Arkansas lands commitment from On300 CB Jaylon Braxton

Jaylon Braxton thought he might’ve stumbled into an easy decision earlier this summer. After further consideration, however, the talented four-star defensive back realized that time was on his side.

Braxton, the nation’s No. 19-rated cornerback out of Frisco (Texas) Lone Star, committed to Arkansas on his mother’s birthday on Saturday. The On300 standout briefly committed to Michigan State while on an official visit to East Lansing last month, but reopened his recruitment not too long after. Baylor and Miami were other finalists for Braxton, who had a clearer vision toward Fayetteville after wrapping up his four summer official visits.

“When I committed to Michigan State, I was thinking more for myself,” Braxton told On3. “When I look at Arkansas, I see the best situation for me and for my family. They’ll be able to get to my games and be in the stands. I’m closer to home and Arkansas was better for me and my family and was the best opportunity for me.”

“I had more time to evaluate all the schools I visited and compare the good things and the bad things, where I fit in the best and where I think I’ll fit in the best,” he added.

Braxton had been to Arkansas on a handful of occasions this offseason, including during the spring as well as an official visit last month. Several members of the coaching staff made impressions on one of the Lone Star State’s best defensive backs from Sam Pittman to Barry Odum to Dominique Bowman.

“Coach Bowman is one of the best defensive backs coaches, if not the best, in the country,” Braxton started. “He was the only DB coach of any schools I visited to put something on the board and show me something new. He showed me different techniques. My dad trains NFL DBs and he showed my dad something he never heard of before.

“Coach Bowman is a great coach with a lot of confidence. He’s not a quiet guy and when you work with DBs, you can’t be quiet. I like how he is and what he’s doing with his confidence. He’s someone you can actually talk to and he can show you.”

Braxton is equally as high on Pittman and Odum as coaches and leaders away from the field.

“When you meet with head coaches, there’s tension in the room. With him, he’s laid-back at ease,” he said of the Head Hog. “That says a lot. He’s a former OL coach and O-linemen naturally get overlooked. They’re looking out for everyone and no one is really looking at you. As a head coach, that says he’s gonna look out for everyone and make sure you’re alright.”

“Coach Odum has been a head coach before and he knows what he’s doing,” Braxton continued. “He’s gonna mix it up and be multiple on defense and get me ready for the NFL. One question we asked on our visit was about which coach could represent Arkansas besides Pittman and most of the guys said Odum. That shows he’s not just a football coach and outside of football, he’s gonna be there for you.”

Braxton is the No. 271 overall player in the country on the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.