Meet The 2021 Class: S Jaylen Reed

BSD’s recruiting staff sat down for a roundtable on each prospect Penn State signed in the 2021 class. Coming in at No. 5 was four-star safety Jaylen Reed.

What makes you excited about Jaylen Reed?

“Reed’s measurables don’t exactly wow you, but he’s always around the football. He’s not afraid to stick his nose in there and tackle and he seems to...read (heh, get it) the game very well from the back end, which is something Penn State safeties have not done in recent years.” --Clay

What worries you about Jayleen Reed?

“There are a lot of Marcus Allen vibes about Jaylen Reed. While there is a lot of good about that (i.e. coming up to the line of scrimmage and smacking running backs when defending the run) there are concerns as well. Like Allen, Reed lacks to top end athleticism you want to see from a safety to assure they’ll succeed in coverage.” --Marty

Do you think Jaylen Reed will be redshirted next season? Around what point of his career do you think he pushes for meaningful playing time?

“Safety is a tough spot to play as a true freshman, and while Penn State’s safety room isn’t stacked with depth, it’s in a solid spot with the return of Jaquan Brisker. In addition to Brisker, you have Jonathan Sutherland (RS SR), Ji’Ayir Brown (SR), Tyler Rudolph (RS SO), Enzo Jennings (RS FR), and potentially one of the cornerbacks making the move over, which would fill out the three-deep. So yeah, redshirt year in 2021 for Reed, but he’ll be in the conversation for a starting job within the next year or two.” --Patrick

What do you think is the most realistic outcome for Jaylen Reed: depth provider, starter, multi-year starter, all-conference, or all-american?

Clay: Starter
Marty: Depth Provider
Patrick: Starter

Lastly, where do you have Jaylen Reed ranked in Penn State’s class?

Clay: 4th
Marty: 8th
Patrick: 5th