Stinson's prep coach: 'He is one of the fastest kids we have ever had'

The 5-8, 170-pound Stinson plays on both sides of the ball for Opelika (Ala.) High, which is located 10 miles from Auburn and is a Class 6A school in a seven-class Alabama system. But at Purdue, he will be a cornerback.

“No. 1, he is extremely fast,” said Opelika coach Erik Speakman. “He is one of the fastest kids we have ever had around here. And we have had a lot of fast ones. We have had guys in the low 4.3s, and Jalyen is right with them.”

Stinson committed on August 1. And he is joining Christian Gonzalez, Malachi Melton, Sanoussi Kane and Antonio Stevens as defensive backs in Purdue’s Class of 2020, which has 17 commitments.

GoldandBlack.com spoke to Speakman to get the low-down on Stinson.

GoldandBlack.com: Why do you think he picked Purdue?

Speakman: A lot of it was his relationship with Coach (Greg) Brown. He had had him in camp at Auburn for a couple of years. He went up there (Purdue) on an official visit in June and just really liked the place. He also sees it as a chance to go up there and play. I told him, if you go to the Big Ten, the way you run, you are an elite player. In the SEC, they have guys all over the place that run like you do. You get up there, and you will really have a chance to play. Kids nowadays aren’t afraid to go away from home as long as they get to play. It is a 10-hour trip.

GoldandBlack.com: Do you think his lack of size will hurt him in the Big Ten?

Speakman: That is why a lot of the bigger schools, Auburn and Alabama, didn’t look at him because he was 5-8, 170 pounds. But he has long arms. When you play DB, you always wanna look at length. He is more a 5-11 kid if you take wingspan under consideration. But he doesn’t run like a 5-11 kid. He reminds me a lot of the kid (Rondale Moore) they have there now.

GoldandBlack.com: How close was his relationship with Coach Brown?

Speakman: When Greg was here at Auburn, I got to know him very well. I also knew him when he was at Alabama. He used to recruit us. I talked to him a lot about DB play when he was at Auburn. I hated to see him leave. The very first week he was up there, he called and said he wanted to offer Jaylen. He wanted to offer him at Auburn and they just wouldn’t pull the trigger. Brown absolutely loved the kid. A lot of schools recruited him as a slot receiver due to his size. He could fit in at either spot. I told a few places they could take him and use him full-time offense and part-time defense or flip it. Play slot on offense and nickel on defense. If you need to throw him a football, stick him on offense. He is gonna be the fastest kid on the field.

GoldandBlack.com: How will you use him this fall?

Speakman: He is a full-time player on defense for us and we spot play him on offense. He is a kick returner and he is our punter, too. He averaged 44 yards as a punter last year. He also runs track all year. Indoor and outdoor. He does the 400, 200, 100 and was state champ in the javelin.

GoldandBlack.com: What does he need to get better at?

Speakman: He is one of those kids, he is such a good football player. He studies film, he is a good student of the game. He has been playing for us since ninth grade. We played for the state title his freshman year and we brought him up after the freshman season was done. And he filled in as a role player in three of our packages. You could see when he was a little kid he was gonna be good.

And keep an eye on his brother, Jarell Stinson. He is in 10th grade. When he gets the ball in his hands, you realize he is the best guy on the field. Because he is taller than Jaylen, he might have some bigger offers. Jarell Stinson is a DB and plays some at running back.

GoldandBlack.com: If he didn’t pick Purdue, where would Stinson have gone?

Speakman: Probably Duke. Those were his best two offers. Duke wanted him as a receiver. I think he’s rather play DB, but he will tell you he doesn’t care. If Jaylen was 6-0, he could have picked where he wanted to go.

For some reason, coaches don’t wanna take a chance on a kid unless he hits all the check marks. But the guy plays football. I told a college coach once: When you get done with a game, do you measure your LBs to see how tall they are? Or do you monitor how many plays they make? You can play or not, doesn’t matter how tall you are. Jaylen can play.

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