Elite Combo Guard Jayden Epps Breaks Down Top Six, Considering Reclassifying
Back in October, when Sports Illustrated introduced King’s Fork (Suffolk, Va.) combo guard Jayden Epps as a commodity in the 2022 class his list of potential college suitors was swelling by the day.
Now, he’s zeroed in on six schools that he wants to focus on going forward: Providence, Florida, Virginia Tech, Texas A&M, Arkansas and N.C. State all made the cut.
Epps broke down what he liked about each of the schools on his list for Sports Illustrated.
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Providence: “I love the relationship that I have with the coaching staff, and I love everything they say about how they would use me in their system. I know that if I go there, they’d have my back.”
Florida: “They’ve been interested in me for a while and I have a strong relationship with the staff and some of the players. We’ve had great Zoom calls, and I know that I’d fit in well in that environment.”
Virginia Tech: “They recruited me really early and they’ve been to a few of my practices. I’ve actually visited there, and I have a bond with the coaches. I feel like they would take care of me there.”
Texas A&M: “They started recruiting me last year, and the coaches hit me all the time. They break down film with me on their Zooms and really show me how my game fits in with them. They have a run-and-gun style and play tough defense. I know I would fit in there.”
Arkansas: “Very good school, the coaches really show me how bad they want me, and I feel like my relationship with everyone there has grown a lot. I feel like I’d have a lot of success there.”
N.C. State: “I have a really strong relationship with them, and I know a lot of their history and people that have gone there. I really like how they use their guards. The coaches are great and I’m confident that I would do well there.”
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Epps said he plans to take some time to grow his relationships with the six schools and learn more about how he would fit into their systems.
Last season, Epps dominated the competition to the tune of 28 points a game for the Bulldogs. When the pandemic sidelined the summer circuit, Epps concentrated on individual workouts and strengthened his all-around game.
This fall, he led the Seen Circuit, an elite fall league in Virginia, in scoring at 26 points a game.
That kind of production has each of the schools wanting Epps a year early, an option he’s currently pondering with his family.
“It’s a possibility, but we haven’t decided fully yet,” Epps said of a potential reclassification to 2021. “I have the academic side ready if I want to go that route, it’s just about what we decide, so that’s what I’m looking at now. I’m taking my time now that it’s cut down. I’ll either decide from this list or cut it to like a top two or something. Choosing from this list will be very hard.”