Millburn athlete Jake Pickard talks recruiting

Class of 2015 athlete Jake Pickard

Penn State and Boston College stopped by Millburn High School on the first day of the evaluation period to see athlete Jake Pickard work out.

Pickard has emerged as one of the hottest 2015 prospects in the Garden State since adding his first offer from Louisville in February.

Penn State Quarterbacks coach Ricky Rahne and Offensive Coordinator John Donovan visited Pickard early Tuesday Morning.

“I actually visited Penn State before and they said they had liked everything that they had seen on film about me, but they had seen me as more of a tight end/defensive end spot. So, they wanted to see me run some routes. Coach Rahne and coach Donovan were here at 6:30, so I was running routes with my quarterback. They said they were very impressed and were going to show it and evaluate with coach Franklin.” he said.

Pickard said he expects to hear back from Penn State coaches on either Friday or Monday.

Boston College also continued to express their interest in Pickard when coaches stopped by on Tuesday to see him.

“They just came in. They were fighting over what side of the ball they want me to be on. They just want me at their school because they think that I can help them immediately as soon as I get there. They just wanted me to know that I’m definitely at the top of their list,” he said.

Pickard said he is interested in playing defensive end or tight end in college.

Louisville became the first school to offer Pickard in late February. He said that gave Cardinals leverage when it comes to recruiting because they were the first to offer.

“They were the first school to offer me and really start me off. They’ll definitely always have a one-up on another teams. They were the first team to decide to pull the trigger,” he said.

Since picking up his first offer in late February, Pickard has added seven offers, six of which came in the month of April. The 6’6 220-pound athlete said that once the first few schools offered, others jumped on board as well.

“I think I have always had the skill and the talent. But, it’s just that there wasn’t any sell on me at tight end, and I was a little light and a lot of schools hadn’t seen me in person. I think that once the first few offers had come in, schools realized I wasn’t as thin looking and tiny as I looked on film. That’s what I heard from schools when I finally visited in person. I think that was a deciding factor to pull the trigger.” Pickard said.

Pickard said that he has been in contact Rutgers, Purdue, and Boston College the most at this point in the recruiting process.

He added a Rutgers offer on March 8 during their junior day. Purdue offered on March 12 and Pickard visited campus two weeks later. Boston College offered when Pickard visited Chestnut Hill on March 18.

Pickard said he would like to make a  decision on a school sometime in the early part of his senior season, but he is in no rush.

“I’m definitely not going to rush myself. I don’t want to end up like some of these players who end up regretting their decision and just making it really hard on the coaches and their families.” he said. “I think i’m just going to take my time. I’m not going to rush it, I’m not going to leave it until the last second, whenever it just feels right.”

Pickard stressed that he is looking for a school with good academics.

“Although I do aspire to go to the NFL, football does not last forever,” he said. “I’m going to need a degree to fall back on, a job to fall back on, and the alumni to help me get that job I can start immediately after my football career.”

Pickard said he has plans to visit Virginia on April 21 and will see Boston College, Rutgers, and Penn State in the coming weeks.