Interview: Impressive 2018 Tennessee WR/RB Aidan Raines Updates Recruiting and Wake Forest Visit
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @HogManInLA
If college football coaches are sincere when they talk about how hard they recruit and the caliber of young men they seek on their roster in athletic ability and character, then do-everything athlete Aidan Raines should be on college recruiting boards across the country. Raines is easily one of the more accomplished all-around athletes in the 2018 class but shockingly his recruitment is just now finally taking off – kind of.
Raines is many things wrapped into one including being the textbook definition of the all-around athlete and the ultimate teammate. After cracking Mount Juliet High School’s varsity squad as a freshman as a quarterback, he went on to earn All-Region honors during his sophomore season as a wide receiver after snaring 48 passes for 1,264 yards with 17 scores. During the 2016 campaign, another switch of positions was asked, and handled with ease, becoming a featured back for the Golden Bears. The result was a 9-3 season against 6A Tennessee competitors with Raines rushing for 1,468 yards and 19 touchdowns. Already being a proven asset in the passing attack, Raines added 290 more all-purpose yards to the stat sheet after securing 20 passes.
The 6-1, 185 pound, talent was rewarded for his great season earning 6A first team All-Region, first team All-State honors, and was nominated as Athlete of the Year for Middle Tennessee. Despite all the positives about Raines on the field and off the field where he sports a 3.6 GPA and has already scored a 20 on his ACT, the recruitment of Raines has not been as widespread as one would guess. In addition to several Ivy League schools showing interest, Illinois State and Austin Peay are clued in as is Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons hosted Raines on an unofficial visit last weekend paving a path forward for other Division-I programs to see what the Wake Forest staff saw in this Tennessee prospect.
In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview, I sat down with Raines to catch-up on his off-season workouts while covering his recruitment including his unofficial visit to Winston-Salem.
Interview
Aidan, how are your off-season workouts going?
“They are going really well. Our 7v7 team is doing well and our National Playmaker Academy workouts on Sunday are really good. We are working on speed and agility and doing a bunch of one-on-ones.”
What areas of your athleticism are you seeing improvement?
“My speed and quickness – big time. I’m doing a lot of extra stretching and yoga. I’m seeing improvement in my running stride and quickness. At school, we do explosion training and strength.”
When we spoke last you were prepping for your role at strong safety and linebacker, is that still going forward?
“Yes, sir.”
At both positions?
“Yes, sir.”
What are you doing to prepare for those additional roles on the field?
“In practice I am doing work on both sides of the ball during one-on-ones. We have all our film stuff on Hudl. I’m big time on film. We have our new playbook out – I’m looking at that a bunch.”
When we last spoke your best 40-yard dash time was a 4.6, have you had a chance to improve upon that this spring?
“I have not. I guarantee I am faster now.”
Which schools are showing interest but have not offered you yet?
“A lot of the Ivy Leagues, Austin Peay, and Illinois State – I went to Wake Forest Saturday for the Junior Day. I have talked to Penn, Brown, and Princeton too.”
How did your visit to Wake Forest go?
“It was nice. Awesome school, awesome atmosphere. Their new facilities will be one of the best in the country.”
What all did you do while you were there?
“We watched their Black and Gold Spring game. I did the hand size, weight, height, and hip flexibility measurements.”
What did you think of the spring game?
“I thought it was awesome. I like their offense a lot.”
Do you plan on going back anytime soon?
“I am going back this summer for a camp.”
Do you have any other upcoming visits that you might take?
“I have not planned any but I would like to take a visit to Chattanooga.”
I know you have been playing baseball this spring, how is baseball going?
“Baseball is going really well. We are doing really well right now.”
What is the team’s record?
“We are 9-2. We lost two of our first three but we are ranked No. 1 in the state. We were pre-ranked No. 1 in the state going into the season because we have some SEC guys on the team. Went to a beach tournament, we got beat by a pitcher down there, but we are back on track now.”
Aidan, thanks for your time today. Congrats on your visit to Wake Forest and good luck with the rest of your baseball season.
“Thank you.”
Click link to watch Aidan Raines Hudl highlight reel.
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Photo credits: Raines family; Aidan Raines at Wake Forest (March 2017).