GAMES
RANKINGS
SMU gains commitment from Lovejoy wide receiver Jaxson Lavender
Not only is SMU Football having a stellar season this year, but they have been doing the most when it comes to recruiting in the DFW area. On Monday night, the Mustangs nabbed their second commitment from the Class of 2023 when Lucas Lovejoy wide receiver Jaxson Lavender took to social media to announce his commitment to the program:
I'm am more than excited to be officially committed to @SMU_Football @CoachDykesSMU @DavidGruSMU @CoachGRiley @TreyHaverty @ChrisRossLOJO @coach_jackson49 @Coach_Lavender #Committed #PonyUp pic.twitter.com/9rQdNg9dWb
— Jaxson Lavender (@JaxsonLavender) October 26, 2021
The Mustangs initially offered Lavender in March following interest and offers from other programs. Lavender's commitment comes after he played a key role in the Leopards' 38-15 win over Frisco last week. Lavender scored two touchdowns on nine catches while tallying 128 yards. So far this season, the unranked recruit has recorded 46 catches, 805 yards, and 13 touchdowns for Lovejoy who is currently undefeated on the season against their opponents.
In the 2020 season, Lavender was named as the District 7-5A-II Special Teams Most Valuable Player as he posted 250 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns on 21 carries as well as recording 463 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns on 45 receptions. Lavender is also a star for the Lovejoy track team where he runs in the 100-meter dash and the 400-meter dash.
Lavender chose to commit to SMU over the likes of Kansas, Nevada, North Texas, TCU, Texas Tech, and Tulsa.
DeSoto basketball stars make big commitments, Lady Eagles return seven D1 commits
There's no doubt that DeSoto has a slew of stars on their girl's basketball team. Earlier this week, two of the reigning state champions made big-time commitments to college programs. Three-star senior guard Michayal Gatewood and four-star all-state Sa'Myah Smith took to Twitter earlier this week to announce their commitments to different universities.
Michayla Gatewood
Previously commited to Texas Tech, Gatewood took to Twitter on Monday to announce her commitment to Kansas State:
#gowildcats #committed 💜🤍 pic.twitter.com/bq8EShq2Vk
— mimi 🥀 (@michaylagatewo1) October 19, 2021
Gatewood missed last season due to a torn ACL. Prior to her injury, Gatewood was leading DeSoto in scoring. Her commitment falls in line with teammate Ja'Mia Harris who de-commited from Texas Tech in September and commited to Kansas State on October 3. The three-star recruit will return to the DeSoto squad this season and can be expected to be back at the top of her performance.
Sa'Myah Smith
Smith, the No. 1 recruit in the DFW area and ESPN's HoopGurlz's fifth best player in the state took to Twitter to announce her commitment to play college ball at at LSU:
Locked in⏳🔑. pic.twitter.com/fw6HxUkJB1
— Sa'Myah Smith (@SaMyahSmith2022) October 17, 2021
Despite a season-ending torn ACL during her sophomore season, Smith had an outstanding junior season last year where she was named as the MVP of the UIL Class 6A State Title game after scoring 10 points and nabbing 14 rebounds in DeSoto's win. Smith can be expected to continue her regular dominance on the court this season for DeSoto.
DeSoto's D1 Commits
With the commitments, DeSoto girls basketball now has seven returning athletes who are committed to Division I programs. The Lady Eagles return SMU commit Jiya Perry, Kansas State commits Gatewood and Harris, Mississippi commit Ayanna Thompson, Kentucky commit Tionna Herron, LSU commit Smith, and Texas commit Amina Muhammad.