Defensive back Jaylen Lewis has announced his commitment to Arkansas.
Lewis, 6-2, 175 pounds, of Brownsville (Tenn.) Haywood, chose the Razorbacks over approximately 40 offers from schools such as Florida State, Auburn, Oklahoma, LSU, Michigan, Duke, Cincinnati, Michigan State, South Carolina and other programs.
He officially visited Fayetteville on June 18-20.
“Once I stepped off that plane after landing in Fayetteville I just felt a different vibe,” said Lewis, who’s being recruited to play cornerback. “As soon as I stepped off (the plane) it felt like home. First thing I heard when I stepped off was, ‘Go Hogs’ and I just felt so different.”
Inspired by the movie “Twister,” Lewis wants to be a meteorologist because of his fondness of tornadoes, which matches his destructive style of play on defensive.
“What really stands out to me is he’s obviously really fast, just like a lot of DBs are, but one of the things he does really well, in my opinion, is he’s very physical,” Haywood Coach Chris Smith said. “He loves to come down and loves to hit.”
Near the end of his trip to Fayetteville he knew wanted to play college football at Arkansas.
“At the end of the last day of my official visit I knew I wanted to be a Hog, a Razorback,” Lewis said.
CBS Sports Network national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming rates Lewis a 3-star-plus prospect.
He recorded 60 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 7 interceptions, 4 pass breakups and 2 sacks, and scored 3 touchdowns on offense. Lewis also officially visited Auburn, Memphis and Indiana.
Cornerbacks coach Sam Carter, who was his lead recruiter, formed a major connection with Lewis.
“He’s an unbelievable coach, man,” Lewis said. “I love Coach Carter. He played a big role in me committing to Arkansas. Our vibe and our bond is so different from the other bonds I have with other coaches. Coach Carter is my guy, man.”
Lewis and Arkansas defensive back target Anthony Brown of Milan (Tenn.) are good friends. Brown is expected to announce his decision on July 29.
“I’m going to give him an earful,” Lewis said. “I’m going to try and make him feel the same things I felt.”
Lewis is the Razorbacks’ 13th commitment in the 2022 class.