Tag: Jaylin Smith

USC defensive back Jaylin Smith accepts Senior Bowl invite

Although he has never gotten a ton of star-level recognition, USC defensive back Jaylin Smith has quietly produced a solid career in Cardinal and Gold.

On Monday, USC defensive back Jaylin Smith officially accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl.

Although he has never gotten a ton of star-level recognition, Smith has quietly enjoyed a really solid career in Cardinal and Gold. Splitting time between cornerback and safety over the past four seasons, Smith has recorded 170 tackles, five pass breakups, three interceptions, two forced fumbles, and two sacks during his career as a Trojan.

Perhaps Smith’s most impressive performance of his college career came in last year’s Holiday Bowl, when he recorded 12 tackles. Smith was named the game’s defensive MVP for his efforts.

This past Saturday, Smith had a key interception in USC’s 28-20 victory over Nebraska. It was his second pick in the last month. Smith has been part of a USC defense which has quite frankly been very solid this season. The Trojans are not getting blown out despite losing a ton of important players. The defense has very consistently given this team a chance to win games. It has largely held up its end of the bargain in 2024.

The Senior Bowl will take place on February 1, 2025 in Mobile, Alabama.

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Jaylin Smith identity as USC Swiss Army knife will be tested

Jaylin Smith could be front and center in the back line against LSU.

Jaylin Smith, the 5-foot-11, 190-pound senior out of Bishop Alemany High School in California, is the “Swiss Army Knife” in D’Anton Lynn’s USC defense because of his versatility. Lincoln Riley had this to say about Smith’s role on the team in his weekly meeting with the media:

He’s a piece that gives us some versatility. We’ve worked him at some different positions throughout camp and spring [and] feel like he’s got the ability to to help us at different places. Certainly it’s been his emergence at corner I think has been a really positive thing for us so far, but I think he’s one of the pieces and we have a few in the secondary right now that we feel like give us some options. So I would imagine that you’ll see him all over the place at various times throughout the year.

He has shown that he can play every position in the secondary: he can play nickelback along with both corner and safety positions. The depth chart for Sunday’s matchup against the LSU Tigers came out his week and he was listed as a starting cornerback. The coverage and run stopping skills he honed in the safety room will make him a physical corner.  Players like Smith bring skill and depth to the 2024 Trojan secondary, which appears to be a strength on the team.

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USC’s Jaylin Smith has a lot on his plate in Trojans’ secondary

Jaylin Smith has learned about performing in the spotlight and under scrutiny.

Jaylin Smith is a cornerback and a senior for the USC football team. In his three-year collegiate career, Smith has 123 tackles, including 8.5 for loss (with 2 sacks), 3 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles, 1 QB hurry, and an INT, while appearing in 33 games with 22 starts. He has a lot of experience, but that experience has not translated into elite results under previous defensive coordinator Alex Grinch and previous position coach Donte Williams. Smith and the other returning members of the USC secondary hope that incoming coach Doug Belk, with help from Taylor Mays, will provide a much higher quality of coaching which will transform the secondary this season.

Smith has that big responsibility on his plate, plus a key assignment in Week 1 against LSU, which figures to pose a considerable challenge to the Trojans. That’s a lot for any college cornerback.

In addition to his football assignment, Smith is also in a relationship with Olympic gymnast and medalist Suni Lee. Team USA’s gymnastics squad is a powerhouse. Lee won gold in the women’s all-around in at the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games a few years ago and medaled again in Paris 2024.

Smith has a high profile. Let’s see if, like Lee in Paris, Smith can perform well in the spotlight this fall when the competition gets intense.

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D’Anton Lynn emphasizes versatility in his scheme for USC football

Trojans Wire’s Tim Prangley gathered quotes from D’Anton Lynn after USC spring practice on March 21.

USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn recently talked at spring football practice about how much he values versatility.

When he was asked about ideal traits he is looking for in possible secondary transfers, Lynn explained, “Playing experience, you know, speed. We like guys that can stay on top on the outside. Size. We wanted to get some more length on the outside, and then we just want to keep improving our versatility. There’s obviously going to be some guys who play corner only, but the more guys you can have that can do both the better.”

Consider Eric Gentry’s place in Lynn’s USC defense.

Lynn has explained in the past that he sees Eric Gentry as a guy who can play all three linebacker positions: MIKE, SAM and WILL.

When he was asked on Thursday after practice about how he sees Gentry in the defense, Lynn shared this:

“Never coached a guy like him before but I’m excited, you know. He’s a guy that when the pads come on we’re excited to see what he does, and that’s on us to try to find ways to get him to make plays on the field.”

Lynn added this on Jaylin Smith, who figures to be an important piece of the puzzle in the USC secondary:

“He’s a unique guy, he really is a defensive back,” Lynn said. “He’s a guy that can play safety, he’s done that in the past. He can play nickel. He can play corner, so right now we’re kind of moving him around at a couple spots trying to find exactly what’s going to be his home, but he’s definitely going to be a guy that doesn’t just do one thing.”

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USC statistical leaders through six games

You probably can name one of these guys offhand.

USC nearly lost its perfect season against Arizona but survived. Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff chances ended with a loss at Louisville. Neither team is coming into their annual meeting with the best momentum. That means talent could be the game’s determining factor.

This is a perfect opportunity for the Trojans to make a statement. They’re catching the Irish when they’re fatigued and struggling. The only thing that could slow them down is the wet conditions forecast for the game, but they’re preparing for that by using water in rather interesting ways in practice. While there’s no way to tell if that will affect anything, it shows they’re not leaving anything up to chance.

As you’re about to see, there are several players responsible for the Trojans’ offense being the country’s highest scoring, not the least of whom is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback. Here he is among the top Trojans players on both sides of the ball:

Jaylin Smith feels more comfortable in USC secondary

Positions and depth-chart placements are fluid in the #USC secondary. Jaylin Smith thinks he can make a big impact.

The most important position group for USC this year is the defensive line, but the position group facing the most fluidity in August is the secondary.

The defensive line doesn’t face massive positional questions in terms of who will play where. Bear Alexander will be an interior defensive lineman. That’s not really a question. The uncertainty is not where he will play along the front; it’s whether he will be the beast USC needs him to be. The defensive line faces “quality of performance” questions. With the secondary, performance obviously matters, but it’s a real debate within the coaching staff about where guys should play. We could see a lot of mixing and matching in the secondary all the way until the Notre Dame game on October 14.

Within this fluid dynamic in the USC secondary, Jaylin Smith thinks he can make a difference. He also thinks he is more comfortable in Year 2 under Alex Grinch.

Smith talked to 247Sports:

“I think from last season, it was more-so our [defensive backs] corps was learning how our coaches operate,” Smith said. “This year, we’re more comfortable with our coaches, and we know what we want to emphasize. We know what we want to do.

“I feel like I can do more than just play nickel. I can play corner, safety — free safety. I think the coaches want to see what I can do, and I think that’s ultimately the challenge that I’m ready for.”

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The Texas Longhorns Offer 2021 Three-Star Athlete Out of California

The Texas Longhorns and head coach Tom Herman have offered 2021 three-star athlete Jaylin Smith a scholarship.

The Texas Longhorns have recently offered a three-star athlete from the 2021 class. Jaylin Smith is entering his senior year at Bishop Alemany (Mission Hills, CA). He is ranked as the 39th prospect in the state of California and the 42th athlete overall according to 247 composite rankings.

Smith is the 10th athlete to receive an offer for the 2021 class, Ja’Tavion Sanders, Billy Bowman Jr (Denton Ryan) and Juan Davis (Everman) are the only ones who have committed at this point in the recruiting cycle. Smith plays both wide receiver and cornerback for Bishop Alemany.

Here are some of his highlights courtesy of Hudl.

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