Ready, Set, No - at least not yet
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Recruiting can be a tricky road to navigate. There are twists, turns, curves, speed bumps, roadblocks, barriers, etc...
Out of the hundreds of college football programs and thousands of prospective student-athletes any one of a number of things can happen to keep the two 'intendeds' apart.
Perhaps a program likes a prospect enough to offer, but the prospect doesn't like the program enough to commit.
Or, it can be the other way around.
A prospect wants to commit to a program, but the program has other priorities.
Then there are the very unique situations where both sides want to join in Holy matrimony, but there is another roadblock to overcome - the uncertainty of a third party.
When you consider all of the variables involved, even in the best of situations, it can take somewhat of a perfect storm of circumstances for the marriage proposal between a program and a prospect to eventually turn into happily ever after.
As is the case with Nashville (Fla.) Magnet 2019 athlete Jashon Watkins.
First a little background.
In early April the 6-foot-4, 180-pounder attended Florida's Orange & Blue Debut spring football game.
At the conclusion of the evening he messaged Inside the Gators - “Had a great visit” and “I loved it” before signing off by saying he was meeting with the Florida coaches the next day.
Obviously excitement level can't be determined or detected via a message delivered minus emojis, but Watkins came across at the very least somewhat excited about his visit and the possibilities ahead.
During the two day span Florida picked up five commitments, each one announced via Jim McElwain's Twitter account with the hashtag #chompchomp.
Four of the five – John Dunmore, Corey Gammage, Jalen Goss and Tyrique Stevenson – remain on Florida's commitment list.
The fifth – Watkins – has a different path to take.
“I had a great meeting with the coaches that day,” said Watkins. “They talked about how I fit in with the system and how much they liked me and how I fit in there. Just a little bit of everything.”
During that meeting, Watkins told the staff he was ready to be part of Florida's Class of 2019. The problem was he got a little bit ahead of himself in that while he was on-board with becoming a Gator, he had to convince his family that going that far away from home was a good idea.
“It was a mutual decision between me and Florida,” explained Watkins. “We know where we stand with each other, but I jumped ahead by doing that without talking it over with everyone I needed to in my family.”
Because of that, Watkins informed Rivals area analyst Woody Wommack that he didn't consider himself publicly committed to Florida.
That is hardly a unique situation when it comes to recruiting. Especially when dealing with a prospect who is still two classes away from needing to make his decision.
Jump ahead to roughly two weeks ago.
After talking it over with those he needed to, Watkins thought everything was worked out and he was ready to make it official. He contacted Wommack once again to give him the quotes on his commitment to Florida – which was to take place within 24 hours.
Then...
Ready, Set, No.
To be clear, the young man has a year and nine months before his Signing Day. That is all the time in the world when it comes to recruiting. He is on his own schedule to do what is right for him on his own time-frame. He doesn't owe anyone in the world an apology or an explanation for doing his due diligence when it comes to making the biggest decision of his life - which will in turn impact the rest of his life.
With over 21 months remaining until he has to make a choice there is no need to make a commitment anytime soon. With that, Watkins said he and his family have decided to wait it out a little longer.
“At first I was ready to commit [publicly], but then when I talked to my family, we just decided that I should wait a little before I make my decision.”
Watkins then expanded on what has transpired.
“My mom is looking at the distance, but you know, don't put it on her, she is going to support me wherever I go. It's really me and her and my whole family. She wants me to make sure this is really what I want and if Florida is really for me. It's eight hours from home, and I want my family to be able to see me and watch me play.”
With Watkins either outright committing or being on the verge of committing twice, it goes without saying that the Gators are high on his list.
Despite his other offers, it is still the one from Florida that is pushpinned at the top of his Twitter profile.
“Florida is still up there, but right now, I don't know when I'm going to make a commitment,” said Watkins. “I talk to Coach [Corey] Bell everyday. He communicates with me all the time. The situation is, the coaches know where my heart is. I love it there. I have to see what's going to happen.”
What has happened lately is that Georgia, Ole Miss, Kentucky, Georgia Tech and others have been by his school this spring. Notre Dame and Florida are expected by this coming week or next week.
What hasn't happened is Watkins, who is building one of the more impressive offers in the Volunteer state for the Class of 2019, feeling the need to rush to make a choice now that can just as easily be made 21 months from now.
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