Tag: Amir Jackson

Florida football signs 4-star Peach State tight end, first since 2022

Florida added its first tight end recruit out of high school since the 2022 cycle on Wednesday morning.

Florida football picked up its first tight end recruit in two years on Wednesday morning when four-star [autotag]Amir Jackson[/autotag] out of Portal (Georgia) signed on with the Gators on the opening day of the early signing period.

The 6-foot-4-inch, 223-pound student-athlete committed to the Orange and Blue back in mid-June after initially receiving an offer in January after the program’s Junior Days event. Former tight ends coach William Peagler originally pitched the offer to him, but new tight ends coach Russ Callaway did not miss a beat with Jackson after taking over the former’s position.

While Jackson did court other suitors, he stayed the course in his decision to join the gang in Gainesville. He visited the Auburn Tigers for their matchup with the Georgia Bulldogs and at one point was open to other visits, but that quickly simmered down despite Florida’s rough finish.

“We got a pretty young team, and losing by five or six points,” he told Swamp247. “You can tell it’s talent in there, you just got to get the experience, and coaching will come around.”

That could be a prescient statement if all goes well for Napier and Co. next season. The good news is that he wants to be a part of that success.

Jackson is ranked No. 87 overall and No. 8 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 89 and 8, respectively.

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Florida TE commit locked in with Florida following first gameday visit

Florida hosted a ton of recruits over the weekend, including four-star tight end Amir Jackson, who says he’s “at home” in Gainesville.

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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Florida TE commit planning multiple visits after Auburn trip

One of Florida’s 2024 commits recently stopped by Auburn for an unofficial visit, but he has two trips to Gators games in the works, too.

Billy Napier and his recruiting staff landed a big commitment from four-star tight end [autotag]Amir Jackson[/autotag] back in June, but the Auburn Tigers and Miami Hurricanes are still pushing to flip him from the Gators.

Jackson recently visited Auburn for the Georgia game, but his head coach told 247Sports that he’s still locked in with UF.

“He liked it,” coach Jason McEachin said. “He said before he committed, he developed a good relationship with Coach (Ben) Aigamaua. He had an invitation and opportunity to go watch a good SEC football game. He enjoyed the atmosphere of the trip, but he’s still firm where he’s at.”

Nothing is ever guaranteed, but Jackson’s upcoming travel itinerary favors the Gators. McEachin said that Jackson should be in Jacksonville for the Georgia game and back in Gainesville for the Arkansas matchup. Jackson wants to see the blackout jerseys Napier is introducing against the Razorbacks. He has no plans to visit any other programs right now.

McEachin praised Florida for its “thorough” recruiting process. The Gators get to know the player and the person, which isn’t true all over the country.

Jackson is a consensus four-star recruit, ranked highest by ESPN at No. 96 overall in the class of 2024. He’s ranked No. 112 nationally, No. 11 among tight ends and No. 16 in the state of Georgia on the On3 industry ranking, which uses a weighted average from all four major services.

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Florida’s top 2024 TE commit will be at Grill in the Ville event

One of Florida’s June bonanza commitments will be in town this weekend for Grill in the Ville.

Florida football is getting set to host the first edition of the Grill in the Ville event, which welcomes prep prospects from a range of recruiting classes into the Swamp to get a gander at what Billy Napier and the Gators have to offer.

The 2024 recruiting class features mostly student-athletes who have already committed to the program, including four-star athlete/tight end [autotag]Amir Jackson[/autotag] out of Portal (Georgia). The 6-foot-5-inch, 223-pounder made his commitment to the Orange and Blue after making an official visit to campus back in the middle of June.

The Peach State product held offers from the Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn Tigers, Georgia Bulldogs, Miami Hurricanes and Tennessee Volunteers, among other schools, before giving his word to Napier and Co.

Primarily focused on the tight end position, the high school senior spent time at safety and wide receiver, too, suggesting better overall speed than most who play that position.

Jackson is ranked No. 113 overall and No. 16 at the athlete position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at No. 133 overall and No. 12 at tight end.

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Flurry of 4-star commits sends Florida surging up to No. 3 nationally

After getting commitments from five four-star 2024 recruits in the last week, Florida’s class is now ranked third in the nation.

No college football program has been more busy recruiting over the last six or seven days than the Florida Gators. Since this past weekend, Billy Napier and his staff have gotten five blue-chip recruits from the class of 2024 to commit, plus another couple of three-star prospects. They have been particularly active in acquiring highly-ranked high school recruits from the ultra-competitive state of Georgia.

Here’s a look at each player that has announced their commitments to Florida and where they rank in their class going by On3’s national rankings.

Picayune Memorial (Miss.) 4-star LB Jamonta Waller

National ranking: No. 61

Good Counsel (Md.) 4-star LB Aaron Chiles

National ranking: No. 108

Dublin (Ga.) 4-star DL Nasir Johnson

National ranking: No. 272

Clinton (NC) 4-star DL Amaris Williams

National ranking: No. 180

Portal (Ga.) 4-star TE Amir Jackson

National ranking: No. 129

South Gwinnett (Ga.) 3-star OT Marcus Mascoll

National ranking: No. 643

Creekside (Ga.) 3-star DL Michai Boireau

National ranking: No. 917

Florida’s class of 2024 now has 16 hard commits and ranks No. 3 in the nation after being placed No. 19 just a week ago.

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Florida earns commitment from this 4-star tight end

Those official visits to Florida are apparently no joke. The Gators landed a commitment from four-star tight end Amir Jackson in the middle of his trip.

Despite losing a commitment earlier in the day, Florida finished Saturday strong on the recruiting trail with a commitment from four-star Portal (Georgia) tight end [autotag]Amir Jackson[/autotag], who is still in town on his official visit.

Jackson held offers from Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Miami and Tennessee among other schools. He still has official visits planned to four of those schools, but things could change now that he’s pulled the trigger.

At 6-foot-5-inches and 210 pounds, Jackson has the size to beat any linebacker in the SEC. He’s spent time at safety and wide receiver, too, so he has better speed than most tight ends.

 

Jackson is a consensus four-star recruit, ranked highest by ESPN at No. 102 overall and No. 3 among H-tight ends in the class of 2024. The On3 industry ranking, which uses a weighted average of all four major recruiting services, puts him at No. 130 nationally and No. 10 among all tight ends in the class.

The commitment moved Florida up to No. 6 on On3’s team recruiting rankings. The Gators now have 10 commits under their belt in the class of 2024.

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Florida football gets On3 RPM picks for 4-star Peach State TE/ATH

This blue-chipper who plans on stopping by the Swamp in the middle of June for an OV has an overwhelming chance of wearing the Orange and Blue.

Florida football earned an On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine pick for four-star tight end/athlete Amir Jackson out of Portal (Georgia) on Wednesday when Keith Niebuhr submitted his projection along with Gators Online’s Corey Bender. The 6-foot-5-inch, 210-pound pass-catcher is apparently very impressed with how hard the Gators have been working to woo him into the Swamp.

“Florida, Coach Napier, Coach (Russ) Calloway — they contact me everyday making sure we’re good,” Jackson told Gators Online. “You feel like home when you go there on visits. It’s a place you would want to be. (Napier) understands players, he doesn’t just recruit players like me,” Jackson said. “He wants to know about you. And he doesn’t talk just football. It’s about your life and what you plan on doing with your life. It’s just a coach you would want. It means a lot. It shows me that he not only cares but he’s true to what he says.”

Outside linebacker coach Mike Peterson paid a visit to see the rising high school senior at his high school earlier this month. The three-sport standout had 22 catches for 428 yards and four touchdowns in 2022, while also stepping up at the safety position with 71 tackles, two forced fumbles and an interception; he also played basketball and ran track.

It is pretty clear why Napier and Co. covet this Peach State recruit, who is scheduled to make his official visit to Gainesville the weekend of June 16.

“Right now this feels like a Florida-Georgia battle but Alabama is involved and visited him this week,” Niebuhr opined a couple of weeks ago. “Kentucky was on him early and is another to watch. The Gators might be in the strongest spot at the moment. His past visits to Gainesville went great, he’s close with position coach Russ Callaway and Gators coach Billy Napier is heavily involved. But if Georgia pushes, you know it will have a shot. It may simply come down to who wants him the most.”

Jackson is ranked No. 100 overall and No. 8 at the athlete position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 123 and 10, respectively, as a tight end. The RPM has the Gators overwhelmingly in front for his commitment with a 97.3% chance of landing him.

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4-star Peach State tight end gets coaches visit from Florida

This three-sport standout could bolster Florida’s roster on both sides of the ball despite being listed at tight end.

Florida football’s outside linebacker coach Mike Peterson has been out on the road this week visiting a handful of prep prospects at their respective high schools — particularly, in the north Florida and southern Georgia regions.

The former Gators linebacker is scheduled to meet up with a few recruits on Wednesday while embarked upon his current trip, stopping by to see four-star tight end [autotag]Amir Jackson[/autotag] out of Portal (Georgia). The 6-foot-4-inch, 223-pound end was originally offered by former tight ends coach William Peagler — who has since moved on to the NFL — leaving Russ Callaway as the leader in his recruitment.

According to 247Sports, Jackson is planning on making an extended trip to Gainesville for the weekend of June 16.

The three-sport standout had 22 catches for 428 yards and four touchdowns in 2022, while also stepping up at the safety position with 71 tackles, two forced fumbles and an interception. He also plays basketball and runs track.

Jackson is ranked No. 137 overall and No. 10 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 184 and 12, respectively. On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine has Florida in front for his commitment with a 60.4% chance of landing him, followed by the Georgia Bulldogs (11.4%), Auburn Tigers (9.8%) and Miami Hurricanes (8.1%), respectively.

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