Lawndale HS (Lawndale, CA) two-way threat, Elijah Jackson was excited when he tweeted out that he’d been offered Saturday afternoon following a three-day trek to Seattle with his father, and to hear him tell it, Washington may just make the most sense…
“It’s a very big deal”, Jackson told Realdawg.com over the weekend, “That’s the DB-U of the Pac-12 right there.”
And Jimmy Lake and Will Harris definitely had some momentum going into Saturday afternoon when they made the offer to Jackson; the draft had just taken place and eight Huskies were taken; the most in the Pac-12.
Let’s clarify: The Huskies want Jackson at corner, and at 6-2, 181 he’s a long and wiry athlete who fits Lake’s system perfectly. He’s a hard-nosed hitter and he’s also agile and has some big hops.
“I feel like my strengths are that I’m fast and physical”, he said of his game, “I have no fear of who lines up opposite of me.”
And you can see that on his film; he has real good burst and, because he’s also played receiver throughout his young career, he can read routes, understands receiver’s tendencies, and he demonstrates good maneuverability with his feet in changing direction.
Besides, in his mind, every ball thrown belongs to him, “It’s my ball”, he said.
Part of the reason he may seem like something of a “sleeper” is because Jackson hasn’t been going to the combines and didn’t start playing for Lawndale until this past year; before that he was at Narbonne.
What’s appealing about Jackson, however, is that he’s the complete package, “I have a 3.7 GPA”, he said, “If everything lines up I will graduate early.”
And that could definitely impact when he makes a decision — but right now — I’m liking Washington’s chances.
“It was great up there”, he said of his time in Seattle, “It the first time I’d been there and I expected it to be this big city — and it is — but there’s all this nature around. It’s like that L.A. vibe but with nature.”
He also enjoyed the experience of the spring preview, “Just watching them coaching the DB’s and the technique and just all those little things to get them ready for the NFL”, he said.
Jackson also liked the stadium, itself, “It was beautiful how it overlooks the water”, he noted, but also talked about just getting to know more about how UW does things and the Built for Life concepts, “That really stood out. They want to get you ready for life after football too.”
And since he’s a guy who may study pre-law, academics will be extremely important in his decision.
Jackson has already been on unofficials to UNLV, Fresno State, Cal, Utah, and Utah State, “I’m done now”, he said, “Unless something comes up…The coaches want to get me back up there for a game”.
Aside from giving some big props to Jimmy Lake and Will Harris, Jackson said the overall experience was enough to give Washington some very high marks on his list. And it could even help with their efforts for a safety from Lawndale.
“I’m going to talk to Makell (Esteen) more at school”, he said, and yes — the two have talked about going to the same school. Esteen has an offer from the Huskies for safety.
So what’s next? Time will tell — but Washington make a profound impression on this young man and you have to believe they are high on the list at this point. He holds 12 offers and his stock could begin to rise even more now that the Huskies have offered.
Stay tuned…
