Big Things in Store: Amite’s Jaylen Haywood towers over competition
by William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
Imagine the shock on Kyshonna Haywood Porter’s face after the words that came out of the mouth of the doctor who had performed sinus surgery on her then 2-year-old son Jaylen.
“He hadn’t eaten well, and he had the surgery,” she said. “All of a sudden, he started getting taller. The doctor said if he kept growing like this, he’s going to be about 6-9. I said, excuse me. I was taken by surprise.”
Kyshonna gave birth to four sons, but nothing approaching the level of Jaylen – No. 3 in her lineup – when she returned home from East Jefferson General Hospital in Metairie with an 8-pound, 9-ounce boy measuring 19 inches long – by far the biggest infant of her children.
She said there was a year in which Jaylen, who is currently committed to Texas State, sprouted seven inches from to 6-feet-7.
“He just kept growing,” she said. “It’s expensive. I’m learning. (Offensive) Linemen don’t get full. Someone should have told me.
“Every year I’ve had to get more clothes,” she said. “He’s just kept growing. Then he got to a size 15 shoe, and he’s in a growth spurt right now. He’ll be every bit of 6-9 before he goes to college.”
Jaylen Haywood, all 6-8 ½ and 377 pounds, is a massive presence on the left side of Amite’s offensive line. He said such size is common on both sides of his family, with a grandfather standing 6-10 on his father’s side, and his grandfather on his mom’s side at 6-5.
He’s been on a journey that was somewhat plotted, usually the largest player on his football teams going back to his youth when league officials slapped a yellow sticker on the back of his helmet.
“I really love O-line,” Haywood said. “I always wanted to touch the ball when I was a little kid. I wanted to run routes and catch the ball. Then I had that sticker on my helmet, and I couldn’t touch the ball.
“Once I got in high school, I really embraced it,” Haywood said. “I embraced the violence on the offensive line and moving people by force. Just being violent and nasty, just getting after the defensive line. I just really love it.”
Haywood’s a fourth-year starter when No. 9 Amite (1-0) continues its three-game road swing to open the 2026 season. The Warriors travel to Livonia at 7 p.m. on Friday.
“He’s probably one of the biggest athletes that we’ve ever coached, and we’ve had some big guys,” head coach Zephaniah Powell, who began his 11th season at Amite and 17th overall. “The potential for him is still off the charts. He’s still growing a bit.”
Haywood always aspired to do big things. When he was younger, that meant reaching the highest stage available.
“I always grew up saying that I was going to go D1,” he said. “I always said that I was going to go to college. I always said I was going to play professional football. It started when I was little.”
Getting there was another story, a tribute to his determination and those around him committed to helping him reach his goals.
In most cases, Haywood looked eye to eye with his teachers, sometimes peering down on them in elementary school.
He said two of his brothers – Javion and Kendell Haywood – are 6-4 and 6-1, respectively.
“They were very harsh on me,” Jaylen said.
He grew to 6-5 in seventh grade with no stopping in sight.
“As I kept going to the next grade, it seemed every grade I went to I got taller and taller,” he said. “I felt very comfortable in my own skin. I was around other tall people, but not as tall as me.”
Kyshonna witnessed the transformation of Jaylen and felt compelled to help in his pursuit of becoming more of a refined lineman.
She went to Instagram to find an array of homemade drills that took place outside of their home, creating a patch of dirt through their repetition.
“I saw when he came from camps that he was trying to do it, but always needed some assistance,” she said of the drills he picked up. “I asked him if he needed my help. He was hitting the (medicine) ball a little too hard. I wanted him to practice the drill and not hit me too hard.
“He would work on his kick-step while I held the ball,” she said. “There were things that he worked on, and gradually we started doing it. When he went to Ohio State (camp), he learned a move that had a broomstick. Whatever he needed, I made sure I was out there in the dirt with him. We have a permanent spot out there. I just wanted to make sure he was comfortable on the field to build up his confidence.”
It was common for Kyshonna to go outside and play with her all of her sons, and for Jaylen to keep moving around and help him shed his cautious nature.
“My older son was very aggressive,” she said. “We had to get him (Jaylen) to where he understood that this was a part of him. That he had to do it for himself, and that I wanted him to do it great. I feel like if he’s not doing something on the field, they’re going to hear my mouth (from the stands).”
There was a moment in grade school when Kyshonna saw her son’s temperature rise. At the urging of his mom, his coaches tried to get under his skin somewhat, unlocking the competitor she felt he needed to become on the field.
“I told the coaches they had to piss him off,” she said. “Make him mad, and you’ll see him change.”
When a coach made a directive toward him to block the player in front of him with more force in practice, Hayward let loose.
“Jaylen flipped him,” she said of the coach. “He was a grown man, around 25, and I don’t think Jaylen was 10 yet. We had to pull that aggression out of him first. The coach said he had some strength.”
The resolve to become a Division I prospect began with seemingly tedious work in his own yard.
It was common to find training ladders for agility, tackling dummies, medicine balls, and resistance bands that became part of Hayward’s tools for training.
In most cases, his mother Kyshonna was on the opposite end, urging him to perfect his kick set in pass protection and to improve hand placement where a medicine ball was used to portray a defensive lineman.
Quick feet, a wide base, agility, and balance all became traits Haywood utilized to become a leader on Amite’s offensive line. He also captured the attention of college recruiters when they either came to the Tangipahoa Parish school or hosted him in camp settings.
“At one point it was really hard for me to move my feet,” Haywood said. “Now that I’ve grown into my body, my feet are moving real fast, much better. I’m light on my feet. They call me the ‘Dancing Bear.’”
Haywood also carries a much more frightening nickname, ‘The Incredible Hulk’, a description of the kind of controlled rage he’s played with in high school.
He not only wants to defeat the person in front of him, but he also wants to bury him.
“I didn’t always have this; I was a humble guy,” he said. “Once I got into the game and played, I became really violent. As soon as I step on the field, it’s like somebody else takes over. I’m a whole different person on the field. I put everything on the line. I’m a person that wherever you put me on someone, I’m going to dominate.
“It doesn’t matter,” Haywood said of the position between tackle, guard, and center. “I’m going to make sure I dominate that position to the best of my ability. Once I get a hold of you, we’re going for a ride. Like in the Blindside: Michael Oher told his coach he was trying to take him (defensive tackle) to the bus.”
All of the extra work paid off when Haywood took part in his first college camp, attending Florida State’s event and leaving with his first scholarship offer as a 6-5, 340-pound freshman.
Haywood acknowledged then-Seminoles offensive line coach Alex Atkins for his foresight into his own future.
“He saw talent in me and saw what I could do,” he said. “He saw how I was striking the pad. I was striking the pad harder than anyone else. He also saw a couple of mistakes, but I got better with my feet. He said that he could teach and gave me my first offer. That just motivated me and pushed me to get going and keep dominating.”
The scholarship offers and college attention didn’t deter Haywood from his objective. He sought daily improvement from the workouts in his own yard to going on two- to three-mile jogs – early in the morning, or after dark – to improve his conditioning.
The treadmill or elliptical machine were other options to build stamina and keep an eye on his weight.
“He had the nasty streak in him,” Powell said of Haywood before he arrived at Amite. “We were concerned with him getting ready to play high school football. You could see that he was dominant in middle school, but when he got to high school, we wanted to see if he could turn that switch on going against some high-level guys.
“Once we had that first practice, he looked dominant,” Powell said. “He’s a kid that works extremely hard at his craft and tries to get better each and every single day.”
Haywood also embraced the team’s weight room where he gained strength and filled out his enormous frame. His 405-pound lift in the bench press added another weapon to his repertoire, with added strength to go with his extreme length and nimble feet.
“I’m a dominant run blocker,” he said. “Anyone in front of me, I can move them. I get from Point A to B real fast.”
Powell said players gifted with size such as Haywood have an inside track on the recruiting trail.
Amite’s had an established tradition as a popular stop on the recruiting trail that’s made the town of approximately 4,500 a destination for college coaches.
During Powell’s decade-plus stay at the school, he’s sent such players as current Philadelphia Eagles’ wide receiver DeVonte Smith to Alabama, Ishmael Sopsher to Alabama and then to USC, while Josh Perry signed with Memphis.
Haywood’s been the next in line to attract similar attention, with coaches from both coasts making treks to Amite High.
“Since his freshman year it’s been that way,” Powell said. “He’s been blessed to sit down and talk with guys from colleges from the West Coast to the East Coast. I give credit to the guys that came before him. They’ve helped to open those doors and for me to have relationships with coaches where they can call my phone, or I can call them. I can let them know I’ve got this 6-5 freshman tackle/guard that I think you guys need to come see him. It’s been a blessing.
“With athletes at that size, you pretty much have a foot in the door to be recruited at the next level,” Powell said. “Once we sat down and talked to his parents, you knew he had his head on straight when he was an eighth grader. We pretty much knew his potential that God blessed him with. His parents were all on board with it. He’s a great kid from a great family.”
Powell said Miami head coach Mario Cristobal was among the head coaches who traveled to look at Haywood, along with area recruiter Chris Kiffin, LSU’s co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.
“It kind of reminded us of when we had DeVonta Smith,” Powell said. “Pretty much everyone was coming through. Not only that, but they were able to see some of our talented guys as well.”
There were plenty of thoughtful trips between mother and son when Haywood hit the road to take part in college camps. Florida State may have been the first offer, but there have been many more miles traveled to such places at LSU, Mississippi State, and Alabama.
“You get to know your child more on the road,” Kyshonna said. “You’re taking these trips and going to places; you see the insecurities. It doesn’t matter what’s going on in your life; he still has to take those trips, and recruiting is a lot of pressure. Just helping him to be the person he is. He’s helped me grow. Kids teach you as well through the whole process. It’s been a journey, but I’m grateful.”
Texas State, located in San Marcos, made its official offer to Haywood on March 5. Three months later, the Bobcats of the Pac-12 Conference hosted Haywood on an official visit and secured a commitment from the three-star prospect, who’s projected to play center or guard.
“It helped me overall and has kept me level-headed that I’m committed somewhere,” Haywood said of his pledge ahead of his senior season. “That way I can be focused on football, my team, and making sure everything is good with my skills and perfecting my craft. Learning the plays on offense and defense. Trying to make sure I’m in line for my senior year.”
Haywood also made official visits to Tulane and Oklahoma State before locking in on Texas State.
“It was the head coach; he was just an amazing guy,” Haywood said of CJ Kinne. “The whole staff was amazing. I love the way (offensive line) coach (Jordan) Shoemaker coaches. I’m pretty locked into Texas State.”
With three months until signing date, Haywood, a mid-term graduate, will garner additional attention as college coaches continue to see and evaluate him in person.
“With these 17-18-year-old minds, anything can happen at the drop of a hat,” Powell said. “It’s something we talk about all of the time with college recruiting. I’ve told him if that’s where he wants to go, that’s great. Also, anything can happen. A coaching change can happen. You never know. Another major university could come, maybe a dream school. Anything could happen. You keep an open mind to it.”
Powell paints a different side of Haywood off the football field without a helmet and uniform.
“He’s everything that you want,” he said. “He’s in church every Sunday. He’s a part of our FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes). He’s our prayer leader before and after practice. He’s a guy that’s going to look out for everybody. He’s going to be a leader in the classroom. He’s going to be a leader in our community.
“He sets the tone for us in the weight room,” he said. “He’s another coach for us with our younger guys, the JV guys. He’s a young man that’s really about family; that’s really about team. He genuinely has his head screwed on the right way, and the opportunity he’s going to be blessed with by some college. He’s going to maximize and make the best out of it. Not just for himself, but for his family.”
Haywood has been a constant for offensive line coach Courtney Whigham, starting all by one game as a freshman, and remaining there ever since. He’s been an all-district performer, helping the Warriors to back-to-back 8-4 records and appearances in Division III select regional playoffs the past two years.
He was named to the Louisiana High School preseason all-state team by On3/Rivals and is the nation’s No. 187 and state’s No. 51 interior lineman, per that outlet.
The sight of Haywood being flat on his back, catching a medicine ball from his mother to work on his reflexes and build his core, are images of an intense summer in which he generally wore his helmet under the sun’s unrelenting heat.
The work, the drills, and desire all led to this point of Haywood preparing to lead his team, one with 16 seniors, in all three facets in ‘26. He will play defensive tackle and will be on the team’s field goal block team, situated between the guard and center, providing quite an obstacle for kickers to clear.
“I feel like up-front-wise, we have some good players where we can move the ball downfield, running down their throats,” he said. “We have a lot of good guys at wide receiver, lot of speed, lot of good route runners, with a great quarterback that can do it all throwing, and if he has to scramble, he can.
“Coach Powell has us conditioning after every practice,” Haywood said. “We know we run a strong tempo offense, so we’ve got to hurry up and get on the ball because we want to throw off the defense. We’re trying to keep up a good enough pace with a tempo to stick with it and keep going after the defense. We have a great defensive line that can stop anything, and the secondary’s amazing.”
The makeup of a stellar offensive lineman could be a mixture of several factors.
Haywood checks the boxes among the most critical areas. His height ranks him second nationally among 452 of the best inside linemen and tackles, trailing only 6-foot-9, 330-pound Joshua Sam-Epelle of Douglasville, Ga. – a Georgia Tech commitment – with seven other prospects standing between 6-7 and 6-8.
The next heaviest to Haywood is 365-pound LSU commitment Amaziah Siale of Kapaa, HI; Sincere Williams of Orlando – a 360-pounder headed to Coastal Carolina – followed by 350-pound DJ Dotson of Hattiesburg, Miss. – a commitment to Georgia – 350-pound Braylin Mills of Warner Robins, Ga. – a Georgia Tech pledge.
“It’s just genetics,” Powell said. “Genetically, they hit the lottery with him.”
Haywood intends to be heard when needed.
“I lead by example,” he said. “If I’m doing something right, I want the people behind me to do it right. If I have to get in someone’s face and let them know they’re not doing something right, or you need to pay attention to film or get on them about their blocking position, I’m going to do that. I’m going to make sure I lead, but not lead anybody in the wrong direction.”