Recently de-committed from UGA and re-opened his recruitment
WATCH: I recently had the opportunity to talk with Jaylen “AP” Heyward of the Rockledge Raiders. According to the ESPN rankings, Heyward is the #2 safety in the nation. All eyes are on him as he is still undecided as to where he will attend college next year.
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – There is no doubt that Rockledge High School’s Jaylen “AP” Heyward is one of the most sought-after recruits in the country. ESPN has him rated as the #2 safety in the nation. I recently had the opportunity to talk with Heyward as he prepares for his senior season for the Raiders.
With all the fanfare surrounding his recruitment, Heyward has not changed one bit. He is still a very polite young man, dedicated, focused, and an outstanding teammate.
He smiled when I said the word, “recruiting!” I asked him what it would take for him to decide as to where he will attend college and he talked about the importance of “building a good relationship with the coach, seeing the culture, seeing the environment, and seeing what they have to offer.”
Heyward is a mature young man. He’s looking long-term and said it’s not about what they can offer immediately, but “the development process, the 3-4 years that I will be there.”
When I asked him if he knew when he would commit, his answer was, “No sir, I don’t. I’m still going through the process.”
However, for “AP” Heyward, it is first things first. He is excited and looking forward to his senior season with the Raiders. When we talked about this season and his four years at Rockledge, he could not stop smiling.
Yes, there are a lot of eyes on Heyward, but when all is said and done, he is a football player and can’t wait for the season to start.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Steve Wilson was born in DeRidder, Louisiana and grew up in both New Orleans and Macon, Georgia. He moved to Brevard County in 1984 and retired from local government as the Community Advocate/Assistant to the City Manager with the City of Rockledge in 2018.
Among the awards and accolades Steve has received over the years are 15 + year Rockledge Little League volunteer, Brevard Public School Jefferson Award Recipient, Rockledge High School Raider Booster Award 2001, 2006, City of Rockledge Employee of the Year 2006, Rockledge Kiwanian of the Year 2006-2007, City of Rockledge Quality Public Service Award 2008, 2012, 2017, Rockledge Kiwanis Citizen of the Year 2012-2013, Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame – Sportscasting 2015, Rockledge High School Leadership and Service Award 2016, Central Florida Humanitarian Award 2017, Space Coast Inspiration Award – 2018 and Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame – Lifetime Achievement – 2020.
Wilson is especially proud of is chairing two fundraisers in support of pediatric cancer research through the St. Baldrick’s Foundation in honor of Merritt Island resident Julie Spurlock that raised over $25,000.00.
He has been a partner, along with Orville Susong, for the past 24 years with the Friday Night Locker Room, a broadcasting team that covers and reports on a wide variety of local events that are of significance to the residents of the Space Coast and beyond. Their mission is to promote youth sports, support first responders and law enforcement personnel, and showcase community and charitable events that are produced by our nonprofit partners in central Florida.
The Friday Night Locker Room has awarded hundreds of sports achievement plaques to Brevard County student-athletes over the years. They have also awarded more than $18,000 in academic scholarships to Brevard County high school seniors.
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