Teams excited for possibilities with 2020 ATH Jaden Hullaby
DALLAS, Tex. -- 2020 Bishop Dunne athlete Jaden Hullaby has a lot of college programs excited after this spring and although he’s listed as an athlete, it’s beginning to become clear just what those teams have in mind for him in the future.
The assistants that have made stops to see him and his teammates, as well as those that he’s met while making visits himself have all seen his potential as a powerfully-built running back. Meanwhile, Hullaby is still thankful for the attention he’s received over the past few months.
“It’s enjoyable,” he said. “It’s good to have these schools looking at me, and to be blessed with these opportunities.”
Hullaby took visits to Iowa and Texas A&M this spring, but is also hoping to hit Illinois and Tennessee within the first few weeks of June. The Illini have been very successful recruiting players from Dunne in recent years, but the Volunteers have been hitting on the pedigree of their new staff to show him that there is a path to success in Knoxville as well.
IN HIS WORDS
On Illinois
“It’s like a pipeline building here,” he said. “The guys here have been telling me to come to the team, that it would be good to have me be back up at the same college as them … when I get up there, I am hoping to feel a good vibe, get a good relationship with the coaches and players, and just feel comfortable.”
Recapping his Iowa visit
“That was a good visit,” he said. “I have a good relationship with the coaches - Coach (LeVar) Woods and Coach (Derrick) Foster, they’re real cool … They’ve been telling me that they run the ball a lot and they would have a role for me doing that. They also talk about the guys they’ve put in the NFL and that’s been what they’ve talked up most.”
On Tennessee
“I’ve been talking most with [graduate assistant] Jon Shalala,” he said. “We’ve been talking on twitter and he said that with a lot of the staff having come over from Alabama, they like bigger backs and guys like that. Someone that can run hard, pick up positive yards and stuff like that.”
RIVALS REACTION
Another program that Hullaby said that he has an interest in after this spring is Arizona State. The Sun Devils offered him at the end of March and there is a connection to the staff through one of his coaches at Dunne. He said that he’s already been compared to Kalen Ballage and sees the potential for a role in that offense as well. Despite many teams eyeing him up as a big running back going forward, he showed at the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp presented by adidas in Dallas this spring that he’s a capable and effective pass-catcher as well.