PONY UP! Dallas Madison playmaker Jayleen Record is 10th SMU commit
SMU added a new member to its rising 2021 class -- and kept another local player close to home -- in Jayleen Record.
On Mother's Day, Dallas Madison all-purpose back Jayleen Record delivered a special message to his mother, the kind of message that can be considered invaluable and also one with tons of return-on-investment potential.
"To Chastity Masters," Record said to his mother, by way of an exclusive interview with The HillTopics, "I'm committing on Mother's Day to give you a different gift and let you know that I fulfilled my promise."
The gift: A verbal commitment to play football for and to get an education at SMU, the university he's always considered his dream school. Record is the 10th commitment in SMU's booming 2021 class -- and he's the seventh athlete to commit to the Mustangs in this still-young month of May.
"That's where I'm going. That's the school I love," said Record, a 5-9, 165-pound athlete who is the reigning District 6-3A Division I Offensive MVP.
SUBSCRIBE to The HillTopics, and get FREE gear! CLICK HERE!
Record is the third player to commit this week for SMU. He is yet another player from the 2021 class who SMU managed to keep in Dallas County. The Mustangs now have six players in the class who live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and five of those six reside in Dallas County.
Recruited by wide receivers coach David Gru, Record reported an offer from SMU on April 29. He is coming off a junior year at Madison where he rushed for 1,159 yards and 18 touchdowns and also caught 22 passes for 441 yards and 14 touchdowns. Record's play helped Madison advance to the second round of the UIL Class 3A Division I playoffs.
To add, the commitment means Record finally will be a college teammate with a player he considers a big brother. Wide receiver Danny Gray is a member of the 2020 signing class after shining on the junior college fields at Blinn College in Brenham. Gray starred in high school at Madison, as well, and the two have talked about being college teammates for quite some time.
"I see him and talk to him almost every day about how he's finally on the next level and I'm almost there," Record said. "He tells me that SMU is a great school, and why he chose it -- not because it was close to home but because it made him feel comfortable."
Record told The HillTopics the story of how SMU became a dream school. He said he went on a field trip in the second grade and instantly fell in love with the campus
After the field trip, Record told his mother that he would be an SMU Mustang. Roughly nine years later, that dream becomes a reality, and he was happy to get the chance to pay homage to his mother in this way.
"I want to prove the people wrong," Record said. "They told my mother that I couldn't do it because I would never change my attitude and would be in and out of jail by 16."
Instead, Record's narrative involves exactly how high his ceiling can be. He's a speedy, slippery athlete who is expected to line up at slot receiver for the Mustangs. Record also can be used as a special teams return specialist.
Record chose SMU over offers from Arkansas State, Illinois State and Dartmouth. He joins a 2021 class that includes Goffney, quarterback Preston Stone, running back Brandon Epton Jr., all-purpose back Montaye Dawson and wide receiver Joseph Manjack on the offensive end.