By LEE BRECHEEN, Louisiana Football Magazine
Parkway’s Jaylan White is one of the most explosive players in all of Louisiana. Not many in the Class of 2023 can match his speed and determination in space.
This is a kid who can run a 4.3 in the 40 and look every bit of it on the field in pads, not something you see every day. He was offered by Mississippi State as soon as the season ended in 2021.
Also, he is a running back and wide receiver and any given play can line up in either position. His 2021 stats were video game numbers: 1,848 total yards and 15 touchdowns and he caught 63 passes as a wide receiver.
In track he ran a blistering 10.56 100 meters, which is not something you hear of every day either from a track star, much less from a football player. Few and far between are any 100-meter times under 10.6 in high school. White ran a 10.65 at the LHSAA Outdoors last spring.
I love his maturity. After talking to this young man back in May and again recently, he knows what he wants in college and sports, and you can tell he’s a leader who brings it every play and doesn’t like to lose.
Because of his speed and ability to make people miss, it will not shock me if he gets a chance to also return punts and kickoffs in college because with his speed he would be a step away from a touchdown each time.
I compare him to a college star receiver I saw play in high school in New Orleans a few years ago. Skylar Green, who prepped for Higgins in New Orleans and then made huge plays for LSU over four years, played quarterback for his high school team and moved to wide receiver at LSU.
I think White could be a running back in college but slot/wide receiver will be the spot he ends up playing because he’s a playmaker and would be unguardable in the slot in college.
I mentioned his maturity. It comes through when he shows appreciation for those who have coached him, starting with Panthers’ offensive coordinator Matthew Sewell.
“Best OC I’ve had. Our bond is irreplaceable, like a father and son bond,” said White. “(I) love the way he spreads the ball around and the energy he brings to the table.
“Other coaches I would like to recognize are my head coach Coy Brotherton, Jacob James, my wide receiver coach, and Jordan Shaffer, my running backs coach. Those are good guys as well. I have to give a shout-out to my little league coaches that raised me and introduced me to football, Jeff Harper and Eric Newman.”
He’s enjoying the recruiting process.
“My favorite coach recruiting me is Jason Washington from Mississippi State,” said White. “I love the guy and how he checks on me very often. I also like Coach Matt Kubik from UL-Monroe.”
Parkway OC Sewell likes White’s upbeat nature more than anything.
“It’s been great getting to coach Jaylan the last few years and watch him grow and mature into the player he’s become,” said Sewell. “We’ve spent a lot of time together between football and driving for track meets. He obviously does a lot of things for us on the football field. But he’s also a joy to be around. He’s a funny kid that’s always smiling or laughing about something. I sure am glad we have him one more year.”
Notes on Jaylan White: He wants to major in sports medicine.
What White likes most about football is “the environment and bonds I make with my teammates and coaches and of course, winning.”
Hobbies include, “Playing my game, and sleeping and grinding for football. Those are my hobbies because they are fun, cool and relaxing, and practicing is something I actually like doing.”
White has college offers from Mississippi State, Southern UL-Lafayette, ULM, Arkansas State, Austin Peay and Tulane.
He is 700 yards away from Parkway’s all-time rushing mark. White has averaged 17 yards per catch in his career. The last two seasons he has averaged 155 yards from the line of scrimmage per game.
Highlights as a wide receiver: White had long touchdowns of 96 yards at North DeSoto, 85 yards in the playoffs at Alexandria Senior High, and a 72-yard score in the playoffs against Captain Shreve.
Contact Lee at lbrecheen@aol.com