East Nashville’s Jaylen Mays Jaylen Mays 5'10" | 153 lbs | DB East Nashville | 2028 TN has been one of the biggest breakout stars in Tennessee this season. He was solid in 2025, but has really popped in terms of his play and actual production for this football team. Through nine games, he had 31 tackles, one for a loss, five interceptions and two pass deflections.

He’s grown physically, now standing 5-foot-11 and weighing 160 pounds with a lean frame. I’d like to see him add good weight to fill out his body and maximize his potential. That said, he’s doing just fine for right now. I love the physical traits he shows and he’s clearly playing at a high level.

Mays is a good coverage safety. In fact, he’s been tasked of lining up directly across from receivers at times this season. He has nice footwork, solid technique, strong hands, excellent ball skills and good football instincts.

The Eagles have one of the better secondary units in the state this season but one guy in Mays, who didn’t get much attention going into the year, has emerged as a legit college prospect due to his development and improvement on the back end. The Eagles junior defender started off strong this Fall by using his athleticism and instincts to produce several interceptions while displaying a quick first step and speed closing on the ball. Mays is an explosive guy that pops on film with his quick feet and twitchy body movements. This Nashville area product fits well at field safety where he can play the ball hawk role and roam across the back end. Mays is still a work in progress as he needs to gain more body mass while enhancing his strength. He is more equipped in pass coverage right now compared to stopping the run but I see potential in that area with further work in the weight room. This coming off-season will be big for Mays as needs to push his game to new heights and if he does, I can see plenty of D1 programs becoming interested.

Another defensive playmaker that impressed me was Jaylen Mays Jaylen Mays 5'10" | 153 lbs | DB East Nashville | 2028 TN , a defensive back for Savages 18U that made a number of impressive plays on Sunday’s slate of contests. Mays was an interception machine, picking off several defenses over the course of the weekend. Mays was also extremely quick on his feet and could read the offense like a book. This is a rising talent out of the Nashville area that colleges should get to know.