How Lewisville, Texas, has become a Jackson State football recruiting boomtown

This story has been corrected to show that Lewisville defensive coordinator Javancy Jones, played his high school football at Louisville High School in Louisville, Mississippi.

Seeing 6-foot-7, 350-pound Jackson State freshman offensive left tackle Quaveon Davis explode out of his stance and run over an Alcorn State defensive back on a screen pass was frightening this past football season.

Davis, selected to the 2023 FCS Football Central Freshman All-American Team, proved to be a great signing out of Lewisville High in Lewisville, Texas.

Davis may have opened a pipeline from the school, located about 30 miles northwest of Dallas. In December, Jackson State signed three more Fighting Farmers.

On Saturday, Javancy Jones, a former two-time All-American at Jackson State and the Farmers' defensive coordinator, was hired to coach outside linebackers and be special team's coordinator for T.C. Taylor.

Meet the Farmers who are now Tigers

Jackson State’s early signing day in December saw the team add two more offensive linemen from Lewisville. The Tigers signed Davis’ brother, Xavion Davis, who is 6-3 and 370 pounds and played offensive guard in high school.

JSU also signed 6-4, 300-pound Devin Love, a three-star prospect who is ranked the No. 134 interior offensive line prospect in the 2024 class, according to 247Sports.

Taylor also looks to have found the Tigers' quarterback of the future in Lewisville's Ethan Terrell, a dual threat quarterback who threw for over 4,900 yards with 43 touchdowns during his high school career.

“Jackson State is getting good kids,” Lewisville High School head coach Michael Odle said. “I am glad we got them there (Jackson State). They're a great program and a great place. A place for them (kids) to succeed academically, athletically and socially. It has been, man, Jackson State has been good to us.”

Lewisville High School football is deep in talent

Lewisville, with almost 4,300 students, competes in Class 6A, the largest of the University Scholastic League's 11 football divisions. Odle has been the coach at Lewisville for seven seasons, going 12-2 in 2022 and 8-3 in 2023.

Odle believes in using football to help his athletes get a free college education and to get the chance play football after high school. Whether it is a Power Five school or an HBCU, Odle said it is all about giving his players the best opportunities to succeed in life.

“I just love kids,” Odle said. “I use this game to develop relationships and teach the game of football. I push kids. These kids want to be held accountable and they want discipline, structure and they just want to be loved.”

Jackson State is far from the only college to make recruiting trips to Lewisville. In addition to the three players who signed with the Tigers this season and Quaveon Davis last year, two Farmers cornerbacks signed with Oklahoma and Arizona State and a running back signed with Tulsa in December.

Odle said he has a great relationship with Taylor and knows Taylor is looking at several of his returning athletes.

What Jackson State football is getting from Lewisville

Odle said what Jackson State is getting in Love is a dominant player who has a high IQ, is strong and was the leader of the football team. Odle thinks Love can make an immediate impact with the Tigers.

Odle said Xavion Davis is a force, who has great feet and moves people. "They do not make shoulders as broad" as Davis, Odle said.

“Davis had to lose about 50-pounds,”Odle said. “He has a ton of upside and is a really good athlete when you peel back the layers.”

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Odle said Terrell was a three-year starter and won 31 games over three years.

“He’s very athletic,” Odle said. “The ball will snap out of his hands and he can hurt you with the run and pass and is a dynamic player. He rushed for 1,000 yards as a junior and has untapped potential.”

Odle said once Quaveon Davis came to JSU and had success, it opened up the door for other Lewisville athletes. The coaching staffs have built a trust with the other, he said.

“I could see all of my kids contributing to Jackson State football," Odle said. “It has been nice getting to know Coach Taylor and his staff, and getting our kids in a good place and that is what we want to do. And Jackson State is that.”

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson State football mines recruiting territory north of Dallas