regarded camp.
“The experience was great with lots of competition,” Hood said. “To be there with my teammates and all the greats in our area was nice. I was really focused on showing up and showcasing my hard work and abilities. A lot of people had never seen me in person. When they told me what sold them, they said that I killed it in the drills and coverage.”
Less than a week after Hood’s Under Armour experience, he received his 30th offer from Rutgers. This turned out to be a watershed moment in his recruiting process.
“Mannnnn…this is what I prayed for. It’s surreal,” Hood said of his Rutgers offer, which came on March 14.
“It was a crazy feeling to know I actually achieved it, and it wasn’t given to me,” Hood added. “They have been talking to me for a while and I didn’t have it, so I wasn’t sure they would offer me. I was really excited and I felt blessed when it happened.”
It’s a great thing that all of this happened for Hood prior to the coronavirus pandemic altering all things in South Florida and around the world.
NOTES: As of Tuesday, March 17, St. Thomas Aquinas High School has been closed until further notice due to COVID-19 precautions.
This is likely all the latest highlights we’ll get to see from Hood for the foreseeable moment. But whenever the coronavirus pandemic passes, there will almost certainly be new milestones for Hood to accomplish.
PHOTO CREDITS: Larry Blustein Recruiting, Hayes Fawcett, and Rutgers Football
