Alabama '16 TX DB - Jared Mayden (Alabama Verbal)

MAYDEN THE SHADE?
The cornerback carousel continues to spin and this week we're once again talking about Texas defensive back Jared Mayden II. To recap, the Buckeyes were once considered the favorite for Mayden, as recently as January or February, but in recent months the relationship between the two sides began to wane if not outright fall apart.
As new names began to crop up with the Buckeyes, it seemed less and less likely that Mayden, the country's 11th-ranked cornerback, would end up in Columbus. That has been the case...but now things could be swinging back around towards the scarlet and gray. A staff writer for TCU's 247Sports.com site notched a "crystal ball" pick in the Buckeyes' favor yesterday, and another mid-south recruiting analyst is also on board with that pick.
Currently there are five schools listed on Mayden's predictions and he's done an incredible job of keeping people guessing. Right now, there's no definitive answer being given to anyone and Mayden, who has stayed secretive for most of his recruitment, isn't likely to start squawking now. The Buckeyes have not been told by Mayden's camp that he is or is not choosing Ohio State, but if he picks the Block 'O' hat to put on his head without informing them beforehand, it could be interesting to see how it plays out. There's not much room left at the proverbial inn and if Mayden wants in, someone else that we'd felt was more likely, like Damar Hamlin, Jordan Fuller or Andrew Prtys, is likely to end up out.
Mayden's decision date is not yet finalized, but he told me today it's going to be Thursday or Friday. I picked Ohio State on the "crystal ball" back in January and I've not changed it (because well, mostly I forgot) but I expect him to pick Oregon at this point. Nothing I've heard today leads me to believe it's the Buckeyes in front.

 

618837127527276544 is not a valid tweet id

 

Can Ohio State beat Oregon for 4-star Texas recruit @MaydenII? http://t.co/5XpNR10aRn

— Doug Lesmerises (@DougLesmerises) July 8, 2015

 

Making his decision today...........

 

MAYDEN FINAL THOUGHTS
Even before today's surprise commitment from Norfolk, Virginia's Wayne Davis, I had officially predicted that Jared Mayden II was bound to pick Oregon tonight at The Opening. Why? Let's examine le facts.
(That is French for "the facts" in the event anyone was wondering.)
First, for a few months earlier this year, there was a noticeable gap in communication between Ohio State and Mayden, despite his assertion that they had remained in steady contact. Mayden last visited Columbus in November and for a while was favoring the Buckeyes but the ball was dropped at some point, whether intentionally – as other prospects moved up the Ohio State board – or unintentionally doesn't matter. The Buckeyes only got back into the mix about a month ago as the communication ramped back up a bit.
Second, Mayden was not/has not been among the handful of players focused on by the Ohio State recruits in attendance at The Opening, despite the rumor mill around him and the Buckeyes in the last week. In fact, last night I spoke to one Ohio State commitment and asked him if he'd been hearing anything on the ground in Oregon about Mayden's choice and he replied with "who is that?" Clearly the Texas cornerback was not making himself known to the Buckeye contingent in Beaverton, which he surely would have done had he been planning to commit to Ohio State.
Third, earlier today the Oregon 247 site reported that Mayden had informed the Oregon staff where he wanted to attend college and at least up to this point has not told the Buckeyes anything.
So, all signs point to Oregon, but Mayden is likely to take five official visits come the fall anyway, so what does it really all matter? All we know is that it means the Ducks are probably in the lead at the point.

 

Verbaled to Oregon.......

 

Mayden an option again?
At one point last year, it seemed as if '16 CB Jared Mayden of Sachse (TX) would undoubtedly be a member of the Buckeyes' 2016 class. However, those claims quickly quieted when the four-star prospect announced his pledge to the Oregon Ducks.

On Wednesday though, Mayden announced his decommitment from the program. The 6'1, 190-pounder didn't disclose his exact reasoning but it's fair to believe that the changes on the coaching staff were a big reason. With that being said, it will be interesting to see if Ohio State tries to get back in the race for the lone star state prospect. For now, it seems to be Florida State who is in prime position to be the beneficiary of the news.

 

Top 100 CB Jared Mayden Decommits from Oregon - Football Recruiting - Scout https://t.co/kzgxU6zFna

— OSUBasketballJunkie (@ScarletBuckeye2) January 10, 2016

 

#Rivals250 DB Jared Mayden has made his decision he is headed to #RollTide #RivalsNSD pic.twitter.com/UM3nsqilMi

— Jason Howell (@Jason_Howell) February 3, 2016