Hi, My Name Is... Jaden Platt
He definitely came to play school, but he isn't a bad football player too.
Howdy everyone,
Hope y’all are doing okay. Welcome back to the 12sReport and this edition of Hi, My Name Is, where we go over a new Aggie on the 2023 football roster in every newsletter. Last time out, we talked about the sure-handed Raymond Cottrell and what the wideout could bring to the table in a loaded position group. Today, we’ll be sticking with the theme of pass-catcher and looking at another unit that is filled to the brim with talent and added this late flip in the 2023 recruiting cycle, similar to the Cottrell and the WRs…
Jaden Platt, TE, Eaton (Haslet, TX)
#238 overall, #14 TE, #41 in TX
6’5”, 250 pounds
The first thing that stands out after doing a bit of research about Jaden Platt is that he’s a smart, smart dude. WAY smarter than me. An incoming aspiring aerospace engineer, Platt was all but set on heading to Stanford to pursue his degree and likely be an immediate contributor for a Cardinal team that is getting ready to begin their rebuild after longtime head coach David Shaw departed the program.
The highly-renowned Ivy of the South (don’t quote me on that) had other ideas.
The Aggies swooped in at the buzzer to secure Platt’s services, ensuring that the Texan stayed in-state and joined a tight end group simply loaded with high-end talent and might be the deepest unit on the A&M offense. Another recruiting win for tight ends coach James Coley, the Eaton High School star now joins the likes of Donovan Green, Jake Johnson, Max Wright, Theo Ohrstrom, and Fernando Garza in that room and should get the chance to develop a little bit more this year while sitting behind some of the other guys.
Platt’s receiving skills are the star of the show when watching him play, with a good vertical receiving game and route-running abilities for his frame. He’s lined up both in the slot and on the line, and that size/athleticism combo creates some intriguing mismatches against smaller defenders in the slot, and his run-after-catch ability can make him be very hard to take down in the open field. His catch radius and hands stand out as well, as he can make seemingly every catch in the book, from having to low-point a ball near the ground to reeling in an over-the-shoulder pass down the seam.
The Texan is also a pretty good blocker as well, routinely having the necessary strength to take on secondary and second-level defenders and even some defensive ends. With a frame already supposedly similar to Donovan Green’s (who stands just an inch shorter than Platt and is already a competent blocker in his own right), the freshman has the physicality and willingness needed to take on any defender in his way.
Jaden Platt is an intriguing talent at the tight end spot for Texas A&M when it comes down to it. While he may not see the field a whole lot in year one in College Station, the freshman brings a good blend of athleticism and physicality to the group; those tools could be really enticing for Coach Coley to work with now and in the future. I mean, there’s a reason he was listed on 247Sports’ 2023 Freaks List, which names some of the best athletes in the nation for that cycle.
It could be tough to get consistent run in the near future with Green, Johnson, and Ohrstrom all entering only their second years at A&M, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he gets on the field in the coming seasons. As of now, though? While it’d be a nice surprise, I don’t envision a scenario where he sees the field all that much (unless it’s on special teams, due to his freakish athleticism potentially being too enticing to not keep off the field), given the quality and quantity of players supposedly ahead of him in the depth chart.
Anyways, that’ll do it for me in this one. I’ll be back soon to talk about the lone quarterback that the Aggies were able to secure in this freshman class - take care til then.
-Sourav