If you follow college football recruiting, you’ve probably heard of Jadon Haselwood. He has been described as the best pure wide receiver prospect to commit to UGA since current NFL All-Pro A. J. Green. Then, in early October, the young man abruptly decommitted from the Bulldogs, shortly before visiting Mark Richt at the University of Miami. Currently, over 65 percent of the predictions by professional recruiting analysts are that Jadon Haselwood will ultimately sign with the Miami Hurricanes. Perhaps young Mr. Haselwood will accept a scholarship to the University of Miami — if that turns out to be the case, as a Georgia Bulldog fan I will naturally be somewhat disappointed, but wish him good health and the best of success, unless the Canes are playing against my Dawgs.
But I am predicting he won’t. Even though no one pays me to prognosticate about where high school football players might play in college, I reject the current “conventional wisdom” of the recruiting experts and personally estimate there’s about a 90 percent probability that Haselwood becomes a Dawg, simply by applying deductive reasoning and good, old-fashioned common sense. Here’s my rationale…Jadon Haselwood is a fierce competitor who tells interviewers that he wants to catch passes, score touchdowns, and win championships. He also makes it clear that he wants to play professional football after his college career ends. His skill at the game and athletic ability will probably make Haselwood a potential first round NFL draft pick no matter where he plays college football. But where is his best chance of playing for a team that competes for the national championship? Clearly, it would seem to be playing here in his home state, at the University of Georgia where he had originally committed.
According to recent interviews, Haselwood began to consider changing his commitment to Miami because they throw more passes than UGA. That’s true. Miami QBs attempted 57 more passes than Jake Fromm and Justin Fields. However, UGA quarterbacks completed 20 more passes.
The simple truth is that the Miami Hurricanes don’t have anywhere near the talent of Georgia on either side of the football, and especially not on the offensive line. By every measurable standard (except pass attempts) UGA’s passing offense is superior to Miami’s. Looking at the numbers from a slightly different perspective, Miami QBs threw 77 passes that nobody caught.
Team Att/Comp Total Yds TDs/Int Compl. Pct.
Miami 176/339 2127 19/10 51.9%
UGA 196/282 2652 28/5 69.5%
Granted, Jadon Haselwood will almost surely improve the passing statistics at either school, but where will he compete for national titles? UGA will play Alabama for the SEC Championship this Saturday. Miami finished tied for 3rd in the ACC Coastal division this year. Georgia is already loaded with young talented players at virtually every position. Miami needs to rebuild.
Logical conclusion: if Jadon Haselwood wants to play for national championships while in college, he needs to be prepared to wait a couple of years for more talented players to join him in Miami. If he wants to win next year, he’ll need to become a Bulldog.
Why wouldn’t Jadon Haselwood play football for Georgia? It’s closest to home (and he’s very close to his family) and presents the best opportunity for the young man to become a football legend in his home state. Unfortunately, and to my chagrin, there is still reason to believe that Jadon Haselwood could choose to play college football in south Florida. He might have been influenced by a few overzealous (alleged) Bulldog fans, who posted some stupid comments that harshly criticized the young man on social media for withdrawing his commitment to Georgia, and UGA beat writers noticed. They have written about some of those negative comments in subsequent articles. Apparently some “adults” have forgotten that these young men are struggling with a difficult decision that will have a major impact on several years of their lives, and it’s important that they make a wise choice.
Only a few short years ago, I posted this public letter offering a young Roquan Smith unsolicited advice on choosing the right school for him, because this decision needed to be about his best interests, not mine. My best advice to Mr. Smith was not to listen to people like me for advice on where to attend college, because I’m horribly biased toward Athens, Georgia.
I would offer the very same advice to Mr. Haselwood today –don’t just pick a school because of football. Think about life after football. What do you want to be doing when you’re my age, and your playing days are over? Don’t listen to your classmates, your friends, or fans like me. Ask your family and your coach for their best advice, and make the best decision about what will be right for you. For example, if you want to become a football color analyst or commentator on television after your playing days are over, you might want to consider UGA’s prestigious Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, one of the very best journalism schools in the country.
But if Miami offers you the best opportunity for your career after football, then that should dictate your college choice. Take advantage of the opportunity to advance your education. Remember, you won’t even be allowed to play college football for long unless you keep up with your classes and earn passing grades. And please, no matter where you go to school, take a few courses in finance and basic economics. Do your homework. Read about how many former NFL stars end up broke shortly after their playing days have ended, because they never learned how to manage their money as well as they played football. Learn how to wisely invest all the money you intend to earn playing what can be a violent and dangerous game. Plan for your whole future, not just the next ten years.
Take nothing for granted. Earn what you take. Then spend it wisely.
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