Sachse dual-threat quarterback Jalen Mayden released a list of his Top 5 programs yesterday evening and the Baylor Bears made the cut along with Nebraska, Louisville, Tennesse and Mississippi State.
The standout prospect is no stranger to the recruiting process, in fact, Mayden has two older brothers who have already experienced the ups and downs of recruiting - James Mayden (Rice) and Jared Mayden (Alabama). The younger Mayden and his parents learned a lot from already going through the process twice, and that led to Jalen recently spending an entire day on the Baylor campus - not to see the stadium or the facilities in Waco, but rather to spend 'a day in the life' of a Baylor student athlete.
"It was not a regular visit," Mayden said. "I learned a lot, and not the things you learn on a regular visit when touring the locker rooms, the stadium and seeing the team's jerseys. I actually went to classes, met with professors and spent a whole day with one of the freshman players (R.J. Sneed).
"Once you get to college, you are your own man. Nobody tells you when to wake up and get to class, it's all on you. It was nice, I got to receive a behind the scenes look at the day in a life for the Baylor student athletes - going to class, getting to practice and seeing the team go through practice."
The 6-foot-2, 214-pound quarterback also spent time with the Baylor coaching staff and learned more about the new offense in Waco.
"A lot of the coaches came from Temple," Mayden said. "So I did my research on their offense and how they use the quarterback. It is very similar to the offense Matt Ryan runs with the Atlanta Falcons, that with a twist of the Baylor spread offense will be nice.
"The coaches told me that I'm a priority for them at the quarterback position for the 2018 recruiting class, me and Tanner Mordecai. We talked and the coaches didn't really bring up a commitment, they know that I'm taking my time and that you only get recruited once. The coaches did tell me that they really feel I'm the best fit for their offense and they could see me running things for them in Waco."
Mayden also did not shy away from asking head coach Matt Rhule and his staff about the issues at Baylor over the past year.
"I asked the coaches about it and we talked," Mayden said. "Basically, Coach Rhule told me they have all of their guys in line and that those types of things would not be an issue moving forward."
With his Top 5 programs now released, Mayden is planning to announce his commitment after the Sachse spring game later next month.
Outside of being a standout on the football field, Mayden has also proven to be mature beyond his years and even formed his own service organization - which certainly had to have been a huge positive for Coach Rhule and his staff.
Rated a 5.8 four-star prospect, Mayden is the No. 11 overall dual-threat quarterback in the country and the No. 29 overall prospect on the Rivals.com Texas Preseason Top 100 for the 2018 class.
He finished with 2,840 yards and 22 touchdowns passing along with 632 yards and 11 touchdowns rushing - earning the District 10-6A All-District Offensive MVP and All-District First Team Offense honors this past season.
