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When he wrapped up his official visit to Fayetteville about two weeks ago, Jaylen Lewis said it was his first time in Arkansas, but it wouldn’t be his last.
Perhaps the three-star defensive back from Tennessee was tipping his hand, as he promptly moved his commitment date up by 3.5 weeks and ultimately picked the Razorbacks on Friday.
He chose Arkansas over a slew of offers, including a top four that included Auburn, Michigan State and hometown Memphis - all of which he officially visited last month. Lewis is the 13th member of the Razorbacks’ 2022 recruiting class.
Interestingly, the decision comes just two months after Lewis didn’t even have Arkansas in the top 10 he released in early may, despite already having an offer. Defensive backs coach Sam Carter, though, made up a lot of ground to get the Razorbacks firmly in the mix.
“If he ain’t changing me, I know if I come here, he ain’t changing me then,” Lewis said about Carter following his official visit. “That man right there, that’s what made me come here.”
While Carter may have been the primary reason Lewis considered Arkansas, it was a total staff effort to secure his pledge.
Coming off an official visit to Auburn, many experts believed the Tigers were leading in his recruitment, but that changed following his weekend in Fayetteville from June 18-20.
“The coaching staff here is way different,” Lewis said. “Auburn’s coaching staff, I like them, but the coaching staff here is way different. They vibe different, they move different, they talk different. That’s what I like about them.”
As a junior at Haywood High in Brownsville, Tenn., Lewis made 60 tackles, including four for loss and two sacks, and also notched seven interceptions and four pass breakups.
He is the Razorbacks’ first commitment from the Volunteer State in two years, when Arkansas landed the Memphis trio of Marcus Henderson, Darin Turner and Ray Curry in the 2020 class.
Although he’s ranked as the 38th best safety in the country by Rivals, Lewis said the Razorbacks are recruiting him as a cornerback. He’s the second defensive back in the class, joining four-star safety Myles Rowser out of Michigan.
As a 5.7 three-star recruit, Lewis’ commitment adds 90 points to Arkansas’ total, moving it ahead of Alabama, Oregon, Kentucky and Oklahoma State and into 16th in the Rivals team recruiting rankings. It is also fifth among SEC teams.
This is the first of what Arkansas hopes will be a double-dose of good news Friday and the start of a big month of July overall.
Mani Powell, a three-star linebacker from Ohio who also officially visited last month, is also set to announce his college decision Friday afternoon, with athlete Anthony Brown and tight end Tyus Washington scheduled to announce later in the month.
It's worth noting that Lewis is on record saying that he and Brown - another 5.7 three-star defensive back - plan on going to the same school.
Linebacker Jordan Crook from Duncanville, Texas, outside linebacker Jaylon White from Little Rock Parkview and defensive end Trey Fite from Tatum, Texas, could also be nearing decisions.
