Coach’s Take: SMU DB signee Jaylen Moses
2024 Carrollton (Tex.) Newman Smith safety Jaylen Moses committed to SMU over the summer before his senior season. The Mustangs inked the local standout and the coaches are excited about getting him into the fold.
SMU evaluated him and thought he was slept on overall, which is why the staff pushed to get him on board.
“I think if Jaylen was at a different school his recruitment would have been different,” SMU defensive coordinator Scott Symons said. “I think he is a kid with a ton of upside. He can run. He’s got a willingness to tackle and throw his body around. He’s gonna have to put weight on his frame. That’s going to be the big thing and then I think the mental piece safety-wise. Growing in the knowledge of the position at this level.
“They did some you know 4-safety stuff in high school, kind of the middle robber guy, but just really athletic. I liked him in practice and then I was really pleased with the Birdville game, I thought he played really well. I think you can see he’s got a lot of upside and ability. I think he’s a guy that was, in my opinion, under-recruited. We don’t care about stars. We trust our own evaluations. I saw him in-person and thought, this is a kid that with the right mentorship and growth in the system could be a special player.”
“Thought that Jaylen when we watched him for the first time last year as a junior, going into last spring. He did something that that a lot of guys don’t just do at his size in high school,” SMU passing game coordinator Rickey Hunley added. “He’s 5-10.5, 5-11,a 175-pound guy, and when he sticks his foot in the ground to come downhill, he is going to strike the first thing that he sees. There was no hesitation, there is no concern, there is no wait. He diagnoses the play, he sticks his foot in the ground and triggers, and he’s gonna blow somebody or something up. That was something that we definitely loved.”
Moses has always been a leader on Newman Smith’s team and also has the ability to play all over the backend.
“When I went and watched him play in season, the thing that was surprising and the most surprising to me is that he is a kid that, again is a quiet kid, but on the football field and when they were getting lined up, he was running the show,’ Hunley said. “You talk about a free safety and safety being a quarterback of the defense, he was a 100 percent that. Getting guys lined up, talking about what he saw formationally and what they were expecting. I think the game I went to watch he played just W.D. White and made a lot of plays early in that game. Sideline to sideline on the backend, set the tone coming out the gate and so, really made us really like him.
Hunley compared Moses to another under-recruited player in the secondary for the Mustangs.
“Think his game is going to translate with us even more,” Hunley said. “He kind of is that Ahmaad Moses type guy for us that he may not have been everybody clawing to get him from a recruiting standpoint, but we think what he will become will be something that is very beneficial not only for us from a defensive standpoint, but also where we’re going from a conference standpoint.”
As Moses arrives on campus this summer, the staff will get him to work on adding mass to his frame. The good thing is he has time to develop with a veteran safety room.
“I think the summer will be big for him as far as how quick we can put the weight on him and grow him mentally. He’s going to be in a good situation,” Symons said. “We have a lot of experienced guys coming back. So the plan would be to be able to redshirt him. I think it’s going to be up to him mentally how quick he can absorb it and what he does in the off season to put that weight on his body because he’s a guy who can really run and shows the willingness to tackle and has playmaking ability. When you see a guy return kicks for touchdowns and show that playmaking ability. Guys on defense, they can play well with the ball in their hands.”
According to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies, Moses is the No. 107 overall safety in the country. He held Louisiana, Tulane, Washington State and other offers.
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