The path to success isn’t always paved perfectly straight, especially in the world of sports. The same can now be said for Arlington Bowie defensive back JaQualyn Greene, who, instead of spending his final summer as a high school prospect bolstering his stock on the 7-on-7 circuit, will remain sidelined for the next handful of months rehabbing after suffering a tibia and fibula fracture in spring practice.
If all goes as planned, Greene will be back up to speed and on the field for the start of preseason two-a-days in August, but in the meantime, he’ll spend some time traveling the country to evaluate his college options.
“It’s pretty good,” Greene said of the recruiting process.” I’m going up to Kansas next month and Illinois.”
At the moment, Kansas and Illinois are the only visits Greene has planned this summer and the Jayhawks are the program most active in his recruitment, but Minnesota is another program right in the mix for Greene’s services. He made the cross-country trek to Minneapolis in April but despite some recent buzz regarding a potential commitment, Greene is keeping his options open for now.
“I went up there and it was pretty dope up there,” Greene said of his Minnesota visit. “I like it a lot but I’m still weighing options.”
A Waco native, if Greene gets his way, Baylor will soon be a real option for him to weigh. Greene said the Bears’ tight end coach, Joey McGuire, was at Bowie’s practice on May 10; the day Greene suffered his leg injury. While it hasn’t come yet, a Baylor offer would catapult to Bears to the very top of Greene’s recruitment.
“If they extend an offer than they would definitely be at the top of my list,” Greene said.
As far as when Greene would like to shut his recruitment down is concerned, the Bowie product simply said, “Just whenever I feel comfortable.” Greene’s hope is that he’ll feel comfortable enough to make his decision following his summer visits and ideally, around the start of two-a-days.
If Greene gets his way, the recruiting process will be behind him when his senior season starts, allowing him to put his full focus into Bowie’s 2017 slate. To that end, Greene has a particular goal in mind on how he’d like to conclude his high school career.
“Help Bowie get to 10 wins again and try to push us to state. That’s my main goal,” Greene said, adding that he’s emerging as a leader, despite currently being sidelined.
“Ever since our seniors left, I’ve been pumping up the younger guys,” Greene said. “Everyone looks up to me. Coach has me calling all the defensive plays. I call the defensive assignments for the DBs. I’m going to be playing safety this year so basically telling the corners their roles. Just being a facilitator on the field.”
Once a healthy Greene is back leading the pack, Bowie’s secondary appears to be in good hands. A three-star prospect with just shy of two handfuls of offers to choose from, includingCincinnati, Houston, Illinois, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana-Monroe, SMU, Tulane and Tulsa, Greene’s final season at Bowie is unlikely to be the last time he’ll be suiting up. Before that next step, though, he has a few key areas of improvement in mind.
“My instincts and my reaction time and just playing DB, whether that’s safety, nickel or corner.”
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