Buckeyes have an ally in recruitment of 2021 Houston lineman
HOUSTON – The search for top offensive linemen is a must for every program during every recruiting cycle and while the Buckeyes are still looking to lock down their recruiting class of 2020, that does not mean that relationship are not being built in the class of 2021.
One of the best relationships is being built with Houston Episcopal offensive tackle Donovan Jackson. The 6-foot-4, 295-pounder knows a thing or two about the Ohio State program, despite being from the state of Texas. He recently made a trip to the Ohio State spring game in April and had a fantastic experience.
"It was a great experience," Jackson said. "Family being from Ohio, I was pretty much brought up being a Buckeye and the last time I was there I was in 8th grade so going through the recruit experience this time pretty much was a dream come true."
In fact, Jackson has a grandmother who still lives in Cincinnati and she was Jackson's guest during his unofficial visit. He asked the Ohio State coaches if that would be okay and they quickly signed off and having him bring an ally on the visit.
How did she enjoy it? It sounds as if she signed off with that coveted grandmother's seal of approval.
"She is definitely an Ohio State fan, this actually was her first game surprisingly," Jackson said. "She almost feinted when they dotted the I in the Script Ohio. That was her favorite part. She came away with nothing but great reviews which is important to me, seeing if she likes it because she is just as much a part of the process as I am."
This is not going to be some sort of slam dunk for Ohio State however, in fact the Buckeyes will have a lot of distance to cover when it comes to the Buckeyes being the furthest out of the footprint of many of the schools that are resonating well. Jackson mentioned that Texas A&M, Texas, Georgia and Alabama are all doing a great job as well in terms of his recruitment.
It will be important for the Buckeyes to get Jackson back on campus, multiple times. It appears that the plan is in place for Jackson to return this upcoming football season to take in a game and the experience around gameday around Ohio Stadium. Maybe he can get his grandmother to make a return appearance as well, but the entire family will be important when it comes to making a decision like this.
Is there any timeline on a decision? Jackson is only a 2021 and has two more years of high school, but that does not mean that Jackson has not thought about how he would like to see things play out in terms of timeframes.
"The plan right now, I talked it over with my family, is to sign on signing day," Jackson said. "But when I feel it is ready, I have my family's permission to go ahead and pull the trigger. Right now, my order changes every day. One day I feel like I want to be at one school and the next morning I feel like I want to be at the other. So, I am just biding my time, looking at everything and hopefully (my) senior year it will come to me."
That surely means that the Buckeyes have led on certain days but also have been down the list on other days. Is it realistic to expect the Buckeyes to be able to pull this talented player north?
"I came into this season knowing there are only a certain amount of schools that would take me out of the south, Ohio State is definitely one of them," Jackson added.
The family has signed off on the move, if that is the decision.
"My family is fine, they said that if I want to go to Ohio State, I can go to Ohio State," Jackson continued with.
There is still a long way to go however for any program to land the commitment of Jackson.