Florida four-star DL Kendall Jackson covers top four ahead of Miami official visit
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG
College squads looking for a versatile piece in the defensive trenches have keyed on Gainesville’s (Fla.) Buchholz High School’s Kendall Jackson (6-4, 255). North of 20 offers, Jackson has taken three official visits with his fourth set to begin in Miami on Friday.
Updating his overall recruiting, Jackson shared a list of teams that are showing interest, “OU is showing interest, Bama is showing interest, North Carolina some, Arkansas State, and a few schools are showing interest.”
Jackson continued, “The teams reaching out the most are Kentucky, Florida, Arkansas, and Miami. Those four are the main ones hitting me up the most.”
Offseason visits were taken to Florida, Texas, Miami, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Alabama, and Georgia Tech. The official visit list was rundown.
“I leave today for Miami,” Jackson stated. “I’ve taken officials to Florida, Arkansas, and Kentucky.”
Jackson gave a breakdown of the three paid for trips taken.
Florida: “It went great. I had a lot of fun. I had a great time with the players and coaches, and I learned a lot about the program. While I was there, I learned how they would use me. I love how they value me, and they don’t treat me like a kid.”
Arkansas: “That went great as well. That was my first time in Arkansas. I had a great time and a great visit with Arkansas. Arkansas’ defensive coordinator, coach Travis Williams, he was at UCF; I was familiar with him from UCF. I had a great time. Their defensive line coach, coach (Deke) Adams, I love him. I had a great time.”
Kentucky: “That was another great visit. That was my second time there. They showed me a lot. They showed me the city of Lexington. I was shocked and surprised. I didn’t know how much they valued me. Now I know how they want to use me in their scheme. I loved the players; they showed a lot of love.”
Jackson gave insight on how teams are seeing him fit in next level schemes.
“They see how versatile I am,” Jackson said. “They see me at defensive tackle and at a 4, 5, or 9. They see me as someone who can drop back if needed, and as someone who can play the run from the 3 or rush from a 3.”
Heading down to Miami, the enthusiasm for the upcoming trip comes through.
“I am really excited,” Jackson shared. “This will be my fourth time being in Miami, but this will be my first time being in depth with their new defensive coordinator (Lance Guidry). I am really excited. I can’t wait to learn more about the scheme and the program, and to be around the staff and feel the love.”
Asked what is important for him to learn and/or experience on this trip, Jackson said, “It is important for me to see how they value me, where they see me, learn about their depth chart, how many they will sign at my position, the academics, the player development, and playing time.”
Clarifying his status with the four official visit hosting programs, Jackson shared, “Yes, those are my top schools.”
How Jackson will choose his top school is straightforward, “Relationships. It will come down to who I can trust the most, who values me, and who will have my back in certain situations.”
Jackson plans to announce his commitment on July 20.