Big visit coming up for Jackson
ORLANDO — Rivals100 safety Lamar Jackson added Oregon to his group of top schools as the Ducks joined Arizona State, Nebraska, UCLA, and USC.
"(Oregon) is still pushing and I haven't visited up there yet and I want to go there before I make a decision," Jackson said at the Under Armour All-American registration.
USC and Nebraska are still the two schools that stand out the most in his top five however. USC is considered the favorite to land Jackson when he makes his commitment via a Bleacher Report video on January 28th. He plans to visit USC on January 14th for an unofficial visit.
"I will go back to 'SC before I make my decision," Jackson said. "It will probably be like the second week after I get home."
The four-star prospect has seen USC plenty of times but he still has big plans for his next visit to campus.
"I've been to 'SC probably three times already," Jackson said. "I just plan to go out there and talk to some people. Talk to teammates and guys that are already committed. I know when I go out there, it'll be a big recruiting weekend. I just want to be around guys like me that are recruited by 'SC and are recruited by 'SC."
Jackson has been recruited by USC for a long time, and he's been affected by the coaching changes that have taken place. However, the current staff's effort in recruiting Jackson has kept them in the hunt.
"With all of the moving parts and the defensive staff getting fired, coach [Peter] Sirmon came out and told me they're still high on me," Jackson said. "That was big - the fact that he came out and made me a priority and showed that me what he wanted me to do in the defense. He told me they'll bring in a good defensive coaching staff, and I trust him. I just want to get out there with some future teammates and stuff like that.
"Earlier in the process, USC was always a favorite. They were always a favorite. Coach Helton was on staff with Sarkisian, and he was always high on me. He's the head guy now, and I have mad trust in him. Once the defensive staff got fired, they still came out for the home visit and stuff like that. They still show love and they haven't stopped."
The biggest question mark for Jackson with regards to USC is what defensive assistants they will be hiring, but according to his previous statements, it doesn't seem like a make-or-break deal for Jackson.
"I just want to see who they bring in for the defensive staff," he said.