One of the top defenders in the state of Alabama has cut down his list of teams he’ll be focusing on moving forward in his recruitment, and the Vols made his trimmed-down list.
Ian Jackson, a four-star outside linebacker from Prattville, Alabama, tweeted out his top 10 teams on his birthday on Thursday, and Tennessee was included along with Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Auburn, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Florida State, Nebraska, and Louisville.
Top 10‼️‼️ (In no order) pic.twitter.com/h06FT5YmpX
— Ian Jackson (@IMJack003) March 26, 2020
The 6-foot-1, 210-pound defender is rated as the No. 309 overall prospect, No. 25 outside linebacker, and No. 10 recruit in the state of Alabama in the 2021 cycle per the 247Sports Composite rankings. Jackson is the top-rated linebacker in Alabama per 247Sports.
Tennessee offered Jackson back on January 19th of this year, a day after he took a visit to campus for a Junior Day event. The Vols were Jackson’s third SEC offer at the time, and he’s added 10 more offers since then, including his most recent offer from Oklahoma earlier this week.
Jackson is a very versatile and athletic defender, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him play safety or move to a STAR type of role in college. He moves well and shows great anticipation. Jackson is quick but also has patience in passing plays, and he’s capable of playing both zone and man-to-man. He’s an effective blitzer and makes strong tackles.
During his junior season, Jackson racked up 91 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, six sacks, three forced fumbles, and an interception he returned for a touchdown. He was named to the Alabama Sports Writers Association 7A All-State Second Team for his efforts this past season.
The Vols currently have one highly-ranked prospect from the state of Alabama committed to them, and that’s four-star wide receiver Jordan Mosley. Tennessee has seven players pledged to them in the 2021 cycle so far.
