'09 TN OL Will Jackson (Georgia Tech Verbal)

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Knoxville (TN) Farragut

Ht: 6-foot-4
Wt: 280 lbs
Forty: 5 secs
Class: 2009 (High School)


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4/18

By C. Layton. Ole Miss and Vanderbilt offered today, joining Georgia Tech and West Virginia.

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4/24

From the GT site. Jackson had a great visit to Georgia Tech, and enjoyed talking with the coaches. He will take all 5 visits and make a choice in early fall.

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Vols' interest in Jackson picks up : Football Recruiting : GoVolsXtra.com

Will Jackson had begun to wonder if he was being forgotten.

Not totally forgotten, mind you. Just by some schools.

After receiving five scholarships before mid-March, April was quiet for the Farragut High offensive lineman.

Now, the number of offers has doubled thanks to the spring evaluation period.

“Two or three coaches at the school everyday,” Jackson said, describing the last few weeks, “and it seemed like an offer almost everyday.”

Well, maybe not everyday, but at least one a week.

Jackson had already received offers from West Virginia, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech and Middle Tennessee State before the spring evaluation period began.

Now, he’s added Kentucky, N.C. State, Wake Forest and Marshall to the list. Louisville and Stanford have also shown strong interest.

“It’ been great,” the 6-foot-4, 280-pounder said. “I kind of had a month lull where I wasn’t getting too much attention.”

No more. Even the neighboring Vols have gotten in on the action.

“Tennessee, they really started coming on,” Jackson said Wednesday.

The spring evaluation period was full of UT coaches. Both offensive line coach Greg Adkins and defensive tackle coach Dan Brooks visited Farragut.

The attention isn’t one-sided. Even without an offer, Jackson still has strong interest in UT. He’ll visit campus next week and take part in football camp in June, just two of countless times he’s seen the Vols up close.

Jackson said he likes everything UT has to offer, but admits he’s developed great relationships with other schools while the Vols continue to evaluate his skills.

“It would be cool getting offered from the hometown school,” Jackson said. “But if they (the Vols) offered, I don’t see myself committing on the spot.”

The calendar pages are flipping quickly for Jackson, who has said all along that he wants to make a decision before his senior season.

Jackson says he’s still “wide open” and isn’t ready to start whittling down his choices, but two schools have pushed their way to the forefront.

“I know I like Georgia Tech,” Jackson said. “I also like Ole Miss, but I haven’t been able to visit everywhere else.”

At least one school seems to have fallen off Jackson’s radar. After weeks of serious recruiting, Auburn never offered the scholarship Jackson thought was coming.

Alabama, like UT, could prove to be a tough competitor for Jackson if the Crimson Tide decides to offer. ‘Bama has been consistently recruiting Jackson for months.

Along with UT, Jackson said he will take part in Alabama’s football camp, plans to visit Wake Forest and N.C. State and hopes to make a repeat trip to Vanderbilt this summer.

That itinerary could change quickly depending on the schools that are still debating whether to offer.

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6/9

From the NC State site. Jackson took trips to NC State, North Carolina and Wake Forest this wekend, and had good things to say about each. He lists high interest in Tennessee (No offer), Wake Forest, NC State, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Ole Miss and plans to decide before school starts.

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Looks like last chance for Jackson to get offer from Vols : Football : GoVolsXtra.com

It’s ‘T’ Day for Will Jackson.

No longer will the Farragut offensive lineman have to wonder if he’s Tennessee football material. That will all be determined Saturday during UT’s football camp.

“I guess this will be the last chance to impress UT,” the 6-foot-4, 280-pounder said.

UT coach Phillip Fulmer and offensive line coach Greg Adkins essentially told Jackson as much during a meeting two weeks ago. Jackson’s performance in UT’s camp, UT’s coaches said, will determine whether or not the Vols will offer a scholarship.

“I’m just going to go out there and do my best,” Jackson said. “There’s not a lot of flash to my game. Give a lot of effort, show off my quick feet and just be an aggressive player. I’ll do my best. Whatever happens, that’s up to them.”

Jackson’s 40-yard dash could be his strongest asset this weekend. Jackson has recently posted a 4.9-second time in the sprint on Farragut’s track. A similar time at UT would bolster Jackson’s athletic reputation.

“Hopefully that will be a selling point,” Jackson said.

With scholarship offers from around ten schools, an offer this weekend won’t mean an immediate commitment.

“That would be way too much of an emotional decision for me,” said Jackson, who is considering Wake Forest, West Virginia, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss and wants to visit Kentucky and Louisville.

It’s unclear what UT’s recent recruiting moves could mean for Jackson. The Vols picked up a commitment from another in-state offensive lineman Thursday when Kevin Revis from Rhea County was offered and committed to UT.

The two are similar type players, although Jackson is 20 pounds bigger. Both are considered athletic lineman who could play center in college.

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News Sentinel Top 10 in Tennessee, No. 10: Will Jackson of Farragut : Football Recruiting : GoVolsXtra.com

Say this much for Will Jackson: He's not going to be strung along.

"I'm not going to get in the waiting game with any school," the offensive lineman from Farragut High School said. "I'm going to make my decision and I won't look back from there."

The 6-foot-4, 280-pound Jackson, who is the News Sentinel's 10th-best prospect in the state, said an announcement concerning his college destination will come soon, possibly within the month and certainly before his senior season begins in August.

It would be easy for Jackson to get involved in a waiting game with the 800-pound Big Orange gorilla in the room. Countless prospects have remained undecided while Tennessee continues its evaluations into the winter months.

Jackson received significant interest from UT, leading most to believe that a strong showing in last month's football camp would spur the Vols into offering Jackson a scholarship.

Jackson lived up to his end of the deal. UT still has not extended an official offer.

"They're doing their own thing, getting the guys they want for whatever reasons they want them," Jackson said. "I guess they're looking at different things than some of the schools that have offered me."

Just because UT seems uninterested doesn't mean Jackson is devoid of options. With more than 13 scholarship offers, Jackson has whittled down his list to Kentucky, Stanford, West Virginia, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss and Wake Forest.

That list will be pared down to three or four later this month. Much of that process will depend on Auburn, a school that hasn't offered Jackson but has shown strong interest lately. Jackson will visit The Plains on July 12 for Auburn's camp.

Jackson already has visited Auburn for the Tigers' spring game. This time, he hopes to get more up-close and personal with Auburn's coaches.

"That's the main thing," Jackson said. "I just have to get familiar with the staff down there."

That staff may be more enticed than others. Jackson is more finesse than power, which could be a perfect fit for Auburn's new spread offense.

"That's my feelings," Jackson said. "I ran the spread in high school. I'm not a big 320-pound kid, but the spread requires a lot more athleticism and smarts to pass block.

"I think that would be perfect for me."

Auburn was the first school to talk to Jackson. Then, the Tigers backed off. They came on strong once again early this summer, inviting him to this month's camp.

Perhaps Auburn just needs to take a look at Jackson before offering him a scholarship? Perhaps the Tigers' coaches just want to see him up close? Jackson is tired of trying to predict what coaches may do during camps.

"It's hard to see how these camps work," he said. "A school will show you love, you'll do pretty well and they won't offer you."

Stanford may prove to be the X-factor in Jackson's recruitment. Sure, Jackson would love to play SEC football but an education from Stanford certainly has its benefits.

"That's something I've been struggling with," Jackson said. "That's going to be a really tough decision."

"Distance wouldn't be a factor for a school like Stanford because of the education you can get there."

Stanford or the SEC? Jackson is in no hurry to make that decision, one that would have only been made more difficult had UT not stepped aside.

"It's still a good school but I've been able to form better relationships with some people (at other schools)," Jackson said. "I still do like UT but I haven't talked to them as much lately.

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Committed to Georgia Tech, no story yet.