Florida three-star 2024 DT Jayden Jackson preparing to narrow list from 12 to five
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG
BRADENTON, Fla. – Pushing towards 40 offers, at some point Jayden Jackson will have to make some tough decisions about which schools he wants to officially visit. The 2024 defensive tackle for IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) has cut his list down to 12 ready to take that group to five.
On April 10, Jackson released his top schools: Auburn, Colorado, Florida, Miami, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, and Wisconsin.
Even with a greater focus on those 12, he is still open to newer programs coming into the mix.
“There are still heavy teams coming in, my options are still open,” Jackson said. “Nothing is finalized until Signing Day. I just dropped my top 12, those are the schools that I am mainly focused on, but I won’t shut down any other school that is interest in me.”
Maintaining a strong rapport with his top 12, Jackson was able to visit five teams this spring.
“I visited Tennessee, Miami, the Texas Longhorns, the Florida Gators, and Ohio State,” Jackson stated.
Florida co-defensive coordinator/defensive line coach Sean Spencer impressed Jackson during a spring practice visit.
“Coach Chaos and the defense, I went down there for one of their spring practices; I loved it out there,” Jackson shared. “I really felt the love back. I saw some of my guys there, Knijeah (Harris) and Will Norman. That gave me good insight. I asked a lot of questions and got great feedback about how it is there.”
The Hurricanes are keeping Jackson’s phone lit.
“Miami, they’ve always been showing love,” Jackson said. “They show love almost every day. It does help me because a lot of players that have been here went there too. I get calls from them, and I check up on them. They give me insight and tell me, “This is where you want to be to develop”.”
The ties to the Longhorns run deeper than just player-coach.
“Coach (Bo) Davis (DL) and coach Sark (Steve Sarkisian), those two are really good in the recruiting department,” Jackson shared. “They make it feel like a bigger connection than just coaching. I feel like if I played for them, they wouldn’t just be my coach, but they’d be like father figures.”
The official visits being planned for this summer should soon follow with a verbal commitment.
“I am getting to the narrowing down of the schools part,” Jackson stated. “I am looking to take five visits and committing pretty early this summer. As of right now, it is still open. I have not finalized anything.”
Jackson continued, “It will put a stance at where I am looking and where I might want to play in the future. I will focus on those five. It is being discussed; it is very close to that time.”
The three-star defender went deeper sharing what will separate the 12 to five.
“Relationship is the No. 1, the development aspect, where can I go from there not only as a football player but also as a man,” Jackson said. “I will be committed there for the rest of my life. Location, I really don’t mind. I have lived on the west coast, in the south – I have lived everywhere. I really don’t mind where I live.”