Jaylon “JC” Carlies announced his intention to enter the NFL Draft on Tuesday via X (formerly Twitter). The Mizzou defensive back, an Orlando native, arrived in Columbia as a 3-star recruit out of West Orange High School.

Carlies appeared in all 10 games as a true freshman in 2020 but had his breakout campaign in 2021. He recorded 67 total tackles and a career-high 4 interceptions that season, and he followed that up with a career-high 81 tackles in 2022. And, while those numbers took slight dips in 2023, Carlies did post career-highs in tackles for loss (4.5) and passes defended (5) this past year, showing growth in every season as was on campus.

Carlies started in 36 games over his Missouri career and was known as one of the leaders in a deep secondary room. His coverage skills were solid, but Carlies was perhaps best-known for his ball hawking abilities and sure-tackling in the open field at 6-foot-3, 219 lbs. He’s a versatile player that is sure to find a niche on an NFL roster given his frame and athleticism.

Carlies also landed on the SEC All-Academic Honor Roll in Fall of 2022. He could have returned for one more season with Mizzou thanks to the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, but he opted to forgo that year.