4-star Jefferson talks Buckeyes, UGA visit
The spring has been light on unofficial visits for four-star Brentwood (Tenn.) Ravenwood wide receiver Van Jefferson, but one of the few schools that did get a trip remains very high on his list.
"Ohio State was one of the only visits I've been able to take recently," Jefferson said. "But I really liked it there. I just like Urban Meyer and the way he coaches his guys and Zack Smith and the way he coaches his guys. Just the mentality of the coaches, that's what I like about them."
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With Jefferson's size and speed, every school has a slightly different vision of how he might be used. But he said he thinks he would be a very good fit with the Buckeyes.
"The coaches say I fit in perfectly to what they're trying to do," Jefferson said. "They told me they haven't had the type of receiver that he would like and he wants me to come in and have a big impact. They said they think they can use me outside, use me inside and just get the ball in my hands."
Jefferson's most recent visit to Columbus came during spring practice and he said that helped give him a better idea of what it would be like to play for the Buckeyes.
"Last time I went I didn't get to see them practice so that was good," Jefferson said. "Seeing them practice, now I can see how they go about their business, how they run things and it made me like them even more."
While he is clearly very high on the Buckeyes, Jefferson stopped short of declaring a favorite. He did say however he's planning on trimming things down soon.
"I don't have a favorite yet but I'm going to narrow it down in the next two weeks," Jefferson said. "I want to make a decision over the summer but before that I want to visit Purdue, Penn State, South Carolina, Clemson, Georgia, Tennessee and Ohio State one more time."
The first school to get a visit out of that group will be Georgia. Jefferson lived in nearby Atlanta as a child and said he wouldn't mind going back to the Peach State.
"I was young when I lived there but I've paid attention to them since then," he said. "I'm going to go down this this weekend or next weekend and get a look at what they have to offer."
Jefferson said his contact with the Georgia coaching staff has also gone a long way toward putting the Bulldogs in the mix for his commitment.
"Talking to Coach Bobo and Coach Ball you know that they're great coaches," he said. "The way the play and their style is good. And all they do there is produce receivers so I think I could go there and make an impact as well."
Both Athens and Columbus are more than four hours from home, but Jefferson said distance won't play a role when it comes time for a decision.
"It doesn't matter to me," Jefferson said. "I've been all over the place with my dad being in the NFL so moving or going far doesn't matter so I'm not going to factor that in."