Jaylon Bean was an accomplished three-sport athlete while attending Waynesboro Area Senior High School. So much so that people came to believe that he had the ability to compete in football, basketball and track and field in college.
It’ll be football for Bean, who will be reunited (in a way) with former Waynesboro standout kicker George Souders, who recently received his master’s degree and is working towards a Ph.D.
Bean, who recently placed eighth in the PIAA Class AAA state championships in the triple jump, will be attending Robert Morris University. Before classes begin, he will report for the Colonials’ pre-season practices in early August.
“He’s actually the guy that recruited me to come there,” said Bean, who in addition to being the Indians’ starting quarterback and cornerback was also the team’s punter and long kicker. “He recommended me to the coaches, and they looked at my film and said that I had the potential to play for them.
“I went on a couple of visits and he toured me around the place. As soon as (the coaches) saw my height, they said that I could be a kicker and, with some more weight, a tight end. I’m hoping wide receiver can be a possibility. Camp is on August first. Whatever skills I showcase I’m hoping will change their minds.”
Robert Morris competes as a Football Championship Subdivision team (formerly NCAA I-AA). The Colonials are members of the Big South Conference, along with Bryant, Campbell, Charleston-Southern, Gardner-Webb and North Carolina A&T.
In Moon Township (near Pittsburgh), Robert Morris opens the 2023 season with a non-conference game at Air Force (a Football Bowl Subdivision team).
While Bean, whose 6-foot-4 height helped him a good deal in all three sports, is hoping to make his mark on the gridiron, he’s got his future charted quite well. He will major in pre-med biology and, upon earning his undergraduate degree, Bean plans to attend Howard University and become a licensed dentist.
“I did my research on the school as far as pre-med is concerned. I could go to the school with different options since I want to be a dentist. I’ll get all my credits to go to dental school,” Bean said. “I thought it was just a great school academically, and, of course, they also offered me the opportunity to be an athlete.”
Football will keep him busy, but he will have his hands full with academics as he keeps his sights on his career goal.
Bean said he is grateful to Waynesboro assistant coach Erica Vincent-Ondecko, who was Souders’ kicking coach and Bean’s.
“We love Erica. She did so much for us, not only as a kicking coach but as a person,” Bean said. “She’s been an outstanding coach who put so much time and effort to help us.”
Bean said he has a lot of memories during his whirlwind school year. While the football season didn’t bring many wins (the Tribe finished 3-7), it did have its highlights. The varsity boys’ basketball team won
the Mid-Penn Colonial Division championship and qualified for the District 3-6A tournament and the PIAA tournament. In the spring, Bean was second in the triple jump at the District 3-AAA championships and, of course, eighth at states.
“I’m ready to move on, but, if anything, I’ll miss the coaches. Without them, I wouldn’t have the motivation to do it. I didn’t want to play football for one year, but they kept after me. They saw so much potential in me.”
Bean also is indebted to his parents (Jaquey and Jamie) for always supporting him in his endeavors.
“They introduced me to new sports and encouraged me to apply myself, not just to be a role player, but to be independent and let me be me. They only forced me to play football for one year and that was my first year. They didn’t have to convince me to do track or basketball. They sacrificed so much time to bring me to tournaments.”
