Another pair of suitors have emerged for IMG’s quarterback Jayden Wade.
But that’s about all they are for the 4-star Georgia commit, who remains firm in his long-held commitment with Kirby Smart & Co.
LSU and Tennessee were applying heavy pressure for Wade in February, but have since backed off. Auburn and Michigan have emerged for the Bulldog commit, who have a tall task ahead of them in flipping him away from his longtime Georgia commitment.
“It’s just the contact,” Wade said. “They put effort into talking to me. They say they really want me, they see my film and they like me, so they really put the most effort into talking to me.”
Michigan, which made a big splash two cycles ago by flipping 5-star QB Bryce Underwood from LSU, is sending the house at Wade, who they initially offered after his freshman season. The staff visited Wade at home in California over the summer.
“Michigan is putting way more effort (than Auburn),” Wade said.
Georgia has already fended off two programs from their prized signal-caller, and look poised to do so again this time. He held a silent pledge well before he announced his commitment, and the relationship remains as strong as ever.
“Georgia saw something in me before any other college teams did,” Wade said. “That’s the big college that saw something in me first. They’ve been loyal to me, they’ve been showing the most effort and I can go there and really change the whole program. That’s what I’m going to do.”
Wade is a composite 5-star on 247Sports, and is ranked as the No. 2 quarterback in the country. He threw for 1,376 yards with 20 touchdowns and just two interceptions, completing 73-of-119 passes as a sophomore. Entering his junior campaign, he and the rest of the Ascenders have some scores to settle.
St. Frances Academy (Md.) is constantly vying to take the top-seat from IMG in the national high school football rankings. The two teams were on a collision course for a national title, and scheduled a game for all the marbles at the end of the year. IMG walked away from the game three days before it was scheduled.
The two teams are scheduled for a grudge-match on Nov. 13 at St. Frances.
“We still haven’t finished the job because we still have to play (St. Frances Academy) and beat them,” Wade said. “We know we can beat them, we just have to show the world we can beat them. The world thinks we’re ducking them and all that…”
Quarterback room at IMG flush with talent
Wade’s backup, Chase Cone, arrived this offseason from Ware County (Ga.). The rising sophomore clocks in at 6-foot-6, 205 pounds, and is already generating FBS interest despite limited varsity snaps.
Both Memphis and North Carolina extended offers after watching Cone run the first team in practice. Tennessee, Notre Dame, and Florida State have started to sniff around as well.
“The biggest change I can see for myself is just my quarterback play,” Cone said. ‘At my old school, I was a running quarterback, like Cam Newton-style, grab it and run up the middle. Coming here I’ve learned a lot more throwing mechanics, I’ve learned how to read defenses and concepts, just going throughout the reads and learning how to run an offense.”
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: IMG QB Jayden Wade firm with Georgia despite pushes from Michigan, Auburn
Reporting by Nick Wilson, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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By Nick Wilson, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida | USA TODAY Network
