Jackson could decide next week

The battle for Grass Valley (Calif.) Nevada Union two way lineman Andrew Jackson looked pretty one sided just a month or so ago. That has all changed and now this looks like a two team race with one school looking tough to beat.

Jackson, 6-5, 240 pounds plays on both sides of the ball and is getting looks as a defensive end as well as an offensive lineman. The athlete had an offer from Stanford and the Cardinal looked like close to lock if Jackson could just clear the Cardinal tough admissions department.

"No, I was cleared by them," Jackson said. "It was a little disappointing because I thought I had a great shot. I have a 4.0 GPA and scored a 1500 on the new SAT but I guess it wasn't good enough.

"That's all right though because I still have some other schools on my list that I like a lot. I tripped to Boise State last weekend and visited Fresno State this past weekend. Boise State was cool but with Coach Hawkins leaving for Colorado, that definitely plays a factor for me. I've already talked to Coach Peterson (new Boise St head coach) and he told me they really want me still so I'm just going to have to do some thinking in the next week or so.

"I really liked Fresno State a lot and they would have to be my top choice right now. I really enjoyed watching the team practice. They practice at a really fast pace and really get after it. There is an energy and a vibe you get from being there at Fresno State. The coaches are great and I got along really well with all the players.

"I toured the campus and that was cool and I spent a lot of time with the academic people. I know a lot of people don't think of Fresno State as a real academic place but they have a lot of really good programs there and I liked it a lot more than even I thought I would.

"They're recruiting me as an offensive lineman and said I could play center, guard or tackle. Right now, I'm really looking at Fresno State and Boise State and I could be making my decision in the next few days. If I'm still undecided, I'll take a visit to Utah in January but I'm leaning towards making my decision before Christmas and Fresno State is on top right now."