Jaylen Reed opens up about recruitment ahead of enrollment
Four-star safety Jaylen Reed moved into his college dorm Thursday afternoon. We caught up with him one last time before he officially became a Nittany Lion
Over the past year, I’ve talked to a lot of different people who know Penn State safety Jaylen Reed.
As you would expect, most of those talks were centered around Jaylen Reed the football player, although many of his future teammates told me that he’s the jokester of the group. If you spend just 10 minutes talking to Reed, you’ll get that vibe, too. He loves to have fun.
But when I spoke with the adults who know Reed best, whether it be his coaches at Martin Luther King in Detroit or some sources down here in State College, every single one of them praised the leader that Reed has become.
All you have to do is watch one game and you’ll see what they mean. He’s truly the quarterback of the defense, moving players into position and calling out assignments. Every team needs that player, and Reed said that he thinks there’s one major reason why he’s been able to have success in that role.
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"One thing I really do well is build relationships with my teammates,” he said. “That's something I've always done, ever since I was young. Even my sophomore year, when I just started [on varsity], I became a key player and a leader and a big reason why, I think, is because people trusted me. I became close with everyone early."
Reed did more than hold his own that first season, but it was his junior year, when he packed on 20 pounds of muscle and climbed to 195 pounds that he became the player Penn State fans love to watch. Playing a variety of positions, including both safety spots, nickel back and even some outside linebacker, Reed racked up 119 tackles, while also forcing four fumbles and an interception in 14 games. All-State and All-Metro Detroit honors quickly followed, but it was the scholarship offers that really spoke for his quality.
Penn State happened to be the first Power Five program to see that in Feb. 2019, thanks in large part to former assistant Tim Banks, who played at MLK growing up.
“I knew him way before I got an offer or anything like that. He was always up at King,” Reed said, referring to Banks.
Over the next year, Reed would earn offers from over 30 college programs. He only ended up taking a couple visits due the pandemic, checking out Penn State, Georgia and Michigan State. He said that after his trip to State College, which came in Jan. 2020, he was all-in with the Nittany Lions.
“Man, I was committed to Penn State since like last January,” said Reed. “I was committed to Penn State before I even committed. I wasn't officially, but I was telling Coach [James] Franklin that I'm coming.”
Reed wound up announcing his commitment on April 9, 2020. It came just a day before two other top prospects from Detroit, Kalen and Kobe King, announced their decision. That was all part of the plan.
"Those guys are my brothers. When we played against each other, we got after it, but off the field, they've always been my brothers,” Reed said “I knew them since little league. Shoot, we all knew we were going to the same school. We planned that. I was actually gonna make my commitment on Mother’s Day, but we all knew what we wanted to do, so I just moved it up and we got it done.”
Like every prospect, there were a few reasons that Penn State won out in the end.
“It was just that family atmosphere. That was big, but I also want to make a difference,” Reed said. “I felt like, if I went to Penn State, I could be a difference-maker. I feel like, other than Marcus Allen, you don't see many Penn State safeties go to the league and go crazy. I want to change that. I want to change the culture for their safeties. The other thing I really cared about, with no disrespect to anyone, but I really want to play for a black coach. I feel like Coach Franklin is right there man. He's right there. They're always like top 15 and knocking on the door. They just need more pieces.”
Reed said that the loss of Banks, who became Tennessee’s defensive coordinator in February, “hurt a bit,” but he was happy that Franklin replaced him with another coach that he was already familiar with.
“He was on my head all the time at Purdue.” said Reed. “It was like nothing new. He just came in and it was awesome. I already know who he is, what he's about, and again, I prefer to play for black coaches. If you look at Penn State's staff, the majority of them are black, except for Coach Pry and he's my guy. But I want to see a black coach win a championship. I want to help them reach their goals.”
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