An Army of One: Baylor's Lone 2017 Commit Jalen Pitre Staying Loyal to Bears

He's seen recruits come and go, coaches depart following scandal and administrators resign. He's been asked frequently what his next steps are, almost as if the inquisitive expect him to change his mind about his college plans.

It's been a sad reality of Jalen Pitre's recruiting process. As the lone 2017 commit to Baylor, much of it is expected. What may be unexpected to some is Pitre, a 3-star safety from Stafford, Texas, is solid with his pledge.

Rock-solid. Regardless of all the outside news.

"It's been a bumpy road, but it has been a good experience for me," said the 5'11", 195-pound Pitre. "I feel like I'm making the right decision with Baylor."

A sexual assault scandal that led to the firing of head coach Art Briles in May left the program in shambles. Committed since July 24, 2015, Pitre has watched a handful of athletes pledge to and then decommit from Baylor—the majority of those players leaving shortly after Briles' departure.

There was a time when Pitre thought he'd be joined next season by 5-star linebacker Baron Browning (now committed to Ohio State), the Texas A&M-bound, IMG Academy 4-star duo of quarterback Kellen Mond and wide receiver Jhamon Ausbon, and fellow secondary members Donovan Stiner (Houston) and Noah Daniels, who, Nov. 27, was the most recent member of Baylor's class to decommit.

"For a second, I was like, 'Why?' Why would you want to decommit?" Pitre said. "But maybe they saw something different, and I can't knock that. It's your choice; you do what's best for you.

"When Coach Briles got fired, it stunned me a little. It was heartbreaking. He's a great man, and I don't think he deserved what happened. But I know that things like that happen. And when it happened, I couldn't be mad when the other guys decommitted. At the end of the day, I know they had to make best the decisions for them."

They all left. Pitre didn't. Why? That's the question Pitre answers regularly, and his answer has a few bullet points.

First, Pitre said he was looking at his academic future. Baylor has a solid academic reputation, and he often thinks of the day he'll walk across a stage after earning a bachelor's degree from Baylor, possibly in biology, and having the opportunity to enroll in medical school.

"Baylor's a great school and stands out in Texas as having one of the best medical schools," he said. "You never know about going to the NFL, so you have to look at what to do after football."

In addition to academics, Pitre said Baylor's loyalty will not be forgotten. He tore his ACL midway through last season, and the school made sure to keep him a priority in its recruiting class.

"Baylor told me that they were going to stick by my side," he said. "They said they wanted me to focus on getting better. That pretty much sealed it for me right there. They showed that they were committed to me just as much as I'm committed to them."

Tuesday morning, Baylor announced the hiring of new head coach Matt Rhule, who led Temple to back-to-back 10-win seasons and this year's American Athletic Conference championship. Rhule, an offensive line coach for the New York Giants prior to being Temple's head coach, will be introduced at Baylor during a campus ceremony Wednesday.

Pitre said he was excited about the news and added he would reach out to Rhule as the lone commit. He said he's ready to help build the class in the final two months before Feb. 1's national signing day.

"He's a great coach," Pitre said of Rhule. "I'm looking forward to meeting him and getting to work."

Rhule will have a playmaker to work with. Per MaxPreps, Pitre recorded a team-high 83 tackles (59 of those solo), six interceptions, four forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries in his senior season. He helped Stafford to a 10-4 record and a trip to the Texas Class 4A Division I state quarterfinals.

Being Baylor's solo pledge has allowed Pitre to reflect on his principles. He said his main goal in recruiting was "staying honest to yourself and being loyal to the people who were loyal to you."

And now, with a new coach locked in, he has a chance to be a class leader.

"I'm going to work hard for those guys just like it was Coach Briles and his coaches," he said. "I know hard work will get me wherever I need to go, no matter who the coach is. I think that will take me a long way.

"As far as the other recruits out there, follow your hearts. Do what's right to you. I know Baylor is a good school. Don't look at all the negative things all the other people are talking about. Don't let any of that rub off on your decision."

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst. All player ratings are courtesy of Scout.com. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles