I've gone years without understanding what String means, and I don't aim to learn now.
Damore’ea Denzell Stringfellow (born October 18, 1994) is an American football wide receiver for the Carolina Cobras of the National Arena League (NAL). He played college football at the University of Washington and the University of Mississippi. He signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2017.
Contents 1 Early years 2 College career 2.1 University of Washington 2.2 University of Mississippi 2.2.1 Sophomore year 2.2.2 Junior year 3 Professional career 3.1 Miami Dolphins 3.2 New York Jets 3.3 Seattle Seahawks 3.4 Tennessee Titans 3.5 Seattle Seahawks (second stint) 3.6 Memphis Express 4 References 5 External links Early years Stringfellow is the son of Torrey Stringfellow and Khalilah Kerl. He attended Rancho Verde High School in Moreno Valley, California, where he played high school football for the Mustangs.[1] In his senior season, he earned first team All-CIF Southern Section Central Division honors and was named third team All-State. After a successful high school career, Stringfellow was named as a 2012 Under Armour All-American. He was rated as the 51st best prospect in the country and fourth best recruit in California by ESPN.com, which also ranked him as the sixth best wide receiver in the nation.[2]
College career Before the 2013 season, Stringfellow committed to play for the University of Washington under then-head coach Steve Sarkisian.[3]
University of Washington In 2013, Stringfellow played in 12 of 13 games and started the last three games of the season. He recorded 20 catches for 259 yards and a touchdown on the year. He had a breakout game in his first collegiate start at UCLA, finishing with eight catches for 147 yards and a touchdown.[4] He had four receptions for 47 yards in the Apple Cup win over Washington State.[5]
Stringfellow was arrested for assault in February 2014. Stringfellow and then teammate Cyler Miles attacked Seattle Seahawks fans following the Super Bowl XLVIII victory over the Denver Broncos. After getting into a fight with a male University of Washington student, Stringfellow then began to intimidate and have an altercation with a female student who had been taking pictures of the incident. "During the struggle, “'Stringfellow hit (her) in the head. (She) fainted, though it appears she was not out for a long period of time (it is unclear whether she passed out from the blow or due to the exertion and the fact she was ill).'” Later in the night, Stringfellow and Miles again approached another man, asked if he was a Seahawks fan and when he replied yes proceeded to assault the fan. When the fan tried to run away, Stringfellow and Miles chased him down and continued to beat him.[6] Stringfellow decided to transfer from the University of Washington shortly after.
University of Mississippi In 2014, Stringfellow transferred to Ole Miss from Washington in June.[7] As per NCAA transfer rules, Stringfellow had to sit out for the entire year.
Sophomore year In 2015, in his first year under head coach Hugh Freeze, Stringfellow played in 12 games with five starts. He finished fifth on the team with 36 catches, fourth with 503 receiving yards, and third with five touchdown catches.[8] He helped the Rebel offense break the majority of single-season school records, including most total yards, points, touchdowns, and passing yards. Stringfellow made his Ole Miss debut against Tennessee-Martin on September 5 and was as a starter at wide receiver and caught two balls for 36 yards against Fresno State on September 12, 2015.[9][10] He had the best game of his Rebel career with five catches for 84 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the rivalry road win against Mississippi State.[2][11]
Junior year In 2016, Stringfellow played in 12 games, and he posted career bests with 46 receptions for 716 yards and six touchdowns.[12][13] After the 2016 season, Stringfellow decided to forgo his senior year and enter the 2017 NFL Draft.[14] He was not invited to the NFL Combine.[15]
Professional career Miami Dolphins Stringfellow signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent on May 5, 2017.[16] In his first preseason game, he scored on a 99-yard touchdown pass from quarterback David Fales.[17] He was waived by the team on September 2, 2017.[18]
New York Jets On September 3, 2017, Stringfellow was claimed off waivers by the New York Jets.[19] He was waived on September 6, 2017 and was re-signed to the practice squad.[20] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Jets on January 1, 2018.[21] He was waived by the Jets on April 27, 2018.[22]
Seattle Seahawks On May 7, 2018, Stringfellow signed with the Seattle Seahawks.[23] He was waived on September 1, 2018.[24]
Tennessee Titans On September 4, 2018, Stringfellow was signed to the Tennessee Titans' practice squad, but was released two days later.[25]
Seattle Seahawks (second stint) On December 12, 2018, Stringfellow was signed to the Seattle Seahawks practice squad, but was released a week later.[26]
Memphis Express In 2019, Stringfellow joined the Memphis Express of the Alliance of American Football.[27] He was waived after the first regular season game on February 13, 2019.
I've gone years without understanding what String means, and I don't aim to learn now.
Damore’ea Denzell Stringfellow (born October 18, 1994) is an American football wide receiver for the Carolina Cobras of the National Arena League (NAL). He played college football at the University of Washington and the University of Mississippi. He signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2017.
Contents 1 Early years 2 College career 2.1 University of Washington 2.2 University of Mississippi 2.2.1 Sophomore year 2.2.2 Junior year 3 Professional career 3.1 Miami Dolphins 3.2 New York Jets 3.3 Seattle Seahawks 3.4 Tennessee Titans 3.5 Seattle Seahawks (second stint) 3.6 Memphis Express 4 References 5 External links Early years Stringfellow is the son of Torrey Stringfellow and Khalilah Kerl. He attended Rancho Verde High School in Moreno Valley, California, where he played high school football for the Mustangs.[1] In his senior season, he earned first team All-CIF Southern Section Central Division honors and was named third team All-State. After a successful high school career, Stringfellow was named as a 2012 Under Armour All-American. He was rated as the 51st best prospect in the country and fourth best recruit in California by ESPN.com, which also ranked him as the sixth best wide receiver in the nation.[2]
College career Before the 2013 season, Stringfellow committed to play for the University of Washington under then-head coach Steve Sarkisian.[3]
University of Washington In 2013, Stringfellow played in 12 of 13 games and started the last three games of the season. He recorded 20 catches for 259 yards and a touchdown on the year. He had a breakout game in his first collegiate start at UCLA, finishing with eight catches for 147 yards and a touchdown.[4] He had four receptions for 47 yards in the Apple Cup win over Washington State.[5]
Stringfellow was arrested for assault in February 2014. Stringfellow and then teammate Cyler Miles attacked Seattle Seahawks fans following the Super Bowl XLVIII victory over the Denver Broncos. After getting into a fight with a male University of Washington student, Stringfellow then began to intimidate and have an altercation with a female student who had been taking pictures of the incident. "During the struggle, “'Stringfellow hit (her) in the head. (She) fainted, though it appears she was not out for a long period of time (it is unclear whether she passed out from the blow or due to the exertion and the fact she was ill).'” Later in the night, Stringfellow and Miles again approached another man, asked if he was a Seahawks fan and when he replied yes proceeded to assault the fan. When the fan tried to run away, Stringfellow and Miles chased him down and continued to beat him.[6] Stringfellow decided to transfer from the University of Washington shortly after.
University of Mississippi In 2014, Stringfellow transferred to Ole Miss from Washington in June.[7] As per NCAA transfer rules, Stringfellow had to sit out for the entire year.
Sophomore year In 2015, in his first year under head coach Hugh Freeze, Stringfellow played in 12 games with five starts. He finished fifth on the team with 36 catches, fourth with 503 receiving yards, and third with five touchdown catches.[8] He helped the Rebel offense break the majority of single-season school records, including most total yards, points, touchdowns, and passing yards. Stringfellow made his Ole Miss debut against Tennessee-Martin on September 5 and was as a starter at wide receiver and caught two balls for 36 yards against Fresno State on September 12, 2015.[9][10] He had the best game of his Rebel career with five catches for 84 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the rivalry road win against Mississippi State.[2][11]
Junior year In 2016, Stringfellow played in 12 games, and he posted career bests with 46 receptions for 716 yards and six touchdowns.[12][13] After the 2016 season, Stringfellow decided to forgo his senior year and enter the 2017 NFL Draft.[14] He was not invited to the NFL Combine.[15]
Professional career Miami Dolphins Stringfellow signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent on May 5, 2017.[16] In his first preseason game, he scored on a 99-yard touchdown pass from quarterback David Fales.[17] He was waived by the team on September 2, 2017.[18]
New York Jets On September 3, 2017, Stringfellow was claimed off waivers by the New York Jets.[19] He was waived on September 6, 2017 and was re-signed to the practice squad.[20] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Jets on January 1, 2018.[21] He was waived by the Jets on April 27, 2018.[22]
Seattle Seahawks On May 7, 2018, Stringfellow signed with the Seattle Seahawks.[23] He was waived on September 1, 2018.[24]
Tennessee Titans On September 4, 2018, Stringfellow was signed to the Tennessee Titans' practice squad, but was released two days later.[25]
Seattle Seahawks (second stint) On December 12, 2018, Stringfellow was signed to the Seattle Seahawks practice squad, but was released a week later.[26]
Memphis Express In 2019, Stringfellow joined the Memphis Express of the Alliance of American Football.[27] He was waived after the first regular season game on February 13, 2019.
The head football coach at Inglemoor High School in Kenmore was just days away from the start of spring drills, and he didn’t have a defensive line coach. He interviewed two or three options as he searched for a replacement for a longtime staff member that suddenly decided not to return. Nobody seemed like the right fit, so Hannan was resigning himself to the fact that the rest of the staff would have to pull double duty this season.
And then Jaylen Johnson — all 6-foot-3 and 286 pounds of him — appeared in Hannah’s doorway. He was looking for a job.
If Johnson had been wearing the #92 uniform he donned for Washington, Hannan would’ve recognized him immediately. A graduate of the university, Hannan is a loyal UW fan. Johnson played four seasons for the Huskies and had just left the year before. As soon as he introduced himself, Hannan knew exactly who he was. He didn’t know why he was there.
Johnson quickly explained that his mother had recently moved in nearby. He had just returned from a tryout with the Denver Broncos, where the team decided to go in a different direction. Then Johnson did, too. He’d wanted to get into coaching since high school and decided it was the right time.
He asked Hannan if there was a spot open on staff.
Hannan said, “You’re hired.”
“I just have a deep love for the game and x’s and o’s,” Johnson said during a phone conversation this week. “I could just sit and talk about it all day, so it was a natural transition for me. I talked to coach (Chris) Petersen because my goal at the end is to coach college, of course. He said go coach the high school game and get the experience and see if you love the game enough to coach it.”
Off the field, Hannan described Johnson as soft-spoken and kind, always respectful. But once he settled in, a different side of Johnson emerged. After the Vikings’ first game, the staff gathered at one of the coach’s houses to recap the performance. That’s when Johnson spoke up.
“He goes, ‘Hey guys, I’m pretty comfortable with what we’ve got going on here now. You might see a different Jaylen Johnson starting next week,’ Hannan said. “We were kind of like, OK, we hope we know what you’re saying but we’re really not sure.”
The coaches’ assumption was right.
By the next practice, the quiet, reserved Johnson that Hannah knew transformed into a fiery, passionate coach. It was a shift Hannan welcomed, and a version that was promised by UW defensive line coach Ikaika Malloe. In an early phone conversation, Malloe promise Hannan that Inglemoor had gotten a gem, as well as a future Division I college football coach.
“I knew he was going to be in a profession with young adults,” Malloe said. “I really did. That kid has a huge heart. I knew he was going to be a teacher or a coach.”
As it turns out, Johnson is both. During the day, he works at Inglemoor as a paraeducator within the school’s Aspire program. The course catalog describes Aspire as “specially designed behavior programs for students that require support in areas of behavior, social skills and social-emotional needs.”
“It’s challenging,” said Johnson, who often pictured himself as a history teacher and a head high school football coach, “but it definitely makes you feel good at the end of the day.”
Coaching has provided a similar experience. At UW, Johnson’s teammates used to call him Uncle Jay. Malloe noticed that Johnson was the first person to help incoming players. If they needed extra instruction after practice, he’d join them on the field. If they needed to watch film, he’d stick around for that, too. In his spare time, he worked with elementary-aged kids in the community.
When Johnson was in high school, he helped coach the local Pop Warner team. It was there, as he watched kids enthusiastically run drills and embrace direction, that Johnson first realized he wanted to be a coach.
“Just seeing the improvement, it really just brought a smile to my face and warmed up my heart,” Johnson said. “I kind of knew early on, once I was done playing, I definitely wanted to get into coaching.”
It’s not surprising to discover that what Johnson enjoys most is just being around the players. The feeling, it seems, is mutual. The junior varsity team members will often beg him to come watch their games and offer feedback. Hannan said Johnson has a knack for making connections.
“He’s inspiring for kids,” Hannan said. “Just naturally, he does a good job just treating kids a little bit different. He does an amazing job figuring out what motivates this particular kid, and that’s what he uses for that particular kid.
“There are a lot of coaches that are like, ‘It’s my way or the highway. This is how we do it. This is how we make it happen.’ ... He does a really great job of just feeling his way through these kids and getting to know them and motivating them for the best way for them. It’s really impressive. He’s an impressive individual.”
Johnson draws on the skills he learned at UW daily. He uses the same grade sheet as Malloe and has incorporated several of the Huskies’ drills.
During one early practice, Hannan introduced Johnson to a tackling drill he dubbed the fracture drill. When they returned to the same drill two weeks later, Johnson asked if he could change it. He believed UW ran it better, and he invited Hannan to watch.
“I was like, ‘Oh my god, Jaylen. This is genius. This is awesome,’” Hannan said. “He always has great ideas. He’s always thinking about football. He shows up in my room and he draws stuff up on the boards and he’s like, ‘What do you think of this? What do you think of this?’
Sometimes, Hannan has to pull him back, reminding Johnson that he’s coaching high school and not college. There just isn’t enough time for everything Johnson wants to implement. That’s been a difficult adjustment.
“Definitely the hardest part is taking complex terminology and the complex defense I learned at UW and at my high school and kind of communicating those techniques to the kids,” Johnson said. “I just had a conversation today about how spoiled we were at UW. I was there for five years with the same guys. I could make adjustments and explain to the other guys.
“Now that I’m here, I’m kind of expecting the same kind of level of technique and intensity from my high school kids. It’s not the same. For me, it’s trying to figure out what their strengths and weaknesses are and apply them to the game plan. That’s the biggest struggle, for sure.”
That aspect, Malloe said, will come with time
“I told him that for everything he learned, he still has to put his own identity, his own twist on that,” Malloe said. “That’s what makes coaching fun. It’s still yours in a way … and you can mold (these kids). In high school, they listen to everything. They want to know as much as they can. He doesn’t realize how critical his position is yet.”
Johnson would still like to coach at the college level in the future. But he’s not thinking that far ahead right now. He laughed as he called himself stubborn, saying he doesn’t plan on going anywhere until Inglemoor “starts winning a whole bunch of games.”
“I love being around the team,” Johnson said. “I love being around the guys, just coming in every day and bringing that same level of fire intensity. You just see the kids get super excited when we come to practice. That’s just a great feeling.”
I mean, I know who Stringfellow and Jaylen Johnson are.
Butt can you tell them apart?
Kim can’t.
I think I'm now hip to this scene. If I was to write a book about guys who likely couldn't tell Stringfellow and Jaylen apart, Kim would be on the cover. And then Fetters would eat the book.
The head football coach at Inglemoor High School in Kenmore was just days away from the start of spring drills, and he didn’t have a defensive line coach. He interviewed two or three options as he searched for a replacement for a longtime staff member that suddenly decided not to return. Nobody seemed like the right fit, so Hannan was resigning himself to the fact that the rest of the staff would have to pull double duty this season.
And then Jaylen Johnson — all 6-foot-3 and 286 pounds of him — appeared in Hannah’s doorway. He was looking for a job.
If Johnson had been wearing the #92 uniform he donned for Washington, Hannan would’ve recognized him immediately. A graduate of the university, Hannan is a loyal UW fan. Johnson played four seasons for the Huskies and had just left the year before. As soon as he introduced himself, Hannan knew exactly who he was. He didn’t know why he was there.
Johnson quickly explained that his mother had recently moved in nearby. He had just returned from a tryout with the Denver Broncos, where the team decided to go in a different direction. Then Johnson did, too. He’d wanted to get into coaching since high school and decided it was the right time.
He asked Hannan if there was a spot open on staff.
Hannan said, “You’re hired.”
“I just have a deep love for the game and x’s and o’s,” Johnson said during a phone conversation this week. “I could just sit and talk about it all day, so it was a natural transition for me. I talked to coach (Chris) Petersen because my goal at the end is to coach college, of course. He said go coach the high school game and get the experience and see if you love the game enough to coach it.”
Off the field, Hannan described Johnson as soft-spoken and kind, always respectful. But once he settled in, a different side of Johnson emerged. After the Vikings’ first game, the staff gathered at one of the coach’s houses to recap the performance. That’s when Johnson spoke up.
“He goes, ‘Hey guys, I’m pretty comfortable with what we’ve got going on here now. You might see a different Jaylen Johnson starting next week,’ Hannan said. “We were kind of like, OK, we hope we know what you’re saying but we’re really not sure.”
The coaches’ assumption was right.
By the next practice, the quiet, reserved Johnson that Hannah knew transformed into a fiery, passionate coach. It was a shift Hannan welcomed, and a version that was promised by UW defensive line coach Ikaika Malloe. In an early phone conversation, Malloe promise Hannan that Inglemoor had gotten a gem, as well as a future Division I college football coach.
“I knew he was going to be in a profession with young adults,” Malloe said. “I really did. That kid has a huge heart. I knew he was going to be a teacher or a coach.”
As it turns out, Johnson is both. During the day, he works at Inglemoor as a paraeducator within the school’s Aspire program. The course catalog describes Aspire as “specially designed behavior programs for students that require support in areas of behavior, social skills and social-emotional needs.”
“It’s challenging,” said Johnson, who often pictured himself as a history teacher and a head high school football coach, “but it definitely makes you feel good at the end of the day.”
Coaching has provided a similar experience. At UW, Johnson’s teammates used to call him Uncle Jay. Malloe noticed that Johnson was the first person to help incoming players. If they needed extra instruction after practice, he’d join them on the field. If they needed to watch film, he’d stick around for that, too. In his spare time, he worked with elementary-aged kids in the community.
When Johnson was in high school, he helped coach the local Pop Warner team. It was there, as he watched kids enthusiastically run drills and embrace direction, that Johnson first realized he wanted to be a coach.
“Just seeing the improvement, it really just brought a smile to my face and warmed up my heart,” Johnson said. “I kind of knew early on, once I was done playing, I definitely wanted to get into coaching.”
It’s not surprising to discover that what Johnson enjoys most is just being around the players. The feeling, it seems, is mutual. The junior varsity team members will often beg him to come watch their games and offer feedback. Hannan said Johnson has a knack for making connections.
“He’s inspiring for kids,” Hannan said. “Just naturally, he does a good job just treating kids a little bit different. He does an amazing job figuring out what motivates this particular kid, and that’s what he uses for that particular kid.
“There are a lot of coaches that are like, ‘It’s my way or the highway. This is how we do it. This is how we make it happen.’ ... He does a really great job of just feeling his way through these kids and getting to know them and motivating them for the best way for them. It’s really impressive. He’s an impressive individual.”
Johnson draws on the skills he learned at UW daily. He uses the same grade sheet as Malloe and has incorporated several of the Huskies’ drills.
During one early practice, Hannan introduced Johnson to a tackling drill he dubbed the fracture drill. When they returned to the same drill two weeks later, Johnson asked if he could change it. He believed UW ran it better, and he invited Hannan to watch.
“I was like, ‘Oh my god, Jaylen. This is genius. This is awesome,’” Hannan said. “He always has great ideas. He’s always thinking about football. He shows up in my room and he draws stuff up on the boards and he’s like, ‘What do you think of this? What do you think of this?’
Sometimes, Hannan has to pull him back, reminding Johnson that he’s coaching high school and not college. There just isn’t enough time for everything Johnson wants to implement. That’s been a difficult adjustment.
“Definitely the hardest part is taking complex terminology and the complex defense I learned at UW and at my high school and kind of communicating those techniques to the kids,” Johnson said. “I just had a conversation today about how spoiled we were at UW. I was there for five years with the same guys. I could make adjustments and explain to the other guys.
“Now that I’m here, I’m kind of expecting the same kind of level of technique and intensity from my high school kids. It’s not the same. For me, it’s trying to figure out what their strengths and weaknesses are and apply them to the game plan. That’s the biggest struggle, for sure.”
That aspect, Malloe said, will come with time
“I told him that for everything he learned, he still has to put his own identity, his own twist on that,” Malloe said. “That’s what makes coaching fun. It’s still yours in a way … and you can mold (these kids). In high school, they listen to everything. They want to know as much as they can. He doesn’t realize how critical his position is yet.”
Johnson would still like to coach at the college level in the future. But he’s not thinking that far ahead right now. He laughed as he called himself stubborn, saying he doesn’t plan on going anywhere until Inglemoor “starts winning a whole bunch of games.”
“I love being around the team,” Johnson said. “I love being around the guys, just coming in every day and bringing that same level of fire intensity. You just see the kids get super excited when we come to practice. That’s just a great feeling.”
I mean, I know who Stringfellow and Jaylen Johnson are.
Butt can you tell them apart?
Kim can’t.
I think I'm now hip to this scene. If I was to write a book about guys who likely couldn't tell Stringfellow and Jaylen apart, Kim would be on the cover. And then Fetters would eat the book.
Would love to see Jaylen honestly become a grad assistant in our program
If he decides to go high school you’ll be hard pressed to find a better advocate for UW
I don’t think most average fans understand how good Jaylen was ... guys like him and where they are slotted in a program tell me a lot about where that program is at
Would love to see Jaylen honestly become a grad assistant in our program
If he decides to go high school you’ll be hard pressed to find a better advocate for UW
I don’t think most average fans understand how good Jaylen was ... guys like him and where they are slotted in a program tell me a lot about where that program is at
Wasn't Johnson just announced as a non-coaching staff member at UW in that Caple Questions article?
Comments
Contents
1 Early years
2 College career
2.1 University of Washington
2.2 University of Mississippi
2.2.1 Sophomore year
2.2.2 Junior year
3 Professional career
3.1 Miami Dolphins
3.2 New York Jets
3.3 Seattle Seahawks
3.4 Tennessee Titans
3.5 Seattle Seahawks (second stint)
3.6 Memphis Express
4 References
5 External links
Early years
Stringfellow is the son of Torrey Stringfellow and Khalilah Kerl. He attended Rancho Verde High School in Moreno Valley, California, where he played high school football for the Mustangs.[1] In his senior season, he earned first team All-CIF Southern Section Central Division honors and was named third team All-State. After a successful high school career, Stringfellow was named as a 2012 Under Armour All-American. He was rated as the 51st best prospect in the country and fourth best recruit in California by ESPN.com, which also ranked him as the sixth best wide receiver in the nation.[2]
College career
Before the 2013 season, Stringfellow committed to play for the University of Washington under then-head coach Steve Sarkisian.[3]
University of Washington
In 2013, Stringfellow played in 12 of 13 games and started the last three games of the season. He recorded 20 catches for 259 yards and a touchdown on the year. He had a breakout game in his first collegiate start at UCLA, finishing with eight catches for 147 yards and a touchdown.[4] He had four receptions for 47 yards in the Apple Cup win over Washington State.[5]
Stringfellow was arrested for assault in February 2014. Stringfellow and then teammate Cyler Miles attacked Seattle Seahawks fans following the Super Bowl XLVIII victory over the Denver Broncos. After getting into a fight with a male University of Washington student, Stringfellow then began to intimidate and have an altercation with a female student who had been taking pictures of the incident. "During the struggle, “'Stringfellow hit (her) in the head. (She) fainted, though it appears she was not out for a long period of time (it is unclear whether she passed out from the blow or due to the exertion and the fact she was ill).'” Later in the night, Stringfellow and Miles again approached another man, asked if he was a Seahawks fan and when he replied yes proceeded to assault the fan. When the fan tried to run away, Stringfellow and Miles chased him down and continued to beat him.[6] Stringfellow decided to transfer from the University of Washington shortly after.
University of Mississippi
In 2014, Stringfellow transferred to Ole Miss from Washington in June.[7] As per NCAA transfer rules, Stringfellow had to sit out for the entire year.
Sophomore year
In 2015, in his first year under head coach Hugh Freeze, Stringfellow played in 12 games with five starts. He finished fifth on the team with 36 catches, fourth with 503 receiving yards, and third with five touchdown catches.[8] He helped the Rebel offense break the majority of single-season school records, including most total yards, points, touchdowns, and passing yards. Stringfellow made his Ole Miss debut against Tennessee-Martin on September 5 and was as a starter at wide receiver and caught two balls for 36 yards against Fresno State on September 12, 2015.[9][10] He had the best game of his Rebel career with five catches for 84 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the rivalry road win against Mississippi State.[2][11]
Junior year
In 2016, Stringfellow played in 12 games, and he posted career bests with 46 receptions for 716 yards and six touchdowns.[12][13] After the 2016 season, Stringfellow decided to forgo his senior year and enter the 2017 NFL Draft.[14] He was not invited to the NFL Combine.[15]
Professional career
Miami Dolphins
Stringfellow signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent on May 5, 2017.[16] In his first preseason game, he scored on a 99-yard touchdown pass from quarterback David Fales.[17] He was waived by the team on September 2, 2017.[18]
New York Jets
On September 3, 2017, Stringfellow was claimed off waivers by the New York Jets.[19] He was waived on September 6, 2017 and was re-signed to the practice squad.[20] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Jets on January 1, 2018.[21] He was waived by the Jets on April 27, 2018.[22]
Seattle Seahawks
On May 7, 2018, Stringfellow signed with the Seattle Seahawks.[23] He was waived on September 1, 2018.[24]
Tennessee Titans
On September 4, 2018, Stringfellow was signed to the Tennessee Titans' practice squad, but was released two days later.[25]
Seattle Seahawks (second stint)
On December 12, 2018, Stringfellow was signed to the Seattle Seahawks practice squad, but was released a week later.[26]
Memphis Express
In 2019, Stringfellow joined the Memphis Express of the Alliance of American Football.[27] He was waived after the first regular season game on February 13, 2019.
The head football coach at Inglemoor High School in Kenmore was just days away from the start of spring drills, and he didn’t have a defensive line coach. He interviewed two or three options as he searched for a replacement for a longtime staff member that suddenly decided not to return. Nobody seemed like the right fit, so Hannan was resigning himself to the fact that the rest of the staff would have to pull double duty this season.
And then Jaylen Johnson — all 6-foot-3 and 286 pounds of him — appeared in Hannah’s doorway. He was looking for a job.
If Johnson had been wearing the #92 uniform he donned for Washington, Hannan would’ve recognized him immediately. A graduate of the university, Hannan is a loyal UW fan. Johnson played four seasons for the Huskies and had just left the year before. As soon as he introduced himself, Hannan knew exactly who he was. He didn’t know why he was there.
Johnson quickly explained that his mother had recently moved in nearby. He had just returned from a tryout with the Denver Broncos, where the team decided to go in a different direction. Then Johnson did, too. He’d wanted to get into coaching since high school and decided it was the right time.
He asked Hannan if there was a spot open on staff.
Hannan said, “You’re hired.”
“I just have a deep love for the game and x’s and o’s,” Johnson said during a phone conversation this week. “I could just sit and talk about it all day, so it was a natural transition for me. I talked to coach (Chris) Petersen because my goal at the end is to coach college, of course. He said go coach the high school game and get the experience and see if you love the game enough to coach it.”
Off the field, Hannan described Johnson as soft-spoken and kind, always respectful. But once he settled in, a different side of Johnson emerged. After the Vikings’ first game, the staff gathered at one of the coach’s houses to recap the performance. That’s when Johnson spoke up.
“He goes, ‘Hey guys, I’m pretty comfortable with what we’ve got going on here now. You might see a different Jaylen Johnson starting next week,’ Hannan said. “We were kind of like, OK, we hope we know what you’re saying but we’re really not sure.”
The coaches’ assumption was right.
By the next practice, the quiet, reserved Johnson that Hannah knew transformed into a fiery, passionate coach. It was a shift Hannan welcomed, and a version that was promised by UW defensive line coach Ikaika Malloe. In an early phone conversation, Malloe promise Hannan that Inglemoor had gotten a gem, as well as a future Division I college football coach.
“I knew he was going to be in a profession with young adults,” Malloe said. “I really did. That kid has a huge heart. I knew he was going to be a teacher or a coach.”
As it turns out, Johnson is both. During the day, he works at Inglemoor as a paraeducator within the school’s Aspire program. The course catalog describes Aspire as “specially designed behavior programs for students that require support in areas of behavior, social skills and social-emotional needs.”
“It’s challenging,” said Johnson, who often pictured himself as a history teacher and a head high school football coach, “but it definitely makes you feel good at the end of the day.”
Coaching has provided a similar experience. At UW, Johnson’s teammates used to call him Uncle Jay. Malloe noticed that Johnson was the first person to help incoming players. If they needed extra instruction after practice, he’d join them on the field. If they needed to watch film, he’d stick around for that, too. In his spare time, he worked with elementary-aged kids in the community.
When Johnson was in high school, he helped coach the local Pop Warner team. It was there, as he watched kids enthusiastically run drills and embrace direction, that Johnson first realized he wanted to be a coach.
“Just seeing the improvement, it really just brought a smile to my face and warmed up my heart,” Johnson said. “I kind of knew early on, once I was done playing, I definitely wanted to get into coaching.”
It’s not surprising to discover that what Johnson enjoys most is just being around the players. The feeling, it seems, is mutual. The junior varsity team members will often beg him to come watch their games and offer feedback. Hannan said Johnson has a knack for making connections.
“He’s inspiring for kids,” Hannan said. “Just naturally, he does a good job just treating kids a little bit different. He does an amazing job figuring out what motivates this particular kid, and that’s what he uses for that particular kid.
“There are a lot of coaches that are like, ‘It’s my way or the highway. This is how we do it. This is how we make it happen.’ ... He does a really great job of just feeling his way through these kids and getting to know them and motivating them for the best way for them. It’s really impressive. He’s an impressive individual.”
Johnson draws on the skills he learned at UW daily. He uses the same grade sheet as Malloe and has incorporated several of the Huskies’ drills.
During one early practice, Hannan introduced Johnson to a tackling drill he dubbed the fracture drill. When they returned to the same drill two weeks later, Johnson asked if he could change it. He believed UW ran it better, and he invited Hannan to watch.
“I was like, ‘Oh my god, Jaylen. This is genius. This is awesome,’” Hannan said. “He always has great ideas. He’s always thinking about football. He shows up in my room and he draws stuff up on the boards and he’s like, ‘What do you think of this? What do you think of this?’
Sometimes, Hannan has to pull him back, reminding Johnson that he’s coaching high school and not college. There just isn’t enough time for everything Johnson wants to implement. That’s been a difficult adjustment.
“Definitely the hardest part is taking complex terminology and the complex defense I learned at UW and at my high school and kind of communicating those techniques to the kids,” Johnson said. “I just had a conversation today about how spoiled we were at UW. I was there for five years with the same guys. I could make adjustments and explain to the other guys.
“Now that I’m here, I’m kind of expecting the same kind of level of technique and intensity from my high school kids. It’s not the same. For me, it’s trying to figure out what their strengths and weaknesses are and apply them to the game plan. That’s the biggest struggle, for sure.”
That aspect, Malloe said, will come with time
“I told him that for everything he learned, he still has to put his own identity, his own twist on that,” Malloe said. “That’s what makes coaching fun. It’s still yours in a way … and you can mold (these kids). In high school, they listen to everything. They want to know as much as they can. He doesn’t realize how critical his position is yet.”
Johnson would still like to coach at the college level in the future. But he’s not thinking that far ahead right now. He laughed as he called himself stubborn, saying he doesn’t plan on going anywhere until Inglemoor “starts winning a whole bunch of games.”
“I love being around the team,” Johnson said. “I love being around the guys, just coming in every day and bringing that same level of fire intensity. You just see the kids get super excited when we come to practice. That’s just a great feeling.”
Is the book covered in nacho cheese sauce?
If he decides to go high school you’ll be hard pressed to find a better advocate for UW
I don’t think most average fans understand how good Jaylen was ... guys like him and where they are slotted in a program tell me a lot about where that program is at
His twitter bio says he's a GA
The 2 types of fans: