NEW: Ind. TE Lane Wadle commits to Georgia Tech following multi-day visit
A conversation with Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key changed everything in the recruitment of Greenfield Central (Ind.) TE Lane Wadle.
Wadle, committed to Northern Illinois at the time, had been weighing his options and talking a lot with schools like Maryland and several others entering the mix.
He and his teammates at Indiana Nitro Gold were competing at Lakepoint in the PBR National Tournament, which led to the opportunity for Wadle and his family to be able to visit Georgia Tech and meet with Key, Coach Nathan Brock, and Co-OC/TE coach Buster Faulkner.
Wadle becomes commitment No. 25 for Georgia Tech in the 2024 class, and the third TE commit at the moment.
"I had been in contact with Coach Brock, Coach Faulkner, and Coach [Chris] Weinke ever since camping with them," said Wadle about how things fell into place with Georgia Tech. "The meeting went really well on Wednesday. We talked for a long time about the school, and a lot of other different things. Coach Key was saying how crazy good of a ballplayer I was, and told me that he wanted me to be part of the program and extended the offer."
The decision for Wadle was two-sided, as the academic prowess of Georgia Tech appealed in a big way to both he and his family.
"My dad is an engineer and engineering is the path I am going to take, and obviously there is no better engineering school in the country. The moment Coach Key gave the opportunity, I accepted it. My family and I are stoked! Especially my dad, with him being an engineer, and us knowing that there really is not a better school in the country. They loved everything about it at Georgia Tech, and are so happy."
For Wadle, many around the state of Indiana and in the mid-west are wondering if their school of choice may have a chance to get into the mix with him later down the road in hopes of being able to keep him closer to home. While anything can happen in recruiting, that's not something that currently seems to be in the cards.
"My family and I are not worried about distance at all," said Wadle. "Going away is something that my parents have always encouraged, and was something that I have always wanted to do. I wanted to have the opportunity to get out and see other parts of the country."
Wadle had a lot to say when it came to his strongest relationships on the GT staff— Coach Faulkner and Coach Brock, a former Big 10 OL that is also from Indiana.
“Coach Faulkner has always been super good about answering my questions, mostly by text. Any time after camp when I had a question, Coach was always super quick to respond and had positive things to say about me, said Wadle. “But then he would usually have Coach Brock call to go into more detail. Brock was always responsive too if I reached out directly to him. He and I talked more than Coach Faulkner on the phone. He’s from Fort Wayne, and we pretty much felt comfortable talking to each other right away. We talked several times on the phone.”
As for his fit in the new-look Georgia Tech offense, Wadle sees himself being a multi-faceted weapon once he arrives on The Flats.
"Tech plans to use me as a point of attack TE(Y) being an in-line guy making blocks as well as stretching the field on pass plays. They like the fact that I can help spread the field but also have enough “ass” and toughness to move guys around too. And that is exactly what I do for my high school team, so the transition won't be too much."
With his team now eliminated from the PBR tournament, and his recruitment wrapped up, Wadle and his family head back to Indiana in a much different headspace than when they first arrived to the city last week.