Jackson visits top schools
Lamar Jackson worked out at USC and UCLA in recent days and those were important trips since he favors the Trojans and Bruins so far in his recruitment.
The four-star safety from Elk Grove (Calif.) Franklin was first at USC not for Rising Stars Camp but the week prior and he got a chance to chat with defensive backs coach Keith Heyward.
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"It was dope," Jackson said. "The coaches wanted me to go out there and get some work and one of the guys I train with he went to the JUCO thing so I went out there with him.
"Coach Heyward was like, 'When can we get it done?' I told him I hadn't been anywhere yet. I'm going to wait to take all my visits. It's just a matter of when I can do that."
USC is pushing for a commitment and Jackson said UCLA has been aggressive, too. The four-star defensive back has a strong relationship with UCLA position coach Demetrice Martin and that's one reason why the Bruins are so high on his list.
"They're up there, too," Jackson said. "I like it a lot. Coach (Martin) is my guy. He's one of the guys I never hesitate to respond to when he contacts me because I like him a lot.
"I feel like they're both fighting pretty hard. Both of these schools are recruiting me really hard."
There are others as well. Jackson said Oregon is getting much more involved and then Michigan has been way more aggressive in recent weeks. An official visit to Ann Arbor - among other places - should happen before a decision.
"Oregon is making a big push and Michigan is coming pretty hard, too," Jackson said. "I'm going to make sure I take an official visit there to see how that is."
Jackson wants to take all five official visits and then announce his commitment at an all-star game so it should be some time before anything is finalized.