Jay Timmons Carving Own Path in His Football Journey

Lawrence “Jay” Timmons went into the weekend with a sprained hip flexor and dreams of his first collegiate offer. He didn’t let a minor injury delay his dream any longer.

Timmons — a 5-foot-11, 175-pound defensive back from Pine-Richland in Gibsonia, Pa. in the class of 2026 — impressed at Pitt on Saturday, turned heads once again at West Virginia on Monday and picked up his first college offer from Akron on Tuesday.

EXTREMELY BLESSED AGTG, TO RECEIVE MY FIRST D1 OFFER FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON‼️‼️ @Nrenna @RMatviko @BallCoachJoeMo @Coach_LeDonne pic.twitter.com/wpA0ODBvX9

— Lawrence “Jay” Timmons (@jay__timmons) June 5, 2024

But it isn’t the culmination of his journey; it’s just the beginning.

Timmons camped at Pitt and West Virginia over the weekend in hopes of picking up offers from the nearby powerhouses, and while he dreams of what could be at this point in his recruiting process, he’s receiving interest from a multitude of programs now.

Timmons went through the usual camp procedure at Pitt, starting with physical testing. He’s a track star at Pine-Richland, but even he wasn’t sure what to expect his first time. Still, he didn’t love his 4.5 40 time.

“I didn’t get the 4.4, but coach (Pat) Narduzzi came over and all the DB coaches were impressed by my speed,” Timmons told Pittsburgh Sports Now. “And coach Narduzzi came over and gave me a handshake. It was really cool to get some recognition.”

Timmons, who was dealing with a sprained hip flexor on Saturday, perhaps wasn’t as sharp as he wanted to be in individual drills, but he did just what he set out to do in one-on-ones. He dominated, despite moving up to the older group.

“I felt like I opened some eyes for that day,” Timmons said.

He felt like he was even better when he went out for the West Virginia camp on Monday, partly because his hip flexor felt much better. He was happy with his performance in one-on-ones, hit the 4.4 40 mark and put in an all-around dominant performance.

4.4 at @WVUfootball camp yesterday 💨 @Coach_LeDonne @Coach_TBell @CoachKlineAlex @coachcsanders @ARCHIECOLLINS_ @NealBrown_WVU @210ths @CoachDuzzPittFB @WPIAL_Insider @wpialsportsnews @aj_harrisonjr @RMatviko @CoachBlaineStew pic.twitter.com/kUQ1nsxBzU

— Lawrence “Jay” Timmons (@jay__timmons) June 4, 2024

Three camps in two days? No problem. Timmons felt good about the work he put in — and the relationships he’s built with Pitt and West Virginia.

“I mean, coach (Cory) Sanders is staying in touch,” Timmons said. “And there’s a dude named Kline, Alex Kline, I’m pretty sure his name is. He’s staying in touch. But I feel like WVU is staying more in touch than Pitt.

“Like, Blaine Stewart. He’s staying real in touch with me and I’m supposed to — I talked to the head coach, and I think I’m supposed to go back down there in July. I got a tour after the WVU camp, and I got to talk to the head coach in his office and he told me he’s gonna get me down in July with my family. So that would be super fun. I really like the coaching staff at WVU. Same at Pitt as well, but I didn’t get to visit and all that.”

Timmons holds an offer from Akron, but he’s receiving interest from all over — aside from Pitt and WVU. He was invited to camp at Toledo but was forced to miss the appearance. He’s heading out to East Lansing, Mich. for a camp appearance early next week.

And while he’s focused on those camp appearances, making the best impression possible for prospective colleges, he’s focused on preparing himself for his junior season at Pine-Richland.

“Hopefully I’ll get WVU or Pitt one of these days, and then I’ll be able to show everybody that I’m more than one offer,” Timmons said. “I just want to dominate the WPIAL. And I want my name to be known throughout the city.

“But that also comes with a lot of hard work and dedication. So, that’s what I’ll be trying to do. Not even just myself, I’d like to get all my teammates on the map and show everybody that Pine Richland is ready for the season.”

Timmons will likely be a key component of the P-R defense this season. He plays on both sides of the ball for the Rams, wide receiver and all over the secondary, but he isn’t worried about where he wants to play; he’s more concerned with where he needs to play.

Pittsburgh Steelers Linebacker Lawrence Timmons in action during a game against the San Francisco 49ers at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh on Sept. 20, 2015. — Icon Photography

If Timmons’ father Lawrence, who played 10 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, has taught him anything, it’s that football is a business.

“Well, you know, I would say my dad is my biggest hater,” Timmons said. “He never shies away from the truth, so he’ll always tell me the truth of football because, at the end of the day, it’s a business. You gotta be what these teams need you to be, or else you’re not gonna be good enough. So I’m just trying to be what any college will need me to be.

But of course, Timmons is still young. He’s only halfway through his high school career and if his early camp performances are any indication, he’s in line for a major boost this summer. But he’s already high on WVU.

“I really hope WVU shows some interest in me, and if they gave me an offer, that would be a dream come true,” Timmons said. “And same with Pitt, like I said before, like WVU, I feel like they show a little bit more interest.”

Timmons is the type of fast, rangy defensive back commit, with an NFL bloodline, who should really emerge over the next year or year-and-a-half.