Offensive lineman Donovan Jackson still has three years of high school ball remaining, but that hasn’t stopped college coaches from taking notice of the Houston Episcopal standout. In fact, Jackson already holds more than 15 offers – many from college football’s powerhouse programs – and he’s a player the Texas staff continues to watch closely.
Recently, Jackson was in Austin for the Longhorns’ Stars At Night camp. He said it was a good visit overall and feels Texas could be close to adding its name to his already-impressive offer list.
“I did very well, in my opinion. Coach (Herb) Hand said he was very impressed. Coach (Tom) Herman said my sophomore season, he’ll have his eye on me. He said he doesn’t really like offering freshman but said pretty much the first game, he’ll give me a call so I’m looking forward to it.
“I showed them how well I can bend, how I can power, can get back in the post as well as I kick. I had a really good day.”
Schools like Alabama, Georgia, Florida, LSU, Ohio State, Texas A&M and Oklahoma have already offered Jackson. If the Longhorns do officially enter the race – or when – Jackson said Texas will receive strong consideration, but he also knows he has plenty of time to sort through the process.
“They’re going to be very high because they’re very high in my major. I want to do sports marketing,” Jackson said. “The networking you get out of the University of Texas is very special. But I have a lot to think about because I have a lot of other schools who have the exact same thing. But I have time, so I’m not rushing it.”
At the Texas camp, Jackson enjoyed the opportunity to work with new Longhorns’ OL coach Hand, and said he picked up some pointers that he feels could help him on the field this fall.
“He mainly helped me with my inside zone because he noticed on my film I wasn’t as good on that as I can be. So he definitely helped me with that, make sure I don’t false step, little things like that so I can improve,” Jackson said.
Along with Texas, the 6-4, 295-pound Jackson listed Texas A&M, Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia and LSU as schools that have caught his early attention. He said he’ll likely attend Texas A&M’s home game against Clemson on September 8 and plans to watch Auburn-Alabama in late November.
