Jackson closer to a decision

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REDONDO BEACH, Calif. - Adoree' Jackson showed up to Aviation Park Field Friday afternoon wearing a Florida State t-shirt.

Whether the five-star athlete is oblivious to the intense public interest in his recruitment or simply doesn't give a hoot anymore is unknown, but the scene after the B2G West Coast Bowl practice was pretty interesting.

There was Jackson standing in the dark, surrounded by reporters, and for more than six minutes as other players grabbed their shoulder pads and walked to the bus to be escorted back to the team hotel, Jackson stood politely and answered all the queries.

Here are some highlights:

The Gardena (Calif.) Serra five-star plans to narrow his list of six favorites to four sometime next week, probably by Tuesday. USC, UCLA, Florida, Tennessee, LSU and Oklahoma are the six.

Jackson is still considering USC, UCLA or Florida for his final official visit next weekend - that's if he even takes one - and he won't know until probably Thursday whether he will or not go on a trip.

Friday was a busy day for Jackson since coaches from USC, Tennessee, LSU and Florida stopped by his tiny high school on Van Ness Ave. The message was pretty clear.

"Everything was the same thing, what they need, the situation for me," Jackson said. "It was the same old, same old. They want to recruit."

Days earlier, Jackson was home in Illinois with his family and many of the same coaches flew in to recruit him - and his family. The different recruiting tactics were evident by Jackson, who had an interception in the Under Armour All-America Game earlier this month.

"It was more about me and building the relationship," Jackson said. "When you're with your parents than by yourself coaches are two different ways. When you're by yourself, they'll tell you what you want to hear. When you're with your parents they'll be real. That's pretty much how it was when I was back home.

"(My parents) just want to make sure I'm in good hands. They wanted to see how they could develop me mainly for the Olympics, that's what they were talking about, and for the next level, the NFL."

Rated as the No. 1 athlete in the 2014 class by Rivals.com, Jackson said he feels no pressure to return closer to his parents in Illinois to play college football - and to start training for an Olympic long-jumping dream for 2016.

Some sources have said different but there's absolutely no question that Jackson is also seriously considering USC since he's been living with his sister for years and many of his close high school friends are staying in town.

The pressure to make a commitment by a certain date - in this case Feb. 5, National Signing Day - might be too much and Jackson said he's at least considering holding off a few more days to let things settle out.

The right choice is more important than a date for Jackson.

"I don't know yet," Jackson said. "I'll probably still do signing day but if I don't I'll probably just call them up during the middle of the week and let them know. If I just feel like I'm not ready, if I feel like I'm not 100 percent sure with my choice."

In the tail end of the interview, Jackson was asked if he knew for certain where he would be going to college and understandably wasn't telling the public or whether he was still flummoxed by it all, still considering all his favorites.

"I'm still kind of confused, that's why I still have that top six," Jackson said. "I'm going to do my investigation skills on them."

After a few more questions, a few more prods about his pending college decision, Jackson walked off the field in the dark, his Florida State t-shirt soaked with sweat and into the backseat of a waiting white SUV in the parking lot.

He was whisked away into the night, his next stop, no one knows.

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