TALLAHASSEE – Around Jahzare Jackson stood sizable offensive linemen, 6-foot-5 and 6-foot-6 prospects who are already starting to stockpile Power Four offers as rising juniors.
And Jackson towered over all of them.
Somewhere between 6-foot-9 and 6-foot-11, and easily eclipsing 300 pounds, Jackson immediately caught the eye of anyone looking on at Florida State's Elite Camp on Sunday. A few family members of the "shorter" linemen gawked at the towering Jackson during warm-ups as he threw one lengthy leg into the air and then the other.
In a land of hulking athletes, Jackson distinguished himself.
"Felt good, felt like I looked good out there," said Jackson.
If you're thinking to yourself 'hey, shouldn't he be playing basketball at that size', well you're on the right path. Jackson spent the last few years as a big man for Overtime Elite – a semi-pro basketball league with high pay for high-school aged players with an age cap of 20 years old – and was a solid player this past season for the City Reapers, averaging 12 points per game and 7 rebounds. He's probably best known for being a teammate with Bronny James, the son of LeBron James, but Jackson's time at OTE is over and he's on to his next journey.
And so he's looking to return to football.
"He's a great kid, definitely had some football background when he was younger, definitely can take coaching and has a good approach to the game," said Matthew Verden, the Overtime Elite manager of player personnel.
— Brendan Sonnone (@BSonnone) June 9, 2024Jahzare Jackson is an OT prospect, played in OTE.
He’s huge, 6-11/322.
Interested to see him in positional drills. pic.twitter.com/lmt8FNGOxE
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Jackson played football beginning in the third grade, starting out at running back – "I was bigger and faster than everyone" – before moving to tight end and eventually left tackle by the time he was in middle school. But by eighth grade, Jackson kept growing and was looking more like a basketball player than a football player.
"Football was my first sport," Jackson said. "People were telling me I was too tall for football so I just ventured away from it."
Hoops was a fruitful endeavor for Jackson, but football is a sport he wants to legitimately give a shot now that his OTE time has expired. He's closely studied his favorite football player, Trent Williams, as he's started training for a new old sport.
So far, Jackson has established a relationship with FSU, Georgia, and Arkansas. He obviously checked out FSU some on Sunday, and would like to see the two SEC schools soon – but with no plans locked in, yet – with the hope of enrolling somewhere ahead of fall camp. He'll be 20 as a true freshman for the 2024 season, wherever he ends up.
Jackson has a prior relationship with FSU DB coach Patrick Surtain, who was trying to get the massive prospect to come play prep football at American Heritage when he was in South Florida. That explains some of the interest on FSU's end to have Jackson camp on Sunday.
During the camp, Jackson was raw, as expected.
Yet Jackson got legitimately better as the day went on. In individual drills, he'd have a miscue with technique or understanding on what to do in the drill, and would get corrected by offensive coordinator Alex Atkins or analyst Gabe Fertitta. He'd apply it to the next rep, and there'd be progress.
By the end of the day, in 1 vs. 1 reps, Jackson was starting to consistently wall off a talented group of edge defenders who got tired of trying to go around the massive frame and started cutting inside.
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Jackson would counter, shuffle with them with his size 18 feet, and neutralize the defenders while Fertitta threw his hands up victoriously and Atkins cheered him on.
"What I learned [at the camp] is to keep me in between ball and man. Not ball and man, that's basketball," Jackson said, catching himself. "I have to stay in between, I need to split the defender down the middle basically. And stay patient.
"I'd say it's translatable in staying in front of your man, not oversetting, sliding laterally. That's the same thing if you get switched into a pick and roll against a big 'ol guard and you have to slide your feet laterally."
— Brendan Sonnone (@BSonnone) June 9, 2024Jahzare Jackson got better in 1 on 1s as day went on.
Obviously raw. But steady progress throughout day in each drill he did. pic.twitter.com/bm94ejanNX
Place Jackson in the "there's something there" category as an intriguing, super developmental prospect.
There's interest on FSU's end, for sure. Getting him into classes on Jackson's timeline might be tricky given that he's on an odd track, but he's a prospect who seems worth exploring all options given his rare size and frame.
Offensive line evaluation, in general, is a bit of a crapshoot. Even at the NFL level.
So you bank on traits.
Frankly, there aren't many 6-foot-10ish, filled out humans who can move like Jackson on this planet. If he's indeed serious about football, he's a player who might be worth betting on.
"I never fell out of love with football, I always had a passion, it's just that basketball took over so I wanted to open that back up and get back into it," Jackson said. "Ever since, I've been in love with it. It feels like this is what I was supposed to be doing."
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