Westwood 2026 athlete Jordan Crutchfield on his spring, recruiting
Westwood star athlete Jordan Crutchfield, ranked No. 57 on the YSA Today Florida Network top 100, talks after his two-touchdown spring game.
- Fort Pierce Westwood’s Jordan Crutchfield, a four-star athlete, has transitioned to safety and impressed coaches with his versatility.
- Crutchfield’s ability to play multiple positions, including linebacker and even wide receiver, makes him a valuable asset to Westwood’s defense.
- Several other players, including Wilfred Coicou, Lorontae Davis, and Caden Glover, also showcased their skills at the Palm Beach Gardens jamboree.
PALM BEACH GARDENS – As first-year Fort Pierce Westwood coach LaDaris Vann watched the film of his new team earlier this spring, he made a crucial determination about rising senior athlete Jordan Crutchfield.
The 6-foot-2 206-pounder would play safety.
“Immediately,” Vann said. “Just looking at the film, looking at his body structure and how physical he was. I just told the coaches, ‘I’m moving him inside.’ He’s a stud of a kid. He’s got an extra 30 pounds he’s going to add.”
Crutchfield, ranked No. 57 on the USA Today Florida Network top 100, impressed at safety during the Panthers two halves at the Palm Beach Gardens jamboree. Westwood split its two halves, beating district rival Martin County 6-3 and falling to host Gardens 13-12.
In addition to scoring two receiving touchdowns against Gardens, it was Crutchfield’s ability to move around the formation and impact the game both pre- and post-snap that stood out.
Westwood has given Crutchfield the freedom to stay in the secondary, walk up into the box as an extra linebacker or even come down to the line of scrimmage. It allows the Panthers to disguise their coverage, primarily because Crutchfield is athletic enough to get back to the secondary regardless of where he lines up.
It’s similar to the way Jensen Beach used former star safety Jamien Sherwood, now a New York Jets linebacker, during his senior year.
“Walking up confuses the quarterback because if you’re at safety and it looks like you’re in Cover 2 when both your safeties are up and I randomly roll down, it messes up the quarterback’s whole read. I’ll align inside like I’m blitzing, then come out to the flat just to mess with the quarterback. Once I master that, the QB starts making mistakes and the defense makes plays.”
Crutchfield, who recently dropped a top six of Auburn, Florida State, Kentucky, Louisville, Miami and Mississippi State, said the transition to safety has been easy.
“I already had the coverage skills, and I was already a great tackler at corner,” he said. “It really just translated different coverages and you have to read different things.”
Colleges are enamored with Crutchfield’s length and versatility. Depending on the school, he’s being recruited to play safety, linebacker, cornerback and/or wide receiver.
Crutchfield said he plans to take his official visits during the next several weeks and hopes to announce his decision in late June or early July.
Here are some of the other players who impressed during the Gardens jamboree.
Wilfred Coicou, Palm Beach Gardens CB
An impressive rising senior athlete, Coicou recently was offered by UCF. He has good size at 6-foot, 170 pounds and did a good job keeping Martin County’s receivers in check during the first half.
Lorontae “Nomo” Davis, Palm Beach Gardens ATH
Davis, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound rising junior, has offers from Syracuse, FAU, USF and others. He made plays on both sides of the ball and also stood out with his run blocking ability from the wide receiver spot.
Jaki Ellison, Fort Pierce Westwood db
Ellison, a rising junior, had one of the best plays of the day with an impressive pass breakup on a well-thrown deep ball against Martin County.
Caden Glover, Martin County LB/EDGE
Arguably the most productive player during the first three halves at Gardens, Glover made plays sideline to sideline. He had at least one sack against Gardens and routinely was around the ball. The biggest question around the rising senior is where he plays at the next level: Edge rusher or linebacker?
Paul Hedrix, Martin County RB
Glover, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound rising senior, is a human sledgehammer. He runs hard between the tackles, rarely goes down on first contact and broke a few long runs. Glover has an offer from FAU to play running back, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see some schools start recruiting him as a defensive end.
Jahree Hutchinson, Martin County DB
Hutchinson stood out during both halves, and multiple college coaches were talking about him on the sidelines Saturday morning. Hutchinson had a picture-perfect pass breakup on a third down against Gardens and is a willing tackler, too.
Jabari Monds, Fort Pierce Westwood ATH
The Eastern Michigan commit made plays on both sides of the ball with several of his future coaches watching from the sidelines. Monds scored the lone touchdown against Martin County on a long catch and run past two defenders. He also broke several tackles during the two halves.
Amarian Queen, Martin County DB
The USF commit stood out at cornerback, not only for his pass coverage skills but also his willingness to come down hill and make physical tackles in the run game. Queen chased down the running back from the backside for a big tackle for loss late in the Tigers 3-0 win against Gardens. Queen is one of the fastest rising players in the state as Florida and Pitt have recently offered and several others, including Purdue, are showing strong interest.
