One of the many recruits in Gainesville this weekend for Forida’s Rivalry Week matchup with Florida State was Portal (Georgia) tight end [autotag]Amir Jackson[/autotag], and the consensus four-star recruit left Gainesville feeling very comfortable with his future home, according to Swamp247.
Jackson didn’t sweat the loss, noting that the team is young and in the process of turning around. That’s one of the reasons Jackson picked Florida in the first place. Many of the class of 2024 recruits want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Restoring the Orange and Blue to its former glory certainly fits the bill.
“We got a pretty young team,” Jackson said. “And losing by five or six points. You can tell it’s talent in there, you just got to get the experience, and coaching will come around.”
This was Jackson’s first gameday visit to the Swamp, and he realized very quickly that Rivalry Week is even more intense in person.
“I knew from the jump it was going to be a good game,” he said. “They said it’s a rivalry. I wasn’t ready. The fans brought it, and they added to it.”
Florida locked up Jackson back in June. At the time, Auburn and Florida State were considered the biggest threats to flip him. Jackson still hears from the Seminoles and Tigers every now and then, but they have slowly backed off as his commitment to Florida holds.
Jackson will be an impact addition to the tight end room and could compete for playing time as a freshman. The Gators should only lose Jonathan Odom (transfer portal) and Dante Zanders (graduation), though. Keon Zipperer should return after missing all of his senior year with an injury, and both Arlis Boardingham and Hayden Hansen impressed as redshirt freshmen.
The On3 industry ranking puts Jackson at No. 84 overall, No. 8 among tight ends and No. 13 among recruits from Georgia in the class of 2024.
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