Tennessee is still in the conversation to land 4-star outside linebacker Ian Jackson from Prattville, Ala. Jackson listed his top ten schools on his Twitter page Thursday.
Top 10‼️‼️ (In no order) pic.twitter.com/h06FT5YmpX
— Ian Jackson (@IMJack003) March 26, 2020
It is a SEC heavy list, as Alabama, Texas A&M, Georgia, Auburn and LSU are included along with Tennessee. Louisville, Nebraska, Florida State and Oklahoma round out the ten.
Jackson is a 6-foot-1, 208-pound outside linebacker in the 2021 recruiting class that has impressed scouts, giving him a 4-star rating as the No. 25 outside linebacker in the country per the 247Sports Composite. Jackson is the No. 10 player in Alabama.
It is an interesting battle for Jackson, as Tennessee looks to compete against his home state Alabama Crimson Tide. Former Tennessee safeties coach Charles Kelly is Jackson’s primary recruiter for Alabama, while former Alabama defensive backs coach and current Tennessee defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley serves as Jackson’s primary recruiter for Tennessee.
Jeremy Pruitt’s familiarity with the state’s recruiting landscape is well-documented from his time on the staff at Hoover High School, where the Buccaneers had many battles with Prattville High School.
The possibility is there for Jackson to be converted to safety in college, but his natural tackling abilities has helped him become one of the best high school prospects at the second level of the defense.
Tennessee currently has seven players committed to the 2021 recruiting class, with three of them coming from Alabama. There are no pure outside linebacker prospects yet committed.