South Jersey high school football recruit profile: Haddon Heights senior Jayden Trace
Each week, the South Jersey Gridiron Gang will introduce high school football fans to a local senior that has been overlooked during the recruiting process.
This week on The Underrecruited: Haddon Heights’ Jayden Trace.
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Jayden Trace
High School: Haddon Heights
Age: 17
Position: MLB/TE
Height: 6-0
Weight: 215 pounds
Résumé: Trace is a four-year starter at tight end and three-year starter at middle linebacker for the Garnets. He’s best known for his work on the defensive side of the ball as he garnered West Jersey Football League Constitution Division First Team honors last year after posting 159 tackles, second most in the state. He had 17 stops for loss, a sack, a pick-6 and a fumble return for a score. Offensively, he had 21 grabs for 311 yards and 2 touchdowns and 33 carries for 222 yards and 5 TDs. He opened the 2023 campaign with 10 tackles, 2 for loss, 3 receptions for 31 yards and 18 yards on the ground in a 34-7 setback to Woodstown on Aug. 31.
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Grade-point average: 3.6
40-yard dash: 4.68 seconds
Bench press: 315 pounds
Squat: 405 pounds
Dead lift: 465 pounds
Power clean: 275 pounds
Current offers: Shippensburg and Gannon
Watch the film: Sept. 24, 2022 vs. Penns Grove; Oct. 1, 2022 vs. Camden; Nov. 12, 2022 vs. Abraham Clark
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2022 evaluation: “I thought he was one of the best linebackers in the state. That’s the kid you saw on film, clearly,” head coach Chris Lina said. “As coach you always want to look for things (players can) improve on, I thought all around he was awesome. Compared to sophomore year it was night and day. I think he got into wrestling after sophomore year season, started wrestling, lost some fat, replaced with muscle, flies sideline to sideline as a Mike linebacker. He made 150-something tackles, legitimate tackles. I do the stats and every tackle was legitimate for him. I thought when the competition was better he played better. Camden game, watch that, he was running on the field smacking people.”
What made the difference? “My attitude, my effort, my work ethic outside of football,” Trace said. “Between wrestling and the weight room and stuff, I was always working. I was working out two times a day, and summer I’d come and work out at like 4 in the morning with (Lina).”
“Eh, 4:45,” Lina responded.
How did wrestling help Trace? “My hips and my footwork. In wrestling, you’re always wrestling in weird positions, need to be flexible and stuff, so it helped me in my hips and how I’m able to move, and I think it got me faster too.”
What did Trace want to improve on during the offseason? “Going back and looking at my film and talking to a lot of coaches, they said how stiff I play. Sometimes coaches would say I play a little stiff with my hips and stuff, and being able to stay lower in my stance, and being more explosive out of my stance, and just winning. I’m trying to win a lot more this year than we did last year.”
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What did Lina want Trace to improve on in the offseason? “We talked to Jayden about playing downhill more, in the other team’s backfield. He can go sideline to sideline, he seems to try and read things and wants to tackle the jet on the sideline. Sometimes he’s got to do his job and I don’t know if he necessarily trusted everyone to do their job last year, so he’s running around trying to do a little too much. And in the passing game, he’s got to get under some different routes and find passing threats and he’s worked on it. He’s clearly gotten better at that. Do his job, get downhill and create havoc this year.”
What changes has Lina seen in Trace this year compared to last year? “A lot. I think he’s been a leader overall this year, much better. He’s bringing guys along. I think last year he was focusing more on himself. I think he’s focusing more on the team this year. He’s playing great. He had one scrimmage, he had a pick-6, 100 yards receiving, 10 tackles, he’s going to be a stud.
“He improved himself. Stronger. Way stronger. He’s been improving himself every day. He’ll come and lift at 5 in the morning with us (coaches).”
What changes has Trace noticed? “One thing I noticed a lot more, my change in direction and my hips. I trained a lot in the offseason with a few linebacker coaches and strength coaches, and that’s mainly what I worked on because that’s what I was told I need to work on, so being able to change directions and getting downhill more. My reads are a lot faster.”
What does Trace feel his best attributes are? “I’d probably say how hard I hit. How confident I am. I feel some kids when they hit, they’re more scared of contact. I just go and make the play. … (Also), I just keep going, keep going. I don’t want to stop, so having a high motor.”
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What does Lina feel Trace’s best attributes are? “His speed to the football, and once he sees a play and diagnoses it, he is the first one there. He’ll be beating an outside linebacker to the other side. His aggression, his body type helps as a middle linebacker, being 215 pounds, and he throws it around properly. I would say his game speed. He might run a 4.68, but he plays faster than that.”
What have college coaches told Lina? “Everything’s positive. There’s little things they would fix but there’s things they would fix with any high school player, pass reads, recognition, getting dropped to the spot, hips, that’s always a big thing with college coaches, being able to change direction, flip your hips, go different ways, but it’s all been positive from all the coaches. He just seems to be on people’s cusp. (One college) loved him, absolutely loves him, but they say a 3.6 GPA isn’t a slam dunk for them, so they have to bump him down a tier. (One college) is only taking one linebacker and going to the portal for another. Everyone that comes in is real high on him but hanging back.”
What are college coaches telling Trace? “Their way of recruiting is a lot slower. They said some schools will just pull the trigger, but (colleges he’s talked to) want to get to know a guy. They don’t want to bring a guy in they don’t really know and they could just ruin their whole program or culture. That’s what a lot of coaches are saying to me, but at the same time, the Monmouth camp and Villanova camp, I was voted the best linebacker by all the linebackers there, so I mean coaches text me after, say I did a good job, I boosted my stock with them. They like how I move. They can’t really see much in camp because we’re not in pads, but camps, you do one-on-ones and drills, my footwork was good, my hips were good, and when I got to one-on-ones, I think at every camp I didn’t lose a one-on-one.”
What would Lina tell college coaches about Trace? “Watch the film. Put him on film. I always have film queued up when coaches come in to show them real quick, to get them interested. Here’s a play, jet to the outside, he gets there, tackles him for a one-yard gain all the way (across the) field. I tell them he’s the best linebacker in South Jersey. Look at the stats, look at the film, go from there.”
What would Trace tell coaches about why they should recruit him? “I’m 100 percent effort. I’m not going to come to school and (give less). Everything I’ve got, I’m going to give you.”
What are Lina’s expectations for Trace in 2023? “400 tackles, 20 interceptions (laughs). Our expectations are just to improve on last year. I know that sounds lofty with 150 tackles, but even if he makes less tackles but makes more behind line of scrimmage or at the line of scrimmage (that would be great).”
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What are Trace’s expectations for 2023? “Winning. Last year, the stats and stuff, all that looked cool, but I talked to some of the kids from Woodbury, and being able to come together as team, if I can put up those numbers and win at the same time, that would be great. Even if I’m not putting 160 tackles and my teammates are making plays, if we can go to playoffs and go on a run, I’m perfectly fine with that.”
Josh Friedman has produced award-winning South Jersey sports coverage for the Courier Post, The Daily Journal and the Burlington County Times for more than a decade. If you have or know of an interesting story to tell, reach out on Twitter at @JFriedman57 or via email at jfriedman2@gannettnj.com. You can also contact him at 856-486-2431. Help support local journalism with a subscription.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Recruit breakdown: Closer look at Haddon Heights LB Jayden Trace
