Playing a sport in high school is one of the most rewarding and memorable experiences of a student-athlete’s high school experience.  The camaraderie and relationships that are formed often last well beyond graduation.  For most high school students, however, high school sports is the end of the road for competitive athletic engagement.  Only 7% of high school athletes play a sport after high school, and only 2% play an NCAA Division 1 sport.  A marginally small number of athletes move to the highest level of postsecondary athletic competition.  Even among Division I athletic programs, there is a tiered structure that separates certain schools and conferences from the others.  For example, it could be strongly argued that the highest level of college athletics would be Southeastern Conference Football.  The football programs that are scattered across the southern United States house some of the best athletes in the country.  

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Only 7% of high school athletes play a sport after high school, and only 2% play an NCAA Division 1 sport.

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This past January, Haywood County resident and Haywood High School graduate, Jaylen Lewis joined the ranks of that elite athletic company when he officially enrolled at the University of Arkansas to play football for the Razorbacks.  

Jaylen grew up in Stanton, Tennessee and has found himself on a football field or with a football in his hands most all of his life.

“My dad put a ball in my hand when I was two, and then I started playing league ball when I was around 5 years old,” he said.  

And, like many kids who would go on to play at high levels of any sport, Jaylen found himself playing multiple sports and playing multiple positions in each sport.

“When I was little, my coaches  put me at linebacker, defensive line, basically every sport on the field,” he said.  “I played basketball, baseball, and ran track growing up.  I played all five positions in basketball.  I could play center and bang with the big guys or I could bring the ball up the court if I had to.”

While Jaylen enjoyed playing different sports, he knew that at some point he would have to narrow his options if he was going to pursue a future in football after high school.

“I played basketball my freshman year in high school and then realized I needed to focus on football.  I decided that if I didn’t get any major offers for football by my junior year, then I would come back to basketball for my senior year, but those offers started rolling in so I knew I needed to take care of my health and only focus on football,” he said.  

As he started communicating with different college football programs all over the country, Jaylen soon realized that every school that reached out to him to recruit him didn’t exactly have the same level of desire to have him as part of their program as they seemed to have during the early stages of the process.  It was an invaluable learning experience that would help him as he focused his options.

“I had offers from Florida State, Michigan, Duke, South Carolina, East Kentucky, Georgia, Louisiana State University (LSU), Arkansas, Memphis, Virginia Tech, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Louisville…quite a few.  I didn’t get one from Alabama, though, and not many from schools out West,” he said.

From that exhaustive list of high-profile, Division I programs, Jaylen began to see the way the recruiting process would start to unfold.  As certain schools started signing players, interest in Jaylen would start to wane.  What really stood out to him, though, was the relationship building process and the way certain coaches truly wanted him to be part of their program.

“At first, I narrowed my list down to ten schools that I was considering.  Some of the schools made it easy for me to move on from them.  Going through a heavy recruiting process, I was able to tell pretty easily which coaches really wanted me in the program and which ones didn’t care as much.  There’s a difference between coaches who really want you there and want you to be a part of their program, and the ones who don’t seem to care that much,” he explained.

A lot of the initial recruiting process involved letters, texts, and phone calls.  Once the campus visits started, however, Jaylen could start to see the picture becoming clearer.

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“Some of the schools made it easy for me to move on from them.  Going through a heavy recruiting process, I was able to tell pretty easily which coaches really wanted me in the program and which ones didn’t care as much.  There’s a difference between coaches who really want you there and want you to be a part of their program, and the ones who don’t seem to care that much.” – Jaylen Lewis

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“Once I went on the official visits, I could really tell who wanted me.  I really felt that in Arkansas.  I really liked that,” he said.  “I visited Memphis, Arkansas, Michigan State, Auburn, and Tennessee.  Out of all those schools, Arkansas felt like home.”

Jaylen was also interested in the University of Memphis, but proximity to home and the chance to play in the SEC were two things that held him back from committing to them.

“I did like Memphis, but it was a little too close to home,” he said.  “I wanted to go out of state.  Plus, I wanted to play ‘big boy’ ball, and that’s the SEC.”

Above all, though, he kept coming back to the cornerstone of relationship-building and the feeling of being truly wanted by a program.  Arkansas kept finding its way to the top of his list.

“At first, I wasn’t considering Arkansas, but they really started to build a relationship with me and that was very important,” he explained.  “The facilities at Arkansas were very appealing.  And the coaches at Arkansas were real.  They were the same people all the time; they didn’t change depending on what was going on.  That consistency was key.”

No collegiate player would be playing any sport at the college level without having support on the field and in the classroom during high school.  Jaylen had both during his time at Haywood High School.  

Throughout his high school football career, he was an integral part of teams that made it to the state semi-final game as well as the state championship.  He transitioned from a cornerback to a safety and then back to cornerback.  He also played (and excelled) as a wide receiver, mastering a slant route that left many fellow defensive backs trailing in his wake.  He acknowledged how much the coaching staff at Haywood High helped him, but also that the relationship didn’t exactly start out as smooth as possible.

“I started my high school career as a cornerback.  I played corner as a freshman and sophomore.  I was a lockdown corner, but I only had two interceptions my sophomore year.  No one would throw to my side.  My coach wanted me to move to safety because I could find the ball much easier.  I didn’t want to change positions, but I eventually did for my junior year.  I ended up with four interceptions in one game, so I guess he knew what he was talking about,” he said, laughing.

The transition to different positions helped him learn the game and that learning was also aided by his defensive coordinator, Logan Rebstock. 

“My defensive coordinator, Coach Rebstock, really taught me a lot.  When the staff first came in 2019, we didn’t see eye to eye right away.  But I learned quickly that he had my back.  He became like a father figure to me.  He really helped me understand the game and how to use my brain as well as my body during football,” Jaylen said.

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“My defensive coordinator, Coach Rebstock, really taught me a lot.  When the staff first came in 2019, we didn’t see eye to eye right away.  But I learned quickly that he had my back.  He became like a father figure to me.” – Jaylen Lewis

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A good coach has a lot of the same qualities as a good teacher.  Both are good at relationship building.  Both are excellent communicators.  Most importantly, both have students and players as the true focus of their work.  Jaylen acknowledges that his favorite classes at Haywood High School had as much to do with the teacher as they did the subject matter.

“My favorite teacher was Ms. Byrum.  She taught Leadership and Communications.  I also really liked Anatomy and Physiology.  Ms. Heflin taught that class,” he explained.  “The teachers made those classes fun, which was why I really enjoyed them.”

As Jaylen begins to make the transition to a different city, different state, and different level of football, he’ll call upon his football inspirations to help him adjust to a new athletic world that is going to be extremely intense on and off the field.

“On the field, the biggest adjustment I’ll have to make is to run full speed all the time…every rep, every play.  Every play is a decision play.  No days off, no plays off,” he said.  “I want to add some weight by the time the season starts.  I want to be up to 185 or 190 pounds.  I’m fast already, but I need to add some muscle to my frame to take on those SEC running backs.”

Jaylen’s playing style and mentality have been formed from a combination of the players and teams he admired growing up.

“I was a big fan of Tyrann Mathieu because I liked LSU.  Throughout high school, I also became a big fan of Jalen Ramsey, but my favorite player was Grant Delpit.  That’s who I modeled my game after.  Most kids want to model their game after Ramsey or Tre’Quan Diggs, but I modeled mine after Delpit.  He was an All-American after his freshman year.  He brings so much energy to the table.  He had the mindset that no one could mess with him.  I want to have that same mindset.”

The transition process of any monumental change can be disorienting and take up a lot of headspace.  It can be easy to forget the things that are being left behind while looking forward to what’s next.  However, Jaylen seems to have a good grasp on what this change means for him and what leaving his hometown means, as well.  

“Sometimes, I’m really excited about leaving for college but then I get a little sad about leaving because I’m gonna miss my friends; I’m gonna miss my teammates.  After this, we all go our separate ways.”

Much like the success Jaylen experienced throughout his transitions on the football field in high school, it’s hard to imagine a situation where he isn’t successful with this particular progression.  Instead of Friday nights in John B. Hooper Memorial Stadium in Brownsville, Jaylen will be locking down receivers on Saturdays in the Ozarks in Northwest Arkansas.  And, while that change in geographic regions seems stark, Jaylen will still be representing Haywood County and the people who helped him get to where he is now and where he’ll be going in the future.