Texas adds quick, effective Transfer CB Jay’Vion Cole from SJSU
Late this weekend, San Jose State transfer sophomore CB Jay’Vion Cole will arrive to Texas as a potential starter and impact player in the secondary.
On May 5, Hayes Fawcett of On3 revealed via an Instagram post that Jay’Vion Cole, a former sophomore transfer cornerback for the San Jose State Spartans, had committed to Texas football. Despite receiving offers from other universities through the NCAA Transfer Portal, such as the Auburn Tigers and Michigan State Spartans, Cole chose to enroll at Texas.
Texas football lands priority SJSU transfer CB Jay’Vion Cole
From May 2–4, Texas welcomed Cole to Austin for a multi-day formal visit. Apparently, Cole shut down his portal recruitment after describing his trip to Texas as “amazing” and decided not to make any more travels to other colleges that expressed interest in him.
Cole was supposed to arrive to Auburn on May 7. However, Texas convinced him to commit before that visit could happen early the next week.
The 170-pound, 5-foot-11 cornerback still has two years left to be eligible. As a true freshman in 2022, Cole played for FCS Cal Poly for a single year. When he switched to San Jose State for his sophomore year last autumn, he elevated his skills to the FBS level.
As one of the most effective and productive corners in the Group of Five, Cole was chosen for the PFF First-Team All-Mountain West. He tied for sixth place in the Mountain West with three interceptions and second place in pass breakups (10).
According to PFF, Texas will receive the ninth-best-graded cornerback in the Group of Five in 2023. Additionally, he had the best coverage and overall grades of any corner in the MWC.
Cole’s collegiate career has taken an intriguing turn thus far. He was a forgotten cornerback prospect from Oakland, California, who committed to Cal Poly in the cycle of 2022. With rapid learning and talent development, Cole was able to transition to the FBS at San Jose State in the previous season.
He played a key role in San Jose State’s secondary, which was among the best in the Group of Five in 2023. With 183.0 passing yards allowed per game, the Spartans had the best pass defense in the Mountain West.
Prior to Cole’s arrival at San Jose State for the 2022 season, the Spartans’ pass defense (which allowed 217.0 pass yards per game) was among the lowest in the MWC.
Cole performed as promised in pass coverage even though San Jose State lost by ten points to the USC Trojans in their season opener last autumn. With no catches allowed on three targets, including one pass breakup, Cole was San Jose State’s highest graded defensive back in the defeat to USC.
When Cole faced UNLV’s Ricky White III, one of the most productive wideouts in the Group of Five, he also performed admirably in his pass coverage duties. In 2023, White, a possible first-round selection in the NFL Draft, amassed about 1,500 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.
Cole had two pass breakups on two targets in pass coverage over the majority of San Jose State’s victory over UNLV last season when he was lined up against White.
Texas brings important depth and quickness to CB.
With the loss of junior wide receiver Terrance Brooks last week, the Texas secondary now has another seasoned and successful corner to strengthen the depth at a position that was in need of it. Enter Cole. Last season, Brooks started ten games for Texas.
Texas lost more than 20 games played at a crucial backup position and more than a dozen starts as a result of losing him to the portal since 2022.
Before the forthcoming season this autumn, Cole can compete with senior Gavin Holmes, another experienced returning upperclassman, for starting reps at field corner throughout camp.
The Longhorns will also have more patience with some of their younger, highly skilled freshmen in the cornerback room now that Cole is on board. This upcoming SEC season, players such as Kobe Black, Santana Wilson, and Wardell Mack won’t have to be thrust into crucial live-game scenarios.
Speed is another important factor Cole brings to the CB position. As a senior in high school, Cole ran a 100-meter sprint time of less than 10.7 seconds. Compared to Brooks, he is quicker with his long speed and has quicker hips.
With Holmes’s lightning-fast speed and the addition of a proven track star like Cole, Texas will have no shortage of speed at the field corner this autumn.
Cole is a capable player in both man and zone coverage.
Cole demonstrated his ability to succeed in a variety of man and zone coverage systems during his last season at San Jose State. He played in a variety of zone coverage schemes at Texas and has the instincts.
Cole was regularly matched up against some of the MWC’s top wide receivers and, on occasion, elite talent while playing P5 teams, such as USC in the previous campaign. In terms of coverage grade in both zone and man systems, he finished in the top half of starting MWC corners in 2023.
Cole contributes his previously noted speed and ball handling abilities to man coverage, giving the Longhorns another playmaker at the field spot and lockdown corner. The Longhorns’ ability to defend the deep ball and stop opponents from making big plays in the passing game will be aided by their 10.6-second 100-meter sprint time.
This offseason, Texas is expanding the scope of its gateway strategy.
This cycle, head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns staff have been more willing to add valuable players and experience to both sides of the ball, especially if they are proven players from the portal who can make an instant impact. With nine additions, Texas has almost doubled its number of players from the portal from the previous offseason.
With the addition of Andrew Mukuba and Cole, two senior safety transfers from Clemson, Texas has improved the depth and experience in the secondary on the defensive end of the ball. Tia Savea and Bill Norton, two former Arizona Wildcats who transferred after Johnny Nansen this offseason, have also helped Texas strengthen its interior defensive line.
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