The Oklahoma Sooners are turning the tide in the recruitment of four-star defensive tackle Jayden Jackson.
On Wednesday afternoon, a flurry of predictions were issued by On3 national recruiting analyst Gerry Hamilton, SoonerScoop’s Josh McCuistion and Rivals Miami Insider Frank Tucker, picking the Oklahoma Sooners as Jackson’s landing spot. Tucker flipped his pick from the Hurricanes to the Sooners.
Jackson, a teammate of five-star DT [autotag]David Stone[/autotag] at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, looked to be trending away from the Oklahoma Sooners and toward the Texas Longhorns or Miami Hurricanes. Instead, Brent Venables and Todd Bates put the work in to change the trajectory in the recruitment.
The Oklahoma Sooners haven’t been shy about their intentions to bolster their defensive line through the 2024 recruiting class. High-profile recruitments of [autotag]Williams Nwaneri[/autotag] and David Stone have garnered most of the attention, but earning a commitment from Jackson would be huge for the Sooners.
Would love to brother 🤞🏾🤷🏽‍♀️ https://t.co/eDFXXuH96O
— Jayden Jackson (@JaydenJackson65) April 10, 2023
At 6 feet, 2 inches and 300 pounds, Jackson has the strength to be a nose tackle in the SEC. He’s equally adept at defending the run and rushing the passer because of his quick get off and tremendous athleticism for a player his size.
Here’s what I said about Jackson when he dropped his top 12 in April, which included the Oklahoma Sooners.
Jackson is a 6-foot-2, 300-pound defensive tackle that is the definition of a people mover. He is quick off the line of scrimmage and displays really good play strength. Jackson can dart through the line to get into the backfield or utilize his strength to defeat double teams at the point of attack. – Williams, Sooners Wire
So much of what Brent Venables wants to be about stems from what he gets out of his defensive tackles. What made him so successful at Oklahoma in the past and during his time at Clemson was All-American caliber defensive tackle play from Tommie Harris, Gerald McCoy, Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence.
While Nwaneri and Stone represent the big fish in the recruiting class, Jackson isn’t far behind in terms of potential to make a huge impact.
The Oklahoma Sooners have to get better in the trenches to compete in the SEC. The great teams, Georgia, Alabama and, at times, LSU, have had dominant offensive and defensive lines. For the Sooners to compete, landing Jackson to go along with their other highly-regarded defensive line targets helps set Oklahoma on a trajectory where it can contend for SEC and national championships.
Jackson plans to commit on July 13 at 5 p.m. CT on 247Sports “College Football Recruiting Show.”
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