Jaden Greathouse Is Even Better Off The Field Than He Is On It
Notre Dame received another massive commitment on Friday, securing a verbal pledge from Austin (Texas) Westlake star wide receiver Jaden Greathouse. Easily quantifiable by the box score or the recruiting rankings, the 6-2, 210-pound pass catcher selecting the Irish is a big deal.
It turns out, as is the case for most Notre Dame recruits, Greathouse is not simply quantified by his No. 69 overall ranking by Rivals, or his three straight state championship victories as a part of the Westlake program. The 3.134 career receiving yards and 43 receiving touchdowns also don’t tell the full story. Neither does his massive offer list that started growing after a dominant freshman campaign three years ago.
According to Westlake head coach Tony Salazar, it’s the person that is behind that resume.
“Jaden really checks all the boxes you would want,” Coach Salazar explained. “You’re getting a physical, talented individual who is internally driven to be the best out there.
“He practices just as hard as he plays in the game,” he continued. “I think that’s why you see the results he has had. There’s no off switch for how hard he works.”
The word “break” doesn’t mean much to Greathouse. The grind never stops.
“He is just always out there competing,” Salazar said. “He’s gone right from football to basketball, winning state championships on the football field and helps take the basketball team deep into the state playoffs. This is the first year that he’s lifting weights with us just because he’s always competing. He lifts weights of course, but it’s more on his own time.
“The work ethic he brings is just unmatched,” he added. “We had to force him to take a little break. We have all had breaks but he just never wants to stop. Jaden is just an amazing kid. The name on the front of the Jersey has always been more important to him than the one on the back.”
Salazar spoke glowingly of the talented wide receiver, spending the majority of the time admiring the quality of person that he is and very little on his impact on the football field. There is something magnetic about him. That should serve well when transitioning to South Bend.
“Jaden is one of those kids who walks in a room and he’ll very quickly seem approachable,” Salazar said. “Then he smiles and you know for sure that he is approachable. The second people get to know him, they gravitate towards him.”
Of course, Notre Dame also knows that they are getting an incredible football player. Just how good is he? According to Salazar we haven’t seen anything yet.
“There really isn’t a ceiling,” he explained. “Jaden can be as good as he wants to be because of how hard he works at it. Of course he’s a great athlete but he’s also an equally great worker.”
For a recruit who has been in the spotlight for so long, Greathouse handled the process as well as anyone can expect from a prospect his age. In fact, he exceeded every expectation.
“Jaden handled it better than probably any other Freshman All American ever,” the Westlake head coach said. “He is a young man who made an early impact with our program and the offers started coming in left and right.
“He pretty much stopped talking to folks for two years. We told him that the attention will still be there but let’s first start thinking about a plan,”`continued Salazar. “We wanted him to have the chance to be a kid and enjoy playing the game and being a student. Jaden never fell in love with recruiting. For him, he understands the bigger picture. He doesn’t care about being the most active on social media or any of that.”
With the decision making process finally over, Greathouse and his family can exhale as they prepare for his senior season with the Westlake program. He tackled the process exceptionally and made an incredibly well thought out decision in picking Notre Dame.
“He is incredibly thoughtful,” stated Salazar. “Jaden didn’t just make this decision overnight. This is the product of years of hard work and preparation. He has a chance to win four straight 6A state championships.
“No matter why it is in his life, Jaden is going to be successful,” he continued. “He’ll be a successful football player, student, professional, whatever he chooses to do.”
Greathouse means a lot to the Westlake program. He is about as well rounded of a student athlete as you will find. His support system has helped to develop him into a great young man.
“Jaden comes from an amazing family and has been raised right,” said Salazar. “He’s the kind of young man that you want your daughter to bring home. I just can’t say enough great things about him.
“Over the years when we’ve had loss in our community or something bad has happened, he has been one of the rocks for us all,” Salazar continued. “He and Cade (Klubnik) have meant so much to us all. He’s a really special young man.”
By every measure, Notre Dame received a massive commitment when Greathouse picked them on Friday. Soon enough, he intends to have as much impact as he has had with the Westlake program. It only seems like a matter of time.
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