Once upon a time a new guy arrived on a podcast called The Hotspot and I said to myself "ew, this guy sucks." His name? Vinny Caravella. Now I'm bummed I can't listen to him every week, but happy to know he'll still be contributing from New York.
Point being, you should give Jared a shot. If he is the new hire, I think it's a solid pick. It could be a total disaster too, you never know, but based on his work he seems like he would be a good fit. I at least respect the hell out of him for writing that piece on that "most expensive game jam" despite the career risks of doing so. It's good to see that most people here, and, surprisingly, on the Giant Bomb forums, are willing to give him a shot.