Ja'Torian Mack, Edgewater 3-star S, announces college commitment

Ja’Torian Mack
| Special to the USA Today Florida Network

Editor’s Note: Edgewater senior safety Ja’Torian “Duke” Mack wrote the following first-person story to announce his college commitment. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Mack is a three-star recruit with offers from Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Tech, Iowa State, Louisville, State from North Carolina, West Virginia and others. He recorded 68 tackles and one interception, led Edgewater with 12 assists and four forced fumbles and was tied for the team lead with three fumble recoveries in 2023.

First of all, I want to thank the man above for putting me in the position I am in today.

I also want to thank my Why: my hard-working mother-in-law, my grandmother, as well as my father and my little brothers for always motivating me.

I also want to thank everyone who believed in me. My coaches, trainers and teachers and many more. Without you, none of this is possible.

It’s been a crazy ride from freshman year to now, because I got to high school not wanting to play football anymore. I mostly wanted to stick to basketball after Pop Warner, but my Pops convinced me to get back into football.

I went there and had a good freshman year and transferred to sophomore varsity at safety. I didn’t have a lot of confidence at the position and went to a UCF camp not knowing much. I didn’t perform very well, so I knew I had to work a lot harder at this position and that’s what I did.

I played a good sophomore season and got my first DI scholarship on January 27, 2023. They kept coming and from there it was full throttle.

Last season, my junior season, went very well and I was fortunate to receive more opportunities to play at the Division I level. Now that my high school years are coming to an end, I am ready to make my decision on where I would like to take my talents.

So, all that being said, for the next three or four years, I’ll be playing at Appalachian State.

I’m choosing App State because I feel like there was a lot of trust between me and Coach Sloan (defensive coordinator Scot Sloan). I was the only security during my official visit and that said a lot to me. Their defense is very similar to the one we run at Edgewater, so it was a good fit. As soon as I arrived on campus, I felt at home. The people of the town were very welcoming and very hospitable.

I just had a feeling App State would be the perfect place. I told my mom and dad and they agreed with everything I had to say about it. The facilities were excellent and the campus was great. I spent some time with the strength and conditioning coach when I was up there and learned a lot about how things are done when I go up there.

My relationship with Coach Sloan is very open and honest. We talked about how he and the staff evaluated at least 40 other safeties in the state and how they chose their leader on the board, not only based on their football abilities, but also the how they handle things in class and how they behave outside of sport. Being that top guy was truly a blessing to me and my family.

I’m ready to go.

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