New Orleans CB Jamie Vance commits to Arkansas

Jamie Vance is just the latest in a long line of college football defensive backs.

The pipeline began with Derrick Raymond, who played for LSU, and DeShawn Raymond, who played for TCU. The latest is Vance, their cousin, who committed to Arkansas on Tuesday just hours removed from an unofficial visit to The Hill.

Arkansas was Vance’s first SEC overture and one that stuck, and that’s a testament to the coaching staff. They put in early work with Vance and with Edna Karr (La.) High School, which produced Class of 2019 signee Devin Bush, who is already on campus as a mid-year enrollee.

This week’s unofficial visit -- his second in the past calendar year -- affirmed many of Vance’s prerequisites for a college, leading his commitment.

“This is the new staff’s second year and I have a really good relationship with them, especially Coach (Ron) Coop and Coach Mark (Smith). As you know Devin (Bush) Greg (Brooks Jr.) and Joe (Foucha) are all up there so I’m gonna be comfortable playing around them because we’re all from the same area and we all know each other.

“I feel like I’ll play better for the people around me because it’s not about me; it’s about the ones before me. We all have good relationships and we all can talk that to the field and take over the SEC.”

Vance is a press-coverage cornerback that thrives when he can be physical at the point of attack. The Edna Karr coaches took advance of his aggressive nature as he eventually emerged as the team’s top cover corner on a state championship-winning squad.

The three-star is already a long prospect with good vertical ability and moves fluidly, but what stands out the most about his game is his instincts. He has a nose for the football and it shows on tape. He is constantly studying opposing quarterbacks and tends to find himself near all the action.

At 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds, he’s a bit small in the frame but doesn’t allow it affect his game. He’s relentless in run defense and is not afraid to deliver big hits to would-be receivers. He could begin his career at Arkansas on the outside, but could also emerge as a reliable option in the slot as well.

Mississippi State was definitely a close second in the Vance sweepstakes, getting the three-star cornerback on campus as recently as this past month. However, the Bulldogs lost the aforementioned Brooks to the Hogs, and the fact that Bush and Foucha are already on campus there’s even more New Orleans flavor in Fayetteville compared to Starkville.

Tulane was Vance’s first offer heading into his junior season -- even before he played a varsity snap. Defensive backs coach J.J. McCleskey was a huge fan of the young cornerback and hosted Vance a handful of times over the past two years, but the opportunity to compete in the SEC West was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

LSU did not offer Vance despite having him on campus a number of times for games and prospect camps, but he was still an in-state option on cornerback coach Corey Raymond’s board. Raymond recruited his cousin Derrick while at Nebraska, but he wound up playing for LSU. Raymond then pursued DeShawn, who eventually picked TCU. Raymond and Mickey Joseph maintained communication with Vance but never offered. Now, they will game plan against him on future Saturdays in the SEC.