College Football Recruiting

4-star recruit Jordan Scarlett commits to ... FAU?

Scarlett is probably the best recruit to ever commit to the Owls. With his National Signing Day still 15 months away, some are skeptical he ever makes it to Florida Atlantic.

By Scott Coleman@scottcoleman55 Dec 27, 2013, 5:31pm EST

Jordan Scarlett, a 2015 four-star running back out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., sent shockwaves through the college football recruiting world on Friday when he committed to Florida Atlantic. Scarlett held offers to nearly 30 schools, including Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia and LSU.

The Owls recently hired Arkansas defensive line coach Charlie Patridge as their new head coach following Carl Pelini's abrupt departure in November. Patridge then hired local high school coach Roger Harriott as his running backs coach, who also just happened to be Scarlett's coach at Davie University School:

"I called Coach Harriott and we talked about today, and it would be a benefit for me to go there as far as staying home," said Scarlett, an underrated four-star prospect by 247Sports. "I just felt it would be a good move for me to stay with my running back coach, and keep the same routine I've been going through."

It wil be interesting to see if Scarlett ever signs with FAU. He's only a junior now, meaning his National Signing Day won't arrive until February 2015. The big schools will continue recruiting him, and Bud Elliot, SB Nation's recruiting analyst, is skeptical that he won't end up elsewhere:

Jordan Scarlett committing to FAU brings good publicity to the school locally and in the state. I'd be shocked if he signed.
— SB Nation Recruiting (@SBNRecruiting) December 27, 2013

The fact that Patridge and Harriott, who know the Florida recruiting scene like the back of their hands, were able to land a major recruit in a matter of days speaks volumes to what the future holds for the Owls, even if they're unable to hold onto their prized running back:

Will say that FAU is going to be a beast in that conference now that it has coaches who will mine SoFla with connections.
— SB Nation Recruiting (@SBNRecruiting) December 27, 2013