Florida Gators keep local star DE Kendall Jackson home
Kendall Jackson will stay home and play for Billy Napier and the Florida Gators, he confirmed to Rivals before announcing his pick on Wednesday afternoon.
But this was no shoe-in for the local SEC program, who had legit competition from in-state Miami, Kentucky and Arkansas before the final decision came in. Jackson took official visits to each throughout a busy June before moving up his decision timeline to this week.
"I'm staying home," Jackson told Rivals. "It's just the respect and love I have for the coaching staff at Florida, plus the relationships that my and family have grown with them. Also how much they value me. The main thing that stuck out for me was when we were in the meeting with coach Nape and he said he thought how much of an underrated player I am.
"This process took a very long time. I was really considering everybody. I have a lot of love for all those schools, all those coaching staffs. It just came down to who I thought would develop me best, as a program. Not even just the coaching staff."
Jackson has ties to UF beyond his current location in that his mother is a Gator grad as is his late uncle, Aubrey Hill, who was one of the program's top wide receivers of all time and also served as an assistant coach with the program.
The local appeal means plenty for the program's newest commitment.
"Mom was happy," Jackson said. "He wasn't pushing it and let it be my decision, but when I told her, she was real happy. She said, 'Go Gators!'
"It means a lot. We moved from Dallas to Tampa, then Tampa to Gainesville, so the love and respect we have from the community is outstanding in Gainesville. It comes from the real Gainesville natives, so it means a lot."
Jackson, who put together a banner 2022 campaign at Buchholz High School including 12.5 sacks and another 22 tackles for loss, could move around the defensive of the future at Florida.
"They see me playing the 'F' or Jack position," he said. "They said that my athleticism and how well I can move at my size is uncommon at 6-foot-4, 260. You see me out here running routes well, and stuff like that.
"The development I'll get from coach P (Mike Peterson) shows I can be more versatile. I can drop back, play outside, play inside, cover a running back. I'm athletic and skilled enough to do it."
Jackson adds to a red-hot summer of verbal commitments for Napier's program, with the decision coming as the 12th new pledge for UF since June began. The program is up to 19 total commitments, good for No. 2 in the SEC behind Georgia and ranking within the national top five overall.
A prospect on the rise, the newest pledge should not be overlooked within the impressive class to date.
"Knowing that Florida has been there ever since I got the offer, my first SEC offer, is a lot," Jackson said. "Just know I'm going to give it my all and I'm ready to work...
"Go Gators!"