Four-Star Athlete Gaige Weddle Navigates Recruiting Process With Guidance From Former NFL All-Pro Father

For most recruits, the college football recruiting process is a completely new experience.

But for class of 2028 four-star athlete Gaige Weddle, the journey comes with a unique perspective thanks to his father, former NFL All-Pro safety and Super Bowl champion Eric Weddle.

While attending Ohio State’s one-day recruiting camp on Thursday, Gaige Weddle said that although his father’s decorated NFL career has helped shape his understanding of football, his greatest influence has come from the lessons his father has taught him off the field.

“I think he’s contributed to my game more mentally and more as a person than actually teaching me the game, which I mean I’m out there at practice and he’s teaching me all the fundamentals and all the techniques and stuff, but it’s just so much more than that,” Gaige Weddle said. “When you’re around someone so much, you start to build character and kind of take tricks from him, and I’ve just, I’ve been blessed having all my life to kind of be prepared for the next level, prepared to talk to coaches, to players and understand and see what’s what’s real and what’s not.”

A 6-2, 175-pound prospect out of Rancho Bernardo High School in San Diego, Weddle is rated as the No. 95 overall player, No. 5 athlete and No. 5 prospect in the state of California in the 2028 class.

While he is listed as an athlete by recruiting services, Weddle worked with Ohio State’s safeties during Thursday’s camp, following the same position path as Eric Weddle.

Despite that similarity, Gaige Weddle said his recruitment has unfolded very differently from his father’s, with today’s recruiting landscape filled with camps, social media exposure and frequent communication with college coaches.

“What’s really interesting is my dad’s recruiting process was way different. It was a long time ago, and it looked a lot different. He only took one trip to Utah, and took one OV to Utah, and ended up committing,” Gaige Weddle said. “He’s taking on this dream with me for the first time, and he’s really just guiding me, using what he knows he’s been through to help me make the right decision.”

As Gaige Weddle evaluates schools, culture has become one of the most important factors in his recruitment.

That was evident during his recent visit to Ohio State, where he said he felt an immediate connection to the program.

“I just think when you’re here, there’s a like-minded type of mentality that everyone kind of buys into, and there’s certain places that don’t have that,” Gaige Weddle said. “certain places because culture is very strong, and those shoes that he has named off are all through very shocked bullshit with really good schools to fit those competitions, so that’s some of the things that I’m looking for.”

Another aspect that stood out to Weddle was Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, whose NFL background resonates with a prospect raised around professional football.

“He’s a great coach. He knows everything, and I love the way (Coach Patricia) coaches these guys,” Gaige Weddle said. “I’ve been in meetings with him, and something special. He knows how to connect with guys and keep building.”

Gaige Weddle’s visit to Columbus offered more than just a chance to evaluate the Buckeyes’ culture and coaching staff. It also gave him an opportunity to compete alongside some of the nation’s top prospects and receive feedback on areas of his game he hopes to continue refining as his recruitment progresses.

One area of focus for the four-star prospect working to improve ahead of his next high school season is his ability to play in true man-to-man situations.

“I think more man-to-man, we play a lot of disguise coverages, and then get into like a seam-flat coverage, which is basically man to man,” Gaige Weddle said. “On defense, it’s very rarely just straight man-to-man coverage. You also have help on the side, depending on the help over the top. Zero coverage, man-to-man, you have to guard your guy.”