Written By: Coach Buckets @PreWarWesley
Jaxon Lawler
X: @JaxonLawler
Class of 2027 Offensive Tackle / Defensive Tackle
Bushland High School, Bushland, Texas
6’4” 255 LBS.
The Platform and DR Sportz sits down with class of 2027 Bushland High School (Tx.) lineman Jaxon Lawler heading into his junior season.
Jaxon is a 4-sport athlete, who in addition to his football dominance, he also is a standout on the basketball court, track and field as well as a premier golfer at Bushland.
An example of Jaxon’s athleticism, although he plays on both sides of the ball in the trenches, he is a standout player for Coach Undra Hendrix and the DEC Texas Élite 7v7 team where he lines up and takes reps at tight end.
A great team leader, Jaxon uses his football knowledge and experience to lead by example, which has lead to success at Bushland. Because of this, he has learned to use his leadership abilities and relentless drive to not only push himself but also his teammates.
Jaxon received the “True Grit” award for his perseverance and toughness on the football field. He has been nominated and accepted into the LEAD program for academic and leadership excellence. Jaxon is a Superintendent Scholar, National Junior Honor Society Member, consistently on the A-Honor Roll and he is an active member of his high school’s student council. He has also spent the last two years volunteering as a 1st and 2nd grade basketball coach in his community.
Jaxon has attended multiple camps such as West Texas Prospects, Rivals Regional Camp in Dallas, college camps at Arizona, Arizona State, North Texas, Houston Christian, SMU, TCU, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, as well as Next XGeN where he was awarded and invited to “The Show” in Georgia. He also competed at FBU Top Gun and the Air It Out Camp where he competed as a tight end
Jaxon also has attended the Kansas Jayhawks Basketball Camp, as well as a Jr. PGA Golf Tournament.
With offers already from Wake Forest and UTEP, expectations are that there will be many more over the next two seasons.
What Jaxon brings to the offensive side of the ball is exact, picture perfect form pass blocking. He doesn’t allow his shoulders to be too far forward, allowing for his leverage to always be on point. He displays short, choppy feet and never over-extends his leverage at engagement. He shows his power when run blocking, showing phenomenal hip bend and precise hand placement. This enables him to swing hips into the hole where he gains control of the defender and drive his opponent to the sidelines. His ability to be violent with his hands at the point of attack at the line of scrimmage allows him to release and get to the second level with ease.
On the defensive side of the ball, he has an extremely quick get off. Jaxon has a plethora of moves including an amazing swim, rip and bull rush technique the enables him to win early at engagement. He has good bend, combined with the speed to chase down plays and he has a high motor that allows him to be relentless in the trenches. He has the versatility that allows him to attack from anywhere on the line of scrimmage and dominate.
The Platform and DR Sportz sat down with one of the fastest rising prospects coming out of West Texas in the 2027 class.
Coach Buckets: “Start us off with telling the readers who Jaxon Lawler is.”
Jaxon Lawler: “I am Jaxon Lawler, a class of 2027 multisport athlete. First and foremost I am a firm believer in my lord and savior Jesus Christ. I know that without him none of my success on or off the field would be possible. I am a big brother to my 10 year old little sister, Lyla, and I love being able to be the best role model I can for her. My sister and I are both athletes, so we work out together when we can. Since I got my license, I am also her driver! I love the amount of support and effort my family puts into helping me achieve my dreams. My family is very close, we spend a lot of time together. My sister comes to my games and events, and I go to hers as well. My mom and dad also do everything they can to be at everything that we do. I even have grandparents that attend a lot of our events. I also have some close friends that I have grown up with since we were 4 years old, we are all teammates now! I love playing sports with those guys. I crave competition and I love playing basketball, golf, and throwing shotput and discus, but nothing compares to the feeling I get playing football. I play O-Line, D-Line, deep snapper, and TE. One of the things that surprises people about me is that I can dunk a basketball and my 5-10-5 time is as fast as most RBs/LBs.”
Coach Buckets: “Tell us your highlights from this past season. Both personally and as a team. Any major accomplishments or numbers that you would like to share?”
Jaxon Lawler: “Our team was stacked with great players and we ended our season at 10-2. One of my favorite plays from the last season would be when I had a huge 4th down stop in a game against one of our biggest rivals, West Plains. It was 4th and 2 and they had just crossed midfield, I lined up and was the first player through the line of scrimmage. The play on offense was a QB draw, I sacked him for a 4 yard loss and forced the turnover. This was a momentum swinging play in the game as we took the ball and took our first lead of the game after that. We ended up winning that game, then West Plains made it to the 4A-DI semifinals.”
“Some stats that I would like to share would be that on the offensive side of the ball I had 33 pancakes and an offensive grade of 97%. On the defensive side of the ball I had 18 tackles, 7 TFL, 21 assists and 2 sacks for a total of 45 tackles. I also had 2 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles, and 3 fumble recoveries.”
“My favorite moment from last season as a team would be when we were down 35-14 at halftime against Dumas and we came back to win the game in overtime. The final was 48-42. Jaten Fetsch and I had a monster second half completely shutting down their run game, owning the line of scrimmage and collapsing the pocket.”
Coach Buckets: “With those accomplishments, how has your recruitment been going?”
Jaxon Lawler: “My recruitment is off to a good start. I have started building relationships with coaches all over the country. I have had many tell me that they love my sophomore year film. I have done several unofficial visits that my high school coach (Josh Reynolds) helped set up for me. At this time I have two offers, one from Wake Forest to play D-Line and one from UTEP to play D-Line.”
Coach Buckets: “We know you have had a busy summer, but let everyone know what your offseason has been consisting of since the last football game. Camps, 7v7, training sessions, etc.”
Jaxon Lawler: “After football, I moved into basketball then track. My track season was great. I was district champion in shot put and discus, then finished 3rd at the regional track meet in both shot put and discus. I was only 2 inches away in shot put and 1 inch in the discus throw from going to the state track meet in both. I’m striving to get to state in both next year. I work out with my 7v7 coach (Undra Hendrix with DEC) at least 1-2 days per week. We do a lot of speed and agility training there. I also have been working out heavily with my teammates at school, trying to lead by example. I’m not going to let anyone outwork me. I hit 8 different college camps in the spring and summer.”
Coach Buckets: “It’s amazing to see an offensive/defensive tackle be so athletic that he also plays 7v7. Tell us more about that experience.”
Jaxon Lawler: “I love playing 7v7 and wish that I could play more of it, however it often overlaps with my school basketball and track seasons. I played QB and TE during my youth football days and playing 7v7 gives me the opportunity to maintain those skills. Beyond that, I just love football. If it’s playing on the o-line or d-line for my school or lining up at TE/LB for 7v7, I love it all. I also love building relationships and getting to know the kids on my 7v7 team because they are from different schools around Texas.”
Coach Buckets: “How did the camp season go for you this offseason and what stood out the most to you attending these showcases?”
Jaxon Lawler: “I really enjoyed every camp that I was fortunate enough to attend, but the SMU mega camp stands out because I received my first offer from Coach Kaligis to play d-line at Wake Forest! That was a feeling that I will never forget! Then the TCU mega camp was just as exciting because I had a great day then received my second offer from Coach Jones and Coach Daly with UTEP! All of the camps are fun and I love the work and competition, but nothing beats leaving there with an offer.”
Coach Buckets: “What have you learned from those camps that you will take to the field on Friday nights?”
Jaxon Lawler: “At these camps I have learned lots of new techniques that will definitely help improve my game this fall. On the defensive side, I learned how important it is to use your hands and I’ve learned new ways to use them. Offensively, these camps have really taught me to perfect my kick slide when pass setting and how to shut down the bull rush.”
Coach Buckets: “What is your team’s outlook for this coming fall? Tell us more about your Bushland team and what we can expect to see this season.”
Jaxon Lawler: “We are preseason #17 in the state of Texas 4A-DI and we are picked to finish 2nd in our district. We lost a lot of great players and athletes from last year’s team that we will really miss. With that being said, we have a ton of talent coming back and coming up. I expect us to have a great season, win district and make a run in the playoffs. My goal is to play in December in Dallas.”
Coach Buckets: “What are the things you feel you need to work on these next two years to develop into the player that you want to be at the next level?”
Jaxon Lawler: “I want to continue to add strength, size, speed, quickness and improve my football IQ. I plan to spend more time studying film to better prepare for our games at Bushland. I have been to enough camps to know that I have to work on getting better at every aspect of my game every day.”
Coach Buckets: “What I have seen from you is that you are an unbelievably good defensive tackle. The traits you show on film are superb quickness with ability to deliver power at engagement and you have shown that you can play multiple positions along the line. But your offensive line skills are amazing! You can pass block with great leverage and you run block at the line of scrimmage, then get to the next level to block.”
We know you have offers to Wake Forest and UTEP. What position are those schools recruiting you at and what do you see yourself settling into at the next level?”
Jaxon Lawler: “Thank you for the compliments on my game! Wake Forest and UTEP have both offered me as a defensive lineman. With that being said, I have had several coaches talk with me about o-line and even tight end. I also deep snap for our school and that is something that I like to do. I am open to every position and every school at this point. I just want to play at the next level. I think if I am fortunate enough to have offers on both sides of the ball for multiple positions, then I will look at the best fit for me overall.”
Coach Buckets: “What do you plan to study when get to school?”
Jaxon Lawler: “I plan to major in business and finance. I would like to be an entrepreneur and have my own company someday.”
Coach Buckets: ” How does being a multi-sport athlete enable you to be successful in each sport?“
Jaxon Lawler: “My entire life I have played every sport that my parents allowed me to play. My dad and I started playing football, basketball, baseball, and golf together since I could walk. My track success has been great and our basketball team at Bushland had a good playoff run this past year. I expect to have better seasons in both next year. One of the things that I really love to do in my down time is play golf. It’s fun, relaxing, and something that I will be able to do forever.”
Coach Buckets: “You are an extremely intelligent young man and have had academic success in the classroom, tell us all about that.”
Jaxon Lawler: “My parents stress and encourage me to strive to be a straight A student. I know that good grades increase opportunities to get a college education and as much as I love football, I know that I will rely on my academics long after I stop playing. Being a part of the student council, a superintendent scholar and a member of the National Honor Society also create opportunities to have some fun outside of school with my friends! One of the things that I am proud of is my 4.3 GPA.”
Coach Buckets: “There are thousands of players across the nation that all have athleticism. What makes Jaxon Lawler the player that coaches want to see play? What is a school getting in Jaxon Lawler that they wouldn’t get from any other lineman?”
Jaxon Lawler: “What a school gets when they get Jaxon Lawler is a leader on and off the field. I believe in doing the right thing even when no one is looking. I lead by example, so there are no plays off or half speed plays for me. I make the guys around me want to be better. I’m a lineman, but I am athletic enough to play TE and have the football IQ and leadership to play QB. That versatility is one of the things that is a big difference between myself and other lineman. I can also deep snap. My dad jokes that if given the chance, I could play QB, kick the field goals, haul out the trash and wash the car!
My academics are better than most, a lot of kids are not able to juggle multiple sports and maintain high grades, but I hold myself to a higher standard. I think my coaches would tell you that I am hard working and tough. I was presented with the True Grit award, which is basically about being the toughest and hardest working student athlete. I’m loyal to my team and I’m a team first player. I have had opportunities to go to other high schools, but chose to stay here because loyalty is important to me. When I choose a college, I want it to become home.”
Coach Buckets: ” The mission and goal of The Platform is to “Expose the UnExposed”. Tell us who are some of your teammates that you feel are breakout stars and deserve some recognition.”
Jaxon Lawler: “There are several guys from my high school team at Bushland (Tx.) that coaches need to get on their radars. Two of our seniors that are leaders and deserve recognition are Jaten Fetsch and Jenner King. Jaten will be in his 3rd varsity season and plays DT for our team. Jenner is a WR/DB on our team and also in his 3rd varsity season. Jenner is also a DI level talent on the golf course. He’s already competed at state in golf. From my DEC / West Texas Elite 7v7 team, Jaylen “JJ” Johnson is a player that coaches need to know. JJ plays WR/DB at Tascosa High School in Amarillo.
Coach Buckets: “We appreciate you taking the time to speak with us. We are extremely excited to watch you play on Friday nights, as well as follow your journey in life.”
