BROOKSVILLE — Minutes before making the biggest decision of his young life Wednesday morning, Ja’Juan Story nervously paced around the weight room at Nature Coast Technical High with no answer set in stone.
Would he honor the oral commitment he made to Florida in June, or opt for Ohio State?
Wearing a No. 8 Troy Aikman jersey as his Sharks gear lay on the table, the 6-foot-3, 190-pound wide receiver rocked back and forth in his seat, looking at the two stacks of papers sitting in front of him — one for OSU, another for UF.
The four-star recruit pushed aside the Buckeyes’ papers and signed the others, officially becoming a member of the Gators’ 2011 recruiting class. He later said he didn’t make his final decision until the moment he sat down to ink his name.
“It all came down to what school would fit me best and where I felt most comfortable, who was going to be there for me, what coaches I felt like had my best interest,” said Ja’Juan, rated by Rivals.com as the No. 31 wideout in the country. “Florida is where I felt most comfortable.”
He said he was considering choosing Ohio State just 20 minutes before signing his national letter of intent. When asked how close he was to being a Buckeye, he responded, “You have no idea.”
Ja’Juan sat beside his uncle, Rudy Story, in front of about 15 reporters, coaches and friends. Too nervous to sleep the night before, Rudy and Ja’Juan had a lengthy late-night conversation in their driveway about the decision. But Rudy still had no idea what his nephew would do.
“I’ve never seen him this nervous. I’ve never seen me this nervous,” Rudy said. “When he reached over and grabbed those Florida papers, I was elated. That was not what I expected.”
Ja’Juan made three official visits — Florida, Ohio State and Oregon — with the Buckeyes becoming a late favorite after Urban Meyer’s resignation.
Meyer, former defensive line coach Dan McCarney and former receivers coach Zach Azzanni had formed a strong rapport with Ja’Juan, and their departure brought plenty of questions about his commitment.
“Everybody was taking their stabs and whatnot. A lot of coaches started coming to the school and calling me,” he said. “Reporters for their schools were telling me their schools were interested and all that, so it was pretty heavy.”
But Ja’Juan had already developed a relationship with Aubrey Hill, his new position coach, when Miami was recruiting him.
He described Hill as being “like my homeboy.” Ja’Juan quickly bonded with quarterback Jeff Driskel during an official visit to Florida, and subsequent meetings with coach Will Muschamp and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis went equally well.
“After meeting coach Muschamp, he made me want to go out there and crack some skulls again. That guy’s a fiery guy,” Rudy said. “Those guys are remarkable because they’re up front and honest. And I know in this whole recruiting process, that’s not always the case.”
During their conversation Tuesday night, Rudy said Ja’Juan told him he was so anxious because he was afraid of making the wrong decision. But with his name signed and his future team determined, Ja’Juan was finally at peace Wednesday morning.
“Before this, my heart was racing. Ain’t gonna lie, I was pretty nervous,” Ja’Juan said. “Now that it’s over, I’ve calmed down a little bit. I can be myself again.”
