Recruiting has become dominated by NIL conversation as pay-for-play has become common throughout the college football landscape and many recruits are making decisions based at least in part by how much money by collectives. On Monday, NFL standout defensive back Jalen Ramsey took to social media to share his thoughts on recruits who are making decisions and weighing NIL vs coaching
“I [know] the college landscape is different with NIL but I hope these recruits keep the priorities in order,” Ramsey posted to his account on X. “Being coached by men who have proven to be good coaches & will help your game be as successful as possible should still be the key!”
Ramsey said the thought his him after spending time in Los Angeles with USC defensive line coach Eric Henderson. Ramsey played for the Los Angeles Rams from 2019-2022. Henderson served as the defensive line coach all four of those years, including the Super Bowl winning season of 2021.
Ramsey pointed specifically to Florida State defensive backs coach Patrick Surtain Sr., Auburn co-defensive coordinator Charles Kelly, Ohio State secondary coach Tim Walton and Henderson.
“Henny obviously has been around & directly coached the absolute best on a NFL level,” Ramsey said, referring to Henderson coaching Aaron Donald with the Rams. “I’m all for getting that [money], but that shouldn’t be the first piece of conversation, that’s all. I hope these young guys doing it right & have the right guidance.”
Ramsey was a one-time USC verbal commitment in the 2013 recruiting class. He ultimately decommitted and signed with Florida State. Ramsey started all 14 games as a true freshman and finished his three-year college career with 181 tackles, 5 sacks, 22 pass deflections, three interceptions and four forced fumbles. He became the No. 5 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
As far as Henderson on the recruiting trail, it’s tough to argue with the results so far. The 2025 class is off to a tremendous start with Henderson helping to flip five-star lineman Justus Terry from a Georgia commitment, and landing commitments five-star edge Isaiah Gibson, four-star edge Hayden Lowe and three-star end Gus Cordova. Whether USC holds onto the commitments will be something to watch, but grabbing those commitments speaks volumes as far as Henderson’s recruiting impact.
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The post Jalen Ramsey preaches coaching over NIL, highlights USC’s Eric Henderson appeared first on On3.