Earlier in the summer we had him on our Woof-Watch list, but Lawndale High School (CA) defensive back, Elijah Jackson took some other trips and seemed a little hard to read. Today, however, he’s made a public decision and committed to Washington.
Jackson was in Seattle for an unofficial trip during the spring, and returned again in June for an official visit, but then took trips to Cal and UCLA and both those schools stood out as well — even to where we believed he might be leaning to Cal.
But no, Washington was the place that continued to stick out in his mind.
“I thought of how I could see myself being there”, he said, “Coach Harris and I have a great relationship”.
Jackson hadn’t been able to bring his mother with him during the trips to Seattle, but is planning to return this fall, “I want to bring my mom up because she hadn’t been up with me before”, adding that he wants to see a game and get the game-day vibe at Washington.
At the end of the day, though, Jackson said it comes down to where he feels the most “at home”, and UW makes sense for him, “That’s the DB-U of the Pac-12 right there.”
At 6-2, 181, Jackson is a long and wiry athlete who fits the Huskies’ secondary perfectly; he’s a hard-hitter, agile, and has some serious 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.
