One top football recruit has made a very interesting decision. Jaydon Blue, one of the top-ranked running backs in the country, announced he would skip his senior season in high school to prepare for college in 2022. Blue, who is committed to play football with the Texas Longhorns, is the No. 1-ranked running back and 31st-ranked player in the country, according to 247Sports.
“This has been a very difficult decision for my family & I,” Blue said in his Twitter post. “Football is a brutal sport, and the wear and tear associated with the RB position is undeniable. I plan to take this time to focus on my academics while enhancing my off the field training/ rehab regimen.
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23 signing out✌🏾 Thanks to everyone for the support #HookEm🧡🤘🏾 pic.twitter.com/RrpbWCfZGW
— 23🏈 (@JaydonBlue) May 20, 2021
“This is a strategic & conscious effort to ensure that I am prepared to perform at an elite level at the collegiate rankings during the 2022 season. … This is an incremental step in hopes of one day fulfilling my NFL dreams.” This led to some interesting reactions on social media.
“I applaud the decision,” one fan wrote. Texas’ success will depend on them getting more NFL players, NOT 4 or 5 stars, but players who aspire to play at the highest level and are willing to put in the work to do so. That’s what makes programs like ‘Bama great.” Some didn’t agree with the decision.
Another fan wrote: “I don’t like this at all. Eventually kids are going to forgo playing football all together. Heck… we’re gonna just imagining how good they might have been! Scared Man ain’t NEVER won a fight!” 247 Sports said that Blue, who played high school football at Klein Cain High School in Houston, committed to Texas in February. He will be playing for Steve Sarkisian, who was hired to be the coach in January.
Blue is the first big-name prospect in the 2022 recruiting class to skip the final year of high school football. Multiple prospects in the 2021 class decided not to play this past season, but most of them made the decision due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision by Blue could lead to more big-name prospects sitting out their final year of high school to protect themselves from injuries. Blue had a strong 2020 season, running for 2,155 yards and 30 touchdowns, averaging 9.5 yards per carry.
