4-star safety Jordan Pride commits to Texas A&M: 'It just feels like home'

Blountstown (Fla.) four-star safety Jordan Pride came off the board in early in his recruitment when he committed to Florida State in July 2021. At the time, he felt like the Seminoles were his future home, and he stayed committed for nearly two full years before backing off that pledge last month. Almost immediately after announcing his decommitment, Pride visited rival Florida and the Gators were thought to be the team to beat in his recruitment. But another program was lurking: Texas A&M.

The Aggies also got him on campus in April and then again last weekend, when he gave a silent commitment to head coach Jimbo Fisher. On Tuesday, he made it public with On3 that he is pledged to the Aggies.

A&M offered him last summer, and his longstanding relationship with Fisher ultimately won out.

“I was talking to Jimbo after the camp, and they offered me then,” he said. “My relationship with Jimbo goes way back to when I was 11-12 years old. I used to play baseball with his son, so that really played a factor in all of that and him recruiting me.

… We used to talk like every day back when I was playing baseball, and it just feels like home. I didn’t really have to build a relationship, it was already there.”

Texas A&M had slight lead heading into the weekend

After his visits to the Gators and Aggies in April, he says they were ‘about 50-50’ as his top schools with the Aggies maybe having a slight advantage.

I would say after that visit to Florida it was them for a minute,” he said of who was his initial leader out of his decommitment. “And then I went and visited Texas A&M this past weekend. Florida is great too, Coach Napier and the coaches and fan base were always showing me love. But just how well they treated me at A&M, and talking with Jimbo it felt like home to me, really.”

Pride has the longtime connection with Fisher, but has steadily been building one with defensive backs coach T.J Rushing, who will coach him at the college level.

“Coach Rushing, that’s who I was hanging out with most of the time I was there,” Pride said. “And we’re just building and building our relationship every time I get to go there. I just mostly hung out with the staff this weekend, getting to know them off the field.”

Finding a home away from home was pivotal for Jordan Pride

After his decommitment, Pride wanted to find a school that felt like home to him — whether that was in the state of Florida or elsewhere. And College Station gave him that feeling and reminded him of where he’s from.

“I would be hours away from home, and I wanted to find a place that feels like it,” he said. “And that feels like home, where I’m from. Everybody is tied together, and they treated my family great when we went up there. … I feel like I’ve really sealed the deal, and this is where I’m going. I’m locked in this time, and there isn’t any changing this one.”

And even after A&M’s struggles last season, he isn’t the least bit concerned about the trajectory of the program.

“Last season they struggled a little bit, but I think this year they’re going to bring it back,” he said. “I watched the spring game, and it’s going to something this year that’s going to change.”