Jaylon Lane, a 6-foot-1, 185 pound defensive back from Nacogdoches (Texas) is absolutely blowing up. In the last five days, Lane, who was named the defensive back MVP at the recent Rivals.com Camp Series event in Houston, has added eight different scholarship offers, including powerhouse programs Oklahoma, Notre Dame and most recently, LSU.
An early commitment to Ole Miss, Lane re-opened his recruitment on March 20th and the flood of offers has rolled through the gates.
"I feel that me opening up recruiting again helped," Lane said of what's brought about the recent rush of offers. "Most of all me getting named the defensive back MVP at RCS in Houston helped a lot. I earned over a lot of top defensive backs who were there and schools are starting to see not only (I) can play in West Texas, but I can play and dominate against the best anywhere."
When you watch Lane's highlights, it's easy to see what he does well. He's a big, physical cornerback with deceptive speed. He's not afraid to hit and he's got excellent timing in coverage.
"I love to play press man and be physical with the wide receiver at the line of scrimmage," he said of his style of play. "I need to continue to improve my tackling. I mean my tackling is fine, but (I've been working on) just going up top more. I picked up weight now so that should help out."
Ohio State is in the middle of revamping their defensive style, and pressure on the corners is a staple of new defensive coordinator Chris Ash's approach. That could be one reason Lane is hearing from the Buckeyes lately.
"Yeah, I've been speaking with Chris Ash lately," Lane said about the Buckeyes interest. "I am really hoping for an Ohio State offer. They are a good school and just missed a shot at a national title this past year. I feel like (Ash) is working to get me an offer and he said he really likes my length and my range at cornerback."
With major programs across the country expressing interest recently, Lane says a few stand out as places he absolutely wants to visit. Ohio State would join that list if they pulled the trigger on a scholarship offer.
"I want to visit Notre Dame, Oklahoma, LSU and Northern Illinois," he said. "If Ohio State offered they would for sure get a visit, no doubt. If I couldn't get there in the summer I'd make them one of my five official visits."
Recruiting can be an emotional process for a high school football player, and Lane knows it. He wants to take his time before making a decision again, knowing that he re-opened his recruitment already. He knows what he's looking for and hopes to find it during the summer's visits.
"(I'd like to decide) before the football season," he said of his new timeline for a choice. "If I don't feel right then after my five visits I'll decide. I need to find a place I'm comfortable school and feel at home. Some place parents like and where the defense fits right for me."
