Jaden Bayonne will head from Alexandria to Vegas.
Well, StarkVegas, that is.
The 6-foot-5, 290-pound Bayonne announced his commitment to Mississippi State before a packed crowd at Walk-On’s in Alexandria Wednesday afternoon, and he expects to sign with the Bulldogs during the early signing period in December.
The Alexandria Senior High star defensive tackle stood up, unzipped his jacket and told the hushed crowd that he planned to attend Syracuse before pivoting, pulling off the Syracuse polo he was wearing to reveal a State T-shirt and grabbing a Bulldog hat.
“I chose Mississippi State really just because of their fan base, the culture, the people (and) just the fans,” Bayonne said in an interview with Louisiana vs. All Y’all after his announcement. “That’s where it’s at. It’s not far for my family to come see me when I play Saturdays, during the day, night games, it doesn’t matter. It was just the best place for me.”
Bayonne, the 16th-ranked prospect in Louisiana’s 2027 class and top-rated interior defensive lineman according to the Louisiana vs. All Y’all class rankings, chose the Bulldogs over Syracuse, TCU, Kentucky and Oklahoma State.
The massive lineman, a consensus four-star prospect nationally, has worked on improving his body and has shown great improvement throughout his career, growing from a reserve who made 20 tackles as a sophomore, adding 30 pounds during the offseason and making 37 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and five sacks as a first-year starter last season.
During this offseason, he has added an additional 20 pounds and enters the 2026 season as the anchor on the team’s defensive line, one of seven returning starters on a Trojan defense that projects as one of the best units in Louisiana.
“It’s been a long, long journey,” Bayonne said, “but there’s still more work to go. There’s more work to be done. On the field, off the field, there’s still more work to be done.”
Due to his long frame, Bayonne said his greatest asset is being able to play with his hands and keep offensive linemen away from his body, but he is still working to improve his footwork and ability to get off the ball more quickly.
He said he expects to play in Starkville as a 3-tech defensive tackle.
“That’s where I live here at ASH,” he said. “I love double teams. I love getting off the block, making plays in the backfield and making sacks, too.”
Alexandria defensive lineman Jaden Bayonne has been among Louisiana’s biggest stock-risers this year. (Photo: Bret H. McCormick, One T Photography)
Bayonne is the sixth Trojan in the Class of 2027 to commit to a Division I university, joining quarterback Karsen Sellers (Lamar), receiver Alex Fontenot (Maryland), edge rusher Bryson Phoenix (Texas State), safety Ja’Kyrin Griffin (Old Dominion) and kicker Eli Fung (Tulsa).
ASH has several additional 2027 prospects expected to commit and sign collegiately, including offensive tackle Peter Lofton, receiver Reginald Monroe, cornerback Jaytun Terry and safety Letravious Williams.
The Trojans also have two of the state’s top prospects in the Class of 2028 in the running back duo of Noble Williams and Kason Williams, who are 13th and 14th in the Louisiana vs. All Y’all 2028 rankings and have more than 20 Division I offers between the two of them.
Because of all the experienced talent the Trojans return, they enter the 2026 season as one of the favorites in Division I Select as they look to return to the Superdome for the second time in three seasons and win the school’s first state football title.
Bayonne said now that his college commitment is out of the way, he can now shift his focus to the upcoming season and reaching all of his personal and team goals.
“I want to get closer with my teammates for sure,” he said. “I want to win a lot of football games, win the whole playoffs, go to the state championship game and get a win, and bring it home to Alexandria.”
