The Wesleyan Nightmare, Jordan Mack, Updates Official Visit to Virginia
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @HogManInLA
Wesleyan High School was stacked with talent in 2015 with guys like Jordan Argilagos (Dartmouth) crushing it out of the backfield with 1,280 yards rushing, 11 touchdowns, and 15 passes hauled in for 250 yards with another score. On defense, Cole Mannion (Holy Cross) had an outstanding season at corner coming up with 30 tackles and five picks, but the finisher in the secondary was Jordan Mack.
Mack, respectfully nicknamed the Wesleyan Nightmare, continued to be a real life terror for opposing Georgia ball carriers and wide receivers. The 6’3”, 205 pound, bone crusher ended up with 36 tackles, two tackles for a loss, and one pick on his way to All-County, All-Region, and first team All-State honors.
In June 2015, Mack essentially cut his recruiting down after verbally committing to Virginia but offers still came in and teams continued to try to sway the big safety away from the Cavaliers. At least 15 different Division-I programs put offers on the table coming from Georgia Tech, UMass, Syracuse, South Florida, Wisconsin, Georgia Southern, Appalachian State, Northwestern, Boston College, Vanderbilt, and Wisconsin.
Mack has stuck by his commitment and made his official visit to Virginia on Jan. 30. In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview, I caught up with Mack after his trip to Charlottesville to get an overview on his visit and a recruiting news update.
Interview
Jordan, how did your official visit to Virginia go? You sound tired so it must have gone really well.
“Yeah, it went really well (laughs). We hung out with the players, went around the school touring different areas of the campus, and then sat down and talked academics. They went over all the things we need to know about for when we report and stuff like that.”
Did the Cavs have a big recruiting weekend bringing in some guys on the fence or-
“No. They brought in a lot of the verbal commitments. No last minute recruits that I know of.”
In your opinion, is the 2016 Virginia class coming together and bonding well?
“Oh yeah. We are a close nit group. We group text and talk almost every day. We will be brothers before we step on the field together.”
Not to single out just anyone person, but are you growing a close bond with any of your fellow commitments already?
“All of them. I can’t but my finger on just one but I am close with the kids from Georgia. We all live in the area and have that connection (linebackers Stephen Moye, Parkview, and Robert Snyder, Collins Hill).”
Was there anything on this visit that stood out to you, or something you learned about the program that you had no idea about previously?
“No, not really. Pretty much everything they said I had found out before or on another trip. This trip was more about what to expect once we get onto campus. They gave us a lot of info for the time coming up.”
Have any teams been pushing to get you to change your mind before National Signing Day?
“Boston College and Georgia Tech a little bit. I’ve let them know I am firm in my commitment and I am signing with Virginia.”
How are your offseason workouts going?
“Great. I workout with the strength coach at our school every day. I go in and he has a workout set up for me.”
What kind of workouts?
“A lot of conditioning, speed training, and building up overall strength.”
Are you participating in any spring sports for Wesleyan?
“Yes, I’m running track.”
Which events?
“The high jump, 4×1, and 4×4. We’ll see about the individual events.”
Jordan, thanks for taking the time today and congratulations on a successful official visit to Virginia.
“Thank you.”
Photo credit: Mack family; Jordan at Virginia with Stephen Moye and Robert Snyder.