Jayden Aparicio-Bailey, right, and Ole Miss safeties coach Wes Neighbors.
Prattville (Ala.) High School safety Jayden Aparicio-Bailey is a wanted mam. So much so that he recently narrowed his college choices top a top 10 from an offer sheet that is one of the best in the nation.
Aparico-Bailey’s top 10 includes eight SEC programs with Ole Miss, Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky and LSU making his short(er) list. Clemson and Southern Cal were the two programs outside the SEC to make the cut.
The 6-2, 195-pounder is rated as America’s No. 15 safety, the No. 9 player in the state of Alabama’s 2027 class and the No. 173 overall player in the nation regardless of position per the industry-average rankings.
Aparico-Bailey is serious about the Rebels. So much so that he spent a day on the Oxford campus on Tuesday.
As a junior last season at Prattville, he stood out with 45 tackles and four interceptions, while forcing two fumbles.
His recruitment appears to be wide open, at least for his 10 finalists, and he is taking visits. besides Ole Miss, he has taken unofficial visits to Clemson and Ohio State this spring, with stops set for Southern Cal (March 23, Auburn (March 27), Florida (April 3), South Carolina (April 7), Alabama (April 16) and Georgia (April 18).