Rivals250 DE Landon Jackson becomes the second Tiger from Texas this week

Landon Jackson held offers from nearly every college football power in the country, but managed to keep the world on its heels as he announced his commitment on Sunday evening.

The Rivals250 hybrid edge-defender committed to LSU over the likes of Texas, Ohio State and Texas A&M. That could be perceived as a surprise considering Jackson’s May official visit to LSU was postponed as a result of the CoVid19 pandemic, which forced the NCAA into an indefinite dead period. Jackson’s last trip to Baton Rouge came at the tail end of college football’s regular season when LSU knocked off Texas A&M right after Thanksgiving.

Jackson is a Texas A&M legacy. His father, Larry Jackson, played on the Aggies' basketball team from 1999 through 2000. Landon landed his first Power 5 offer from the Aggies. Texas A&M’s Terry Price and Jimbo Fisher had made the four-star defensive end a priority in this 2021 class and he was awfully familiar with the landscapes in both College Station and also Austin leading into his late-April decision. Entering the spring, the Aggies were perceived as the team to beat for Jackson.

The defending national champions have remained red-hot on the recruiting trail, adding a commitment from another one of Texas’ best in four-star wide receiver JoJo Earle just 72 hours earlier. While Jackson had made more in-person trips to the schools inside the state, consider Ed Orgeron’s track record with defensive linemen and consistent recruiting push as the difference.

"I talk to really everyone on LSU's coaching staff,” Jackson told Rivals last fall. They told me that a lot of practices, he (Coach O) is with the defensive line because he used to be the defensive line coach, so it would be neat to work with him every day. I like where it's located and it's pretty cool … We talk about how I fit into the program and a lot of the stuff they do down there, like the defensive line get-togethers.”

Jackson currently ranks as the No. 216 prospect in the country, the No. 10- weak-side defensive end and the No. 33 overall player in the Lone Star State. He is the seventh commitment for the Tigers and the second — along with Earle — out of Texas.

LSU’s recruiting class currently sits at No. 17 in the country.

Jackson is a decorated pass-rusher with an extremely high ceiling. For now, he remains raw, but has the upside of a difference-making edge defender with length, power and speed, and the capacity to be a wildly disruptive force on his defense.

The East Texas standout measures in at 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds with a wide frame and room to pack on more mass. Texarkana (Texas) Pleasant Grove coach Josh Gibson estimates Jackson possesses 4.5 speed, which matches with what we have seen on film. Jackson also recorded the following track scores: high jump (6-foot); triple-jump (40-foot, 10.5 inches) and shot-putt (40-foot, 5.5-inch).

Jackson has been very productive in three seasons at Pleasant Grove High. He was named the Class 4A Defensive Player of the Year by the Texas Sports Writers as a junior in 2019, a campaign in which he accounted for 110 tackles, 29 behind the line of scrimmages, 17 sacks, 8.0 pass breakups, 7.0 forced fumbles and 4.0 fumble recoveries to go along with 6 receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown. Jackson was also the Texas 7-4A-II Defensive Newcomer of the Year as a freshman in 2017.

In three varsity seasons, including an injury-shortened 2018 due to an ACL injury, Jackson has amassed 264 total tackles, including 60 for loss, along with 37.5 sacks, 10 forced fumbles and 5.0 recoveries. Jackson helped his Hawks to state championships as a freshman and a junior.

Jackson projects as a hybrid edge-defender capable of being a stand-up outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme or a traditional 4-3 defensive end. LSU is in the process of making a transition from a three- to four-man front as Bo Pelini puts his touch on the Tigers' defense after Dave Aranda left Baton Rouge to accept the head coaching position at Baylor. Jackson projects as a menacing force for Pelini to plug in at numerous positions to generate pressure, set the edge and cause havoc behind the line of scrimmage.

Jackson is explosive -- particularly from a two-point stance -- and has the ability to get pressure off the edge, as a stand-up linebacker in-between the tackles or with his hand in the dirt. He has massive speed and quickness, plus noticeable length to not only throw quarterbacks to the dirt and corral ball-carriers in space, but blog passing lines and disrupt throws even when the play doesn't result in a sack.

Jackson's length can be deafening at times. He also does well battling inside as an interior pass-rusher and setting the edge as a traditional defensive end. At his best, Jackson has the potential to blow up a play before it even starts and is difficult for one offensive line to contain

Jackson has, however, struggled in certain settings. During Future 50 in Orlando in January, the Rivals250 defender was effective in 1-on-1s but struggled with agility and some awkward movements. When he arrives in Baton Rouge, Jackson will need to pack on more weight to fill out his frame and add some more upper-body strength tot battle elite offensive tackles. He'd also benefit from adding more pass-rushing technique to his game.