Meet the Steilacoom football player who has scholarship offers from seven Division I schools
Jaymason Willingham was a two-way starter for Steilacoom High School but might have been even busier after the football season.
He received his first Division I football offer from Utah State at the beginning of April. During the spring and summer Willingham picked up seven offers from Division I programs, attended junior day at Oregon State, camps at Oregon and Cal, and unofficially visited six schools.
“I’ve been to a lot of camps, and learned a lot of new things from a lot of new coaches,” said the senior linebacker. “What I’m looking forward to this year is just doing the best I can and trying to make my team better.”
Willingham has been a staple of the Steilacoom defense for the past two seasons, earning 2A SPSL Sound Division first-team honors as a junior, and helping the Sentinels reach the Class 2A state playoffs each of his years playing varsity.
As a sophomore in 2016, Willingham had a breakout season, tallying 96 tackles and four sacks. Last season, his 120 tackles led the 2A classification according to MaxPreps, and he is ranked No. 6 in tackles statewide among returning players in 11-man football.
“He’s progressing as a player,” second-year Steilacoom coach Colby Davies said. “He’s playing faster. He’s a lot smarter and bigger and stronger this year than he was last year. I know he’s going to develop and have a great senior season.”
Everything about Willingham jumps off the page. He has size (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) and speed. And, when it comes to blitzing, Davies says there’s no one better.
“As a football player, he does a few things really well,” Davies said. “He anticipates the snap really well. When he’s blitzing, he’s almost (impossible to block). He has a real gift for getting by a defender with his speed, with his strength, with his power.
“He’s also really good at chasing plays down and playing sideline to sideline. One of the best I’ve ever coached at playing sideline to sideline.”
Apart from his ability to time the snap and get in the backfield, Willingham is also known for his strength. He said he models his game after former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, a two-time Super Bowl champion and Super Bowl XXXV MVP.
“I like to model my game after him. I just try to hit people as hard as I can,” he said.
Willingham’s athleticism and versatility — he also plays running back, and led the Sentinels in rushing last season with 113 carries for 739 yards and 10 touchdowns — has earned him offers from four Big Sky schools (Eastern Washington, Idaho, Montana State, Sacramento State) and three Mountain West schools (Air Force, San Diego State, Utah State).
Davies said nine Pac-12 schools have also been in contact with Willingham, and have seen him work out. Davies said Willingham, who is listed as a three-star recruit by 247sports.com, has interest from schools at several different positions — including inside and outside linebacker, defensive end, strong safety, running back and tight end.
“He’s gifted enough. He could play any one of those positions,” Davies said.
Willingham is one of three players on Steilacoom’s roster with recruiting interest. Senior quarterback J.J. Lemming, the reigning 2A SPSL Sound MVP who threw for 2,422 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2017, has interest from several Division I programs and an offer from Division II Southwest Minnesota State.
Sophomore receiver and cornerback Emeka Egbuka, a returning 2A SPSL Sound first-teamer, already has offers from Florida State, Oregon and Oregon State after piling up 956 all-purpose yards and a team-leading 13 touchdowns as a freshman.
“We’ve got Emeka coming back, we’ve got J.J., we’ve got a bunch of new guys and a lot of new talent, so I feel like we’re going to be good this year,” Willingham said.
Willingham believes this Sentinels team has the potential to make a deep playoff run. Steilacoom lost to Tumwater in the state quarterfinals in 2017, and has advanced to that round nine times in its history, but hasn’t made it further.
“We have the potential to be a good team,” Davies said. “For us, we love being together. We love practicing. We love being in the meeting rooms.
“We want to extend our season as long as possible. We know that going deep into the playoffs allows us to do that. ... Guys are locked in. They want to be here every day. They love football.”
This story was originally published August 22, 2018 at 4:39 PM.