HOUSTON – For Jayden Warren, a pivotal decision came down to several important factors.
Where would he go to college?
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Before the Iowa Colony blue-chip senior wide receiver and track and field standout ultimately chose to accept a scholarship offer from the hometown University of Houston football program, Warren diligently contemplated his future and what was closest to his heart and his home.
Ultimately, family, education, a promising future, a vision for a versatile role and his comfort level with coach Willie Fritz and his staff provided a comfort zone for Warren as he chose the Coogs over competing offers from SMU, TCU and multiple other colleges.
Warren’s mother, Raquel Warren-Patterson, works at MD Anderson Cancer Center in their radiology department administration. Both his father, James Patterson and his mother, strongly emphasized the importance of school and a balance between sports and academics.
“At the beginning of my recruitment, I had a lot of offers from so many schools around the country and, as a young guy, I thought about going outside the state of Texas and exploring college life,” Warren told KPRC 2 in a telephone interview. “The football in the state of Texas is amazing. The support I have here with my family and friends, staying here in Texas is a great thing.
“What put UH over the top is my parents are really big on education. My major, I want to be on the medical side in radiology and UH has a really good program. My village is a lot of family members in the medical community.”
One of the highest-ranked wide receivers in the nation, Warren was offered by 36 schools. That included Alabama, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Stanford, Miami and several others.
At 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, the Rosharon native has run the 100 meters in 10.16 seconds and 21.07 seconds in the 200 meters. He caught 26 passes for 613 yards and 14 touchdowns last season for a 12-2 squad that reached the regional finals playing for coach Ray Garza.
Warren has speed to burn and is a legitimate deep threat. He’s working to refine his overall game and route-running skills to become an even more well-rounded downfield target.
Warren can’t wait to compete for Fritz, offensive coordinator Slade Nagle and receivers coach Derrick Sherman.
“From my perspective, I was playing as a deep threat, but coming to colleges and picking their brain, I have to work on a lot of things to become the receiver that I can become,” Warren said. “In college, just running vertical really isn’t going to work. I am working on my route running and that has come a long way, especially in the playoffs.
“People knew I was known for deep balls, but I’ve been working on my route running and being able to play different positions. What UH talked to me about and preached is how my athletic abilities can help me go a long way as an outside and slot receiver, potentially in the backfield, and on special teams. A lot of coaches told me I’m just scratching the surface.”
Warren, who averaged 23.6 yards per reception last season, is being joined in the recruiting class by five-star quarterback Keisean Henderson and fellow wide receiver Parris Melvin Jr.
Warren is the Coogs’ 14th scholarship commitment for the Class of 2026.
Warren planned his official visit to coincide with Henderson.
“Kind of a mutual thing, knowing one another, both highly recruited athletes,” Warren said. “That’s so we can get a connection. On my visit, I feel like I didn’t meet a stranger. Everyone felt like family. When me and Keisean had our official visit together, we spent a lot of time together and our families got to know each other. The chemistry aspect can win you a lot of football games.”
When Warren isn’t playing football, he’s spending time with family or fishing.
“I love my peace and quiet,” he said.
He’s excited to enjoy his senior year and win as many games as possible.
“At these workouts over the summer, we talked about not sinking the boat because you can’t put holes in the boat and expect it to float,” Warren said. “We have to work together. We have a lot of potential. We’re putting in a lot of work and we stay after practice to put us over the top. We can have an undefeated season. A lot of us took that personally.”
For Raquel Warren-Patterson, this is a proud moment and milestone for the family.
“It was exciting, it was a stress-reliever as well,” she said. ‘Leading up to his decision, he really weighed the pros and cons for each individual school. Jayden is a very well-grounded kid who focuses really hard on his studies. Outside of sports, he is a model student. He completes his assignments. He does what he’s supposed to do around the house.
“Jayden is a climber. He definitely looks for the next best thing to accomplish. He looks for his next goal to conquer. That’s what makes him such a really great kid. He’s really humble with an excellent work ethic. He feels nothing should be given to him. That’s what sets him apart as an athlete. It’s awesome to watch how everything manifested. He put in the work and he deserved it. We’re super excited.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com
