Why did I get ghosted?

[Jae]

Sounds like your new friend has a major amount of self-doubt going on between his ears. You are educated, something he is looking for in a fwb sort of thing, but you are "too" educated. You have other qualities he is looking for, but he may think he doesn't deserve someone like you. He is as you mentioned, still stuck emotionally in his last relationship. So he has some hurdles to get over, the real question here is, are you willing to go through those hurdles with him or will keep him at arms length as he is keeping you?