Jaylen Mbakwe

Pinson (Alabama) Clay-Chalkville coach Drew Gilmer can’t say enough good things about Jaylen Mbakwe. “I absolutely love the kid to death,” Gilmer told AL.com. “He’s a phenomenal football player and deserves to be No. 1 in the state. He might be No. 1 in any class. I love him even more as a person. He’s a phenomenal human being. He makes us better as a team every time he walks in the door. He always has a smile on his face. You name it, he can do it.” Gilmer’s point was made clear by watching Mbakwe as a freshman and sophomore when he played receiver, defensive back, returned kicks and punts and was the team’s backup quarterback. He was a critical factor in Clay-Chalkville’s run to the 6A state championship in 2021. He did more of the same in 2022. “He has elite speed,” Gilmer said. “He’s a track kid. I think he ran 10.4 in the 100-meter as a freshman. You can’t teach that. The other thing is he is very intelligent, very savvy. He has great instincts, great ball skills on both sides of the ball. He always seems to be at the right place at the right time. He just kind of has a knack for that. I haven’t found anything he doesn’t do well.”