Source: On3 four-star Jaray Bledsoe admitted to Texas, enrolls early
Per a source extremely close to On3 Consensus 4-star DL Jaray Bledsoe, he has been cleared by the NCAA and admitted to Texas. Bledsoe has moved into his dorm in Austin, and will begin working out with the team immediately.
The Longhorns staff continued to fight and work on this one when it looked less than 50-50 a week ago.
As an underclassman, Jaray Bledsoe played football and basketball at Bremond High School, where the athletic defensive tackle was noticed by college recruiters across the country. Bledsoe transferred to nearby Marlin High School for his senior year but the governing body of high school athletics in the state of Texas, the University Interscholastic League, disallowed the transfer, meaning Bledsoe would be sidelined for his senior football season. Bledsoe plans on majoring in business in college. He lists his hobbies as video games and hanging with friends. His mother is Benisha Washington.
Evaluation on Bledsoe from the Recruiting Notebook
How he fits at Texas: Bledsoe has some unreal explosiveness at 6-foot-4, 270 pounds. He played a few different positions along the defensive line as a junior, working some as a 4i-technique and other times further inside as a nose or 3-technique. He has reach but currently relies a lot on his initial burst off the ball, there’s some untapped upside for him as a pass-rusher when he learns to use his hands more. Bledsoe has clear skill as an interior run defender, he gets off the ball too quickly for linemen to get a good handle on him and violently explodes through contact. It looks profoundly not fun for high schoolers dealing with his size, speed, and aggression. In Pete Kwiatkowski’s defense I’d expect to see him develop some pass-rushing moves and serve as a 3-technique, his ability to finish plays with closing burst (check out the running back film) should make him a menace there in time. – Ian Boyd
Scouting Jaray Bledsoe
On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power is a big fan of Jaray Bledsoe and had this to say regarding the small-school standout when Bledsoe debuted in the initial On300.
“The first thing that jumps out about Jaray Bledsoe is his athleticism,” Power said. “This is a big-framed defensive lineman who ran for over 1,200 yards and 21 touchdowns as a running back. He’s highly disruptive on defense, too. Bledsoe has high-end first-step quickness and is a violent finisher in the backfield. The on-field talent and upside are undeniable.”
+ Jaray Bledsoe (No. 77) is another prospect we were looking forward to seeing due to the lack of a senior season. The Texas signee was ruled ineligible following a transfer. The small town product is very raw and undeveloped. With that said, he looked like one of the more naturally talented prospects at Under Armour. Bledsoe had arguably the best first step among the defensive linemen in Orlando. He’s also highly flexible – we saw him easily sit on his feet during warm ups. Bledsoe has a long way to go in terms of technique but his upside is sky high.
Inside Texas recruiting analyst Hudson Standish contributed to this article
