'10 TX DE Jackson Jeffcoat (Official Offer)

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'10 TX DE Jackson Jeffcoat

Strongside defensive end
Plano (TX) Plano West

AAU: Dallas Heroes
Ht: 6-foot-5
Wt: 230 lbs
Class: 2010 (High School)

FVSports - World of Recruiting: War Room (May 9th, 2008)

If you don't know who Jackson Jeffcoat is, it's about time you do. The junior-to-be is the son of former Dallas Cowboys Defensive End and current Houston assistant coach Jim Jeffcoat. Jackson, despite just finishing up his sophomore year, is already a two-sport star at Plano West HS in Texas. He earned 1st-team All-State 5A honors as a sophomore, something absolutely unheard of for a sophomore, especially in such a competitive district and classification. Jackson is 6'5", 240 pounds, runs a 4.50 40, has the athleticism of an elite basketball player, and is being compared to the likes of Tommie Harris in regards to the best defensive line prospect to come out of Texas. Jackson already has a litany of verbal offers and will likely be the #1 ranked player in the next recruiting cycle. The word is Jackson is wide open this early, and it figures his father, who attended Arizona State, will have a influence in helping to guide and structure a recruitment that will get pretty intense. It's no surprise that Texas, Oklahoma, LSU, Texas A&M, Florida, and USC are thrown around as the early contenders, and after Ken Norton's visit to Plano West last week, there's buzz that USC might be the team to beat, especially considering Pete Carroll's impressive success with recruits whose father or brother played in the NFL.

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Being the child of a professional athlete doesn't always translate into being just talented. But with the genes of two athletes, it's no wonder that Jackson Jeffcoat has the athletic ability to be a two-sport star in basketball and football.

"My dad (Jim Jeffcoat) was a big-time player, and he helps me out with a lot of stuff,” said Jackson, a Plano (Texas) West Senior High junior-to-be, whose basketball team participated in Kansas basketball coach Bill Self's camp at Allen Fieldhouse over the weekend. "Also, my mom was really athletic.

She did track and tennis in college at Arizona. So both sides I get the genes from. And my dad jokes around that I got most of my genes from my mom.” Jim Jeffcoat was a defensive end in the NFL and was a member of the Dallas Cowboys' back-to-back Super Bowl teams in 1992 and ‘93.

Although Rivals.com doesn't have official rankings for the class of 2010 yet, at 6-foot-5, 215 pounds, Jackson is predicted to be a top-five football recruit — possibly the No. 1 defensive end — and a top-15 basketball prospect. So it's no surprise that Jeffcoat is drawing interest from Big 12 Conference football powerhouses Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M.

But much like some current NFL players, Jeffcoat said he wanted to continue being a two-sport athlete at the collegiate level. "Julius Peppers went to North Carolina, and he played basketball there,” Jeffcoat said. "He's a defensive end for the Carolina Panthers. But it just helps on the footwork a lot.

Then with football, the strength just helps you in basketball. ”But I can't drop the shoulder or anything (in basketball). You've got to play right. You have to play it a little more conservative than in football." Jeffcoat has a twin sister, Jacqueline — also considered a top basketball prospect at Plano West.

”Someone's going to get her, as far as the basketball arena,” Plano West basketball coach Anthony Morgan said. "She's as big as (Jackson) and strong, and she does a lot on the court.” Morgan thinks Jackson Jeffcoat has a brighter future in football than basketball.

"He has the build and size to be a really good defensive end or outside linebacker," Morgan said. ”He's quick — I think he runs a 4.3, 40. For as big as he is, he just really moves. "On the court, he's just athletic and strong, and he plays like Charles Barkley.”

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FVSports - The Elite100: Class of 2010

1. Jackson Jeffcoat
6'5" / 230 pounds / Defensive End / Plano West High School / Plano, Texas
Contenders: Texas, Oklahoma, USC
Scouting Report: Nation's top junior prospect. Son of former ASU Sun Devils and Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Jim Jeffcoat, Jackson is blessed with his father's physical attributes and has an advanced feel for the game. As a sophomore, Jeffcoat was named All-State 5A, something that's extremely rare given the priority to upperclassmen in the state's highest classification. Has been clocked at 4.50 flat and even touched under 4.5. Shuts down passing lanes with his combination of height and plus wingspan. Disciplined and well-coached, uses his hands like an NFL-vet. Overall technique is on the same level as Devon Kennard. Doesn't appear to have Kennard's explosion off the ball, but Jeffcoat actually plays in a read-and-react defense. One could argue Jeffcoat's frame and straight-line speed gives him a higher ceiling than Kennard. Could have been the #2 prospect in the 2009 class after Barkley. Also the top basketball player in the Dallas Metroplex right now, Jeffcoat may pull a Julius Peppers and go dual-sport in college.

Rivals.com Prospect Rankings

At a sleek and athletic 6-5, 230 pounds, Jeffcoat has great length and uses it to his advantage. He uses his hands as well as any defensive prospect in the country. In the offseason he is a top basketball player and his athleticism on the hardwood comes through on the football field.

[GoRU]

Plano West's Jeffcoat one of top players in Class of 2010 | College Recruiting News | Sports News | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News

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Jackson gets roughly 15 letters a week from schools recruiting him to play football. He's also starting to get interest from schools to play basketball. He was an all-district player as a sophomore and the district newcomer of the year as a freshman.

Jackson hasn't ruled out playing both sports in college if allowed.

"It'll be hard to do, but I know one thing: He's got the competitive spirit," Plano West basketball coach Anthony Morgan said. "I think the hardest part will be convincing a D-I [football] coach to let him do that."

Jackson has been offered a scholarship from several major universities. Oklahoma, Texas, USC and Georgia top his list, he said.

Oh, and Houston. But that's Jackson's choice and not his father's.

"He doesn't push me to go to Houston," Jackson said. "He tells me to do what I want and to find a place I can live for four years."

"If it's the University of Houston, so be it," Jim added. "If it's somewhere else, that's his decision. As long as he picks a place where he's not shorted on his academics, then I'll be happy."

[GoRU]

Accolades continue for Jeffcoat