Jayden McDonald in the portal

I thought he was going to come in and be a stud. At this moment, that doesn't seem to be occurring. Maybe he's homesick, maybe he's not advancing as fast as he thinks he should (or as fast as he thinks he is), maybe he's had a hard time recovering from his injury. It's no one's fault, it's just circumstances. Good luck to him whether he goes or stays.
 
I think the 4-2 and some young up and comers have relegated guys like McDonald to special teams and he doesn’t want that and I don’t blame him.
 
Kind of had a feeling this would happen. He's a talented young guy, but, the defensive scheme change and log-jam at LB is going to take a toll. He may not be the only one before it's all said and done.
 
We are loaded at linebacker right now...running back isn't that way. I guarantee one if IKM doesn't get carries...he's gone. I still think Goodson plays alot next year. Hell, if he shows breakaway speed...he may play this year. I wouldn't group McDonald with Goodson.
 
I reached out to his mom. We’ll see if she responds.

Seth Wallace was laying into this kid continuously at Kids Day. He did not seem to be receiving it well, which caught the eye of some of us in the media.

As others have mentioned, there’s a logjam at LB with the scheme change. I’d imagine there will be more hitting the road.
 
Seth Wallace was laying into this kid continuously at Kids Day. He did not seem to be receiving it well, which caught the eye of some of us in the media.

Sometimes that can be a sign that a coach really thinks you have potential, though. It's often better to get a talking to than to be ignored.
 
Sometimes that can be a sign that a coach really thinks you have potential, though. It's often better to get a talking to than to be ignored.

Agreed. But it’s a two-way street. The coach may have great intentions but if it isn’t being received well or being ignored, it’s not going to work. I got the sense this wasn’t the first time Wallace was getting after him. And the kid was walking away from him.
 
Agreed. But it’s a two-way street. The coach may have great intentions but if it isn’t being received well or being ignored, it’s not going to work. I got the sense this wasn’t the first time Wallace was getting after him. And the kid was walking away from him.

Yeah, that's true. Some of those kids probably have a really hard time going from being the man, all-conference, etc. to just a role player when they make the jump to college. It's a tough business.
 
Good coaches know full well what it takes to encourage good results from very individual kids’. One size does not fit all.
 
He was 3rd string at best going into camp (Welch, Colbert, Niemann, Doyle, Benson all were ahead of him at the very least). And would not surprise me at all if guys like Jestin Jacob's were passing him in the ladder as well.

3 guys above him returning with starting experience. 2 more in his own class who have been developing better, and some big recruits in behind him. Something had to give. And from Rob's report above, not surprising at all it ended up going this way.
 
Frankly, it's better for him AND the team to get in the portal now while he still may have a chance to go elsewhere THIS season (i.e., JuCo, or sub-FBS level if he wants immediate eligibility).

I have a hard time believing scheme change will run off that many guys, but if it does, so be it. It will just change recruiting strategy a bit.
 
Frankly, it's better for him AND the team to get in the portal now while he still may have a chance to go elsewhere THIS season (i.e., JuCo, or sub-FBS level if he wants immediate eligibility).

I have a hard time believing scheme change will run off that many guys, but if it does, so be it. It will just change recruiting strategy a bit.

The coaches changed the recruiting strategy for this 2020 cycle. Out of the 22 known verbal commitments, two are linebackers.

Going from three starting linebackers to two is significant.
 
I had high hopes for him (still do). If he thinks he has to go, well that's his decision.
Good luck.
I'm pretty sure he has the physical tools (been here awhile), so if the coaches were getting after him, it was either making reads or hustle. So I agree if they are getting after him it's probably deserved.
 
Remember the "portal rules", too. Schools can reduce or cancel "aid" at the end of a term, and can remove the player from the roster. Something tells me only the most vindictive of coaches would actually do that, but the point is, it's better for the kid to behave and be in the portal now, versus sulking and hanging around a whole semester/season.
 
Is Campbell still at LB?

Honestly I’m not too concerned about this one. We have plenty of talent there which is likely why he is looking elsewhere. Also the 4-2-5 is going to make it tougher to keep some of these guys.
 
I reached out to his mom. We’ll see if she responds.

Seth Wallace was laying into this kid continuously at Kids Day. He did not seem to be receiving it well, which caught the eye of some of us in the media.

As others have mentioned, there’s a logjam at LB with the scheme change. I’d imagine there will be more hitting the road.
What’s the typical way that media people find out a recruit has entered the portal? Since it’s not public info, is it usually an anonymous coach sees it and leaks it, or is it leaked from within the athletic dept, etc? Obviously I’m talking about cases where the player or his parents don’t announce it.
 

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