Theodore coach Steve Mask believes 4-star linebacker Jaden “JJ” Bush may be one of the best kept secrets in the South.

The news on Bush is out now, however.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound senior committed to Arkansas on Wednesday night. LSU, Missouri and Cincinnati were his other finalists.

“I think he has a chance to be a great SEC player,” Mask said. “I’ve said that for two years. He’s so versatile. He can play in the box, outside the box, high safety. He’s the prototypical SEC athlete and a good kid to boot.”

Bush has steadily moved up the recruiting rankings in recent weeks. The website 247sports has him currently ranked as the No. 13 senior recruit in the state, ahead of Georgia linebacker commit Shadarius Toodle. The On3 Industry Rankings have him at No. 15.

Mask expects Bush to be a “Will” linebacker or nickel back at the next level.

“He reminds me a lot of the way Alabama used (former St. Paul’s star) Mark Barron,” Mask said. “He can play down in the box some, play on the edge some. JJ has a ways to go to reach that level yet, but he has the skill set to do it.”

Bush did a lot of different things for the Bobcats as a junior. He finished with 30 solo tackles, 39 assists, 22 tackles for a loss, 6 sacks and an interception. He also ran for 344 yards and 6 TDs on offense.

Theodore opponents in 2025 will see a lot of him.

“He’ll play about five positions for us,” Mask said. “Quarterback, running back, kick returner, safety, outside linebacker. However we can get him on the field, he will be on the field.

“He has such an instinct for making plays at the right time. He just always shows up. He’s always right in the middle of everything.”

In other in-state recruiting news:

COMMITMENTS

Fort Payne 6-1, 185-pound senior kicker/punter Hayden Chambers committed to Mississippi State.

Ranked a 5-star kicker (No. 6 in the nation) and 4.5-star punter (No. 23 in the nation), Chambers also had an offer from Auburn.

Enterprise 6-1, 216-pound LB Walker Turner committed to Samford over offers from North Alabama, Chattanooga, Western Carolina, Mercer and more.

Turner was selected ASWA Class 7A first team all-state in both football and as an infielder in baseball.

Greene County RB Ronald Wilder announced his commitment to Troy.

A 6-1, 205-pound 3-star recruit, Wilder also had offers from UAB, Appalachian State, Air Force, Liberty and more.

OFFERS

Oak Mountain 6-2, 180-pound 4-star recruit Jayden Aparicio-Bailey added to his list with an offer from Purdue.

The DB also has offers from most of the SEC, including Alabama and Auburn along with Michigan, Clemson, Oregon and USC among the others.

In basketball …

Oxford guard Jaylen Alexander picked up an offer from the University of San Diego. The 6-foot-2 point guard was also recently re-offered by Lennie Acuff’s staff at Samford.

Hazel Green’s Madison Eddings announced a Division I offer from Jackson State. The 6-foot-4 center also earned an offer from Wallace State.

Hoover’s Jackson Sheffield announced an offer from Tennessee on Wednesday. The 6-foot-9 center and Class 7A state champion also holds offers from Mississippi State, Virginia Tech, UAB, South Florida, Loyola and Memphis.

Staff writers Thomas Ashworth and Dennis Victory contributed to this report.