Lincoln sophomore Wayne already a national recruit with length, strength, explosiveness
There aren’t many high school freshmen who look like Jayden Wayne did during the 2019 high school football season for the Lincoln Abes: 6-foot-5, 224 pounds — long, strong, athletic, physical, powerful.
It didn’t take long for anyone on the Lincoln coaching staff or team to realize they had a budding star on their hands.
“I’m in the weight room with (Wayne) every week,” said junior teammate and UW commit Chance Bogan. “You just look at him and think, ‘That’s a first-rounder.’ He can do it all. If you want him to go play wideout, he can. At 225, that’s a big dude. He can run, catch. On the D-line, it’s just unfair — just how fast he is compared to all these opposing tackles.
“It’s crazy. He can use his hands, he’s fast, strong. He’s an all-around athlete. That’s a player right there.”
Even early in the recruiting cycle, the offers line up with the potential everyone sees. Wayne, who is ranked the No. 2 athlete in the country and the top prospect in the state in the 2023 class, is considered a four-star prospect by 247sports.com. He holds offers from Arizona State, Cal, Nebraska, Oregon, UW, WSU, USC and others.
“My freshman year was good,” Wayne said. “It was a fun experience, a great experience. I got to play against some of the best teams in the state, like Camas in our first game.”
Brandon Huffman, national recruiting editor for 247sports.com, said Wayne’s skill set and measurables jump out immediately.
“He’s 6-5, looks like a pass rusher,” Huffman said. “He has all the makings of being a big-time defensive end. There’s a lot of upside there. He’s a multi-sport athlete. … He’s not quite there yet in terms of what he ‘s capable of doing, but he has all the makings of it, as he develops more of a defensive end mindset.”
The potential isn’t lost on Lincoln coach Masaki Matsumoto, but Matsumoto they treated Wayne like any other freshman despite his all-world potential.
“He’s long and athletic,” Matsumoto said. “He’s also physical. He’s not afraid of contact. What I told UW and what I’ve told all the big colleges is that he’s super coachable. He was kind of thrown into the fire at defensive end because of an injury. During film sessions, there were a lot of times we got on him. It’s expected. As a freshman, you won’t be coached on all of that stuff. But he would learn from the mistakes and just got better as we went on.”
Matsumoto said Wayne played the position like most freshman would have: He wanted to get sacks.
“It’s not just him — it’s really most freshmen that come into high school,” Matsumoto said. “They want to chase the quarterback, get the sacks. But you have to control the line of scrimmage. Being able to not rush the quarterback on a run play — very natural things that young defensive linemen want to do. … When we harp those things and really broke down the film, he was just amazing about taking in the coaching and realizing that, ‘You’re part of the 11, and you have to do your job.’”
Matsumoto said that as of now he agrees with recruiting analysts, who believe Wayne’s future at the college level is at defensive end. He also plays tight end on offense for the Abes.
“Defensive end, outside linebacker, Matsumoto said. “Nowadays, they’re looking for longer, rangy guys like that. I think he’d be perfect for a college D-line.”
Wayne, for what it’s worth, agrees.
“That’s my best position right now,” he said. “I have the length. I’m strong. I have the speed, the footwork. … I like defensive end. I like getting after the quarterback.”
Wayne, who shot up from 5-foot-11 to 6-foot-5 between seventh and eighth grade, is part of a promising crop of young talent rising through Lincoln High. The News Tribune recently featured junior tight end Chance Bogan and sophomore quarterback Gabarri Johnson, another national recruit. He said he’s ready to take the next step in year two of high school.
“Working on my strength, getting bigger,” Wayne said. “Working on my speed, agility, footwork and hands.”
The soft-spoken sophomore prefers to let his game do the talking, but his teammates are more than happy to heap praise onto him.
“He always works hard,” Johnson said. “We got at it in practice all the time. At the end of the day, we know we made each other better. He works really hard. He doesn’t let all the hype get to him. He’s humble and always working.”
This story was originally published September 23, 2020 at 5:55 AM.
