Jaylin Sweat is ready to be one of the West Georgia Wolves. First, though, he’s anxious to take the court again for the Bradwell Institute Tigers.

The 6-foot-6 senior signed a letter of intent with West Georgia on December 10 – but a preseason ankle injury has kept him from suiting up for the Tigers.

“I am very eager,” he said.

Sweat could be ready to play for the Tigers’ stint in Brunswick’s Hoopin’ at the High tournament after Christmas.

“If my doctor clears me, I’m back on the court,” he said.

Bradwell coach Ty Randolph gives every player coming to his Bradwell basketball program a four-year plan.

“You could tell his plan was going to be a lot different,” he said. “He’s like a freak of nature. Anything he touches, he can do. Basketball is something he wanted to be very good at the game of basketball. He said, ‘help me become a Division I basketball player.’”

Sweat even would go to the BI gym on the weekends to get work in with the girls team, Randolph said.

“Jaylin is a guy who can’t sit down,” the coach said.

Sweat averaged 12.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game last year as a junior. But the recruiting landscape, especially for high school prospects, has changed dramatically since the advent of the NCAA’s transfer portal and the introduction of Name-Image-Likeness (NIL) compensation.

“It’s kind of hard to get recruited out here,” Sweat said.

Sweat played in a number of AAU tournaments to get exposure.

“West Georgia saw how I played in a few tournaments,” he said.

Meanwhile, other Division I schools showed interest but were slow to offer Sweat a scholarship.

“The recruiting with Jaylin was grueling,” Randolph said. “He got offers from every level, except Division I, until it was late. Everybody was interested, but nobody would pull the trigger.”

Before he takes the floor as a member of the West Georgia Wolves, Sweat wants to work on his outside shooting, particularly from 3-point range. There’s also still the matter of his senior season at Bradwell, and Sweat believes big things are ahead.

“We’re definitely going to win that championship,” he said. “We play physical, we play fast, we play hard. Nothing can stop us on the court.”