Warner Robins’s loss is Sumter’s gain. DE Davin Jackson (6-2 260) of Sumter announced earlier this year he was moving to Georgia for his senior season. Then his plans changed, so he’s staying at Sumter. That’s big for those Gamecocks. On Thursday, Jackson dropped by to visit those other Gamecocks and it was a productive trip to Columbia.
Jackson participated in the morning session of Shane Beamer’s first camp at USC and afterwards received an offer from USC.
“I couldn’t even speak at first, it was crazy,” Jackson says of the offer from USC. “I was in Coach Beamer’s room, and I was talking with him and Coach (Jimmy) Lindsey and it was a great conversation that ended up with an offer. I was super excited, me and my mom.”
Jackson realizes his lack of height for a defensive end turns off a lot of major schools. However, after Thursday’s workout, he doesn’t believe that’s a problem. As a matter of fact, he even surprised himself with his performance.
“I did some crazy things that I’ve never done before on the 1-on-1s,” Lindsay says in evaluating his workout. “Like I don’t really spin, I tried that out and it worked in my favor. A lot of stuff worked in my favor today.”
When asked what impressed the Gamecock coaching staff the most, Jackson said it’s that he is a quick learner.
“They loved the way I performed at the camp today and my film,” the rising senior boasts. “I was able to move and how fast the coaching staff was able to teach me and how fast I picked it up.”
Jackson has several other schools paying a good bit of attention to him. Among his offers are NC State, Syracuse, East Carolina, Kansas, West Virginia, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Tech, Tulane and Appalachian State. He has official visits to Syracuse June 18th and Coastal Carolina June 25th. But getting an offer from USC has certainly given him something to think about.
“It’s definitely going to impact me a lot,” Jackson said. “My head coach said they’ve been looking at me for a while. I really liked the facility. It was super nice. It’s going to be a tough decision, I know that for sure.”
Adding that the offer has moved USC front and center in his recruitment. “They’re probably in my top three for sure.”
So, who are the other suitors right now for Jackson’s services? “NC State and it’s probably Syracuse or Coastal, it’s a tie between them.”
Jackson was hard to handle last season as he rolled up 72 tackles, 26 of them for loss, and 9 sacks. He’s rated a three-star in the 247Sports Composite and is ranked the #17 prospect in South Carolina.
Other Notes:
- 2023 LB Drayk Bowen of Merrillville, IN will visit Clemson June 9th. He has been to Notre Dame and Michigan and will also visit Tennessee, Ole Miss, Alabama, Auburn and LSU this month.
- Greer TE Jaleel Skinner, who visited Florida State Tuesday, said he’s not on the verge of making a decision. He’s scheduled to visit Clemson next weekend.
- 2023 RB Jarvis Green (5-11 185) of Dutch Fork will camp at Clemson June 6th and USC June 19th. He’s also going to Wake Forest, East Carolina, Wofford, Coastal Carolina, Charleston Southern, Virginia Tech, Charlotte and Furman.
- Kansas offered 6-0 PG Jazian Gortman of Keenan.
