Texas lands Rivals250 DB Jaylon Guilbeau

As the start of football season approaches, more and more decisions are being made, and that includes elite prospects in the 2022 crop.

Such is the case with Rivals250 defensive back Jaylon Guilbeau, who pledged to Longhorns on Saturday ahead of his junior year. Penn State, USC and Texas A&M were among the other finalists for the nation's No. 21-ranked cornerback and the No. 21 overall prospect in-state.

LSU, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Auburn and Oregon were also contenders for Guilbeau.

"Jaylon is a great teammate, leader and his work ethic is off the charts,” Port Arthur Memorial head football coach Brian Morgan told Rivals. “You really don’t understand how hard he works unless you’re around him. He’s as mature a junior in high school that I’ve ever been around. Parents have done a great job raising him. Really a joy to be around everyday. Infectious energy and competitiveness.”

Guilbeau is the third four-star from the Lone Star State to elect to stay home. He follows in the footsteps of fellow Rivals250 prospect Phaizon Wilson out of Lancaster and five-star quarterback Quinn Ewers, who committed to the Horns earlier this month.

Entering the day, Texas was holding onto the No. 2-ranked 2022 recruiting haul on the Rivals team rankings.

On the decision: “It was kind of difficult, but Coach Jay Valai — he recruited me hard. We have a good bond. It was hard because I was talking to Texas A&M a lot, Penn State a lot and USC a lot, too. I was talking to about four schools, but Coach Valai did his job. We might not have a season and I don’t want to sit here and keep waiting. I wanted to decide, so I talked with my parents and my dad told me he felt it was like it was a good decision.”

On Coach Valai: “We got a good relationship. He brings the energy to me. In order me for to love this coach or have a good bond with him, we need to have energy. Coach Valai has a good energy. He’s a good coach and when you pair good coaching and talent together, then you get A1.”

On his visits to Austin: “Austin is not far from home for me. I didn’t want to be too far from home. Austin has good facilities, a good coaching staff. I like the way Coach Valai deals with the defensive backs. Me and Coach (Tom) Herman talk a lot and we have a good bond. Texas is just like family to me, another home, and I feel like they treat me better.”

On Coach Herman: “You know about the Black Lives Matter and it’s a big thing around this country. Some coaches ain’t like that. Coach Herman is a good dude. It’s not just about football; it’s about life, too. Me and him have a really good relationship. Every time we get on the phone, he’s fired up. He’s my dog and I ask what’s up with him. Even when we don’t talk, we have that bond and we know where we stand. Coach Herman is a good dude and I really like him and I’m looking forward to seeing him when I get up to Texas.”

On his future at Texas: “My future plan is to work hard and when you work hard, you get stuff done. My plan is try and play as a freshman and go three years and out to go to the league. I’m looking forward to seeing how Texas plays this year and what the cornerbacks coach, Coach Valai, does to develop them.”

Guilbeau was a First-Team All-District performer as a breakout sophomore for Port Arthur (Texas) Memorial last season. In addition to football, Guilbeau competes in track and field with a 400-meter time of 51.8 seconds. He also participates in the 800-meter and 4x100 relay team.

Earlier this year, Guilbeau clocked a 4.82-second 40 time at the All-American Bowl Combine in San Antonio. He also recorded a 4.3-second short shuttle and a 9-foot-9 broad jump, and was measured with a 74-inch wingspan.

While his speed gives some pause, it doesn’t hinder Guilbeau in coverage whatsoever. He largely plays off-coverage and is well-adept at tracking the ball and because of his exceptional closing speed and anticipation, can dart toward the ball in a hurry. That also allows Guilbeau to time up his hits well and make plays on the ball look routine.

Guilbeau accounted for two interceptions last season and both came on plays in which the ball floated in his vicinity while in coverage. If the ball is in mid-air, Guilbeau uses his length to swat it away and is a candidate to bring it down.

Over the past few months at various workouts and the 7v7 setting, Guilbeau has flashed the ability to jam at the line of scrimmage and disrupt receivers’ release. That’s another area of his game that allows Guilbeau to be physical and cover in various settings.

Guilbeau is disciplined in coverage and rarely falls for a pump fake. He can get lost in coverage, at times, but has the ability to regain his footing with enough make-up speed to rebound. He has continued to improve over the past year-plus and is a reliable tackler in the open field that is not shy about being physical. He high-points the ball and plays well over the top, in trail technique and with a cushion. He makes natural, smooth transitions while in coverage, but needs to continue to improve timing a bit.