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OG Donovan Jackson (Official Thread)



JACKSON IMPROVING PHYSICALLY, READY TO START SEASON

When Ohio State landed a commitment from Donovan Jackson in January, Greg Studrawa and Co. were not just getting a standout lineman from an area (Houston) that the Buckeyes had not had a ton of success recruiting in the past. They were also getting one of the best overall talents in the entire country.

This spring, Jackson was bumped in his recruiting ratings into a five-star offensive lineman, having shifted from offensive tackle to offensive guard, where he is the top-ranked player at the position in America. And on Wednesday, Jackson was bumped even further.

In 247Sports’ Top247 rankings, Jackson was bumped from No. 11 to No. 6 overall in the rankings, giving the Buckeyes three players ranked in the top 10 of the rankings in their 2021 class – along with players Jackson will soon block in practice (defensive end Jack Sawyer) and block for (running back TreVeyon Henderson) in Columbus, as Sawyer slid to No. 5 overall and Henderson moved to No. 10 overall.

Jackson is ranked No. 21 in the composite rankings, giving Ohio State more players ranked in the top 25 of the composite rankings (quarterback Kyle McCord is the fourth) than any other team in the country. The Buckeyes have far more top-50 commits (seven) in America than any other program; Clemson (three), Alabama, Texas and Tennessee (two each) are the next closest.

One of the reasons that players like Jackson and Jayden Ballard – who saw a massive rise in the rankings – are getting noticed more is because the analysts at 247Sports have been able to dive much deeper into game film of each prospect, including being able to look at the film of those prospects’ teammates so that it’s not exclusively highlight tape that they are dissecting for each player, and it provides a more granular picture of each player.

They are also able to talk to their sources on the ground in each area of the country more frequently to get a better gauge of each player. That might have been the case with Jackson, who has been impressing in the weight room and on the practice field throughout the spring before he and his Episcopal High School teammates returned to the field to begin their defense of the state championship they captured last season.

“D starts up practice on the 15th and is anxious to get started with defending the crown,” Jackson’s father, Todd Jackson, told Eleven Warriors.





Todd then detailed some of the work his son has been putting in throughout the quarantine shutdown in order to prepare for when things opened back up.

“He trimmed fat and put on more muscle, benching 400 and squatting 500. Had a 32-inch vertical two weeks ago after a two-hour intense training session,” Jackson said. “He’s gonna be a monster this year.”

Todd says that Donovan had added about 60-70 pounds to both his bench and squat numbers since the offseason began. He was able to focus a bit more on offseason weight training since the track and field season was canceled. Last May, Donovan won Southwest Preparatory Conference state championships in both the shot put (with a 52-foot, 3.25-inch personal record) and the discus (with a personal record of 165 feet).

Since Episcopal does not offer early graduation, Jackson will not be an early enrollee at Ohio State, as he will instead be focused on capturing state titles in both events once again next spring.

When he does arrive to campus, Jackson will begin a career that has a chance to be special. Before he has officially become a Buckeye, there are already expectations that he has a chance to become a multi-year starter and possibly an All-American by following in the footsteps of players like Wyatt Davis at the position.

His physical improvements this offseason should only aid in that quest, as he already seems to possess the physicality and correct mentality to be a top-tier college player in the trenches.

“When I get into a stance, I just read everything. Everything slows down,” Donovan told Eleven Warriors in January, shortly before announcing his commitment. “When the ball is hut – when the play goes – I just see it slow down so much. If I’m double-teaming somebody, I look up and see the linebacker flowing, or I see his eyes shift, I know he’s coming this way. Or if he’s blitzing, I see him looking at me instead of the receiver. Or I see his feet facing me. Or I see him on his toes. The little keys like that, I see it before it happens. That’s why we either audible or do something like that.”
 
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‘I want to replace me with a better me’

It’s one thing to have the frame to be a college football star, and Donovan Jackson certainly has that.

He’s solidly built at 6-foot-4 and almost 310 pounds. He has long arms that make him a devastating blocker against the run or the pass. But what makes Jackson so rare, such a safe bet to excel at the next level and beyond, is his intelligence and his passion for the game.

“He just he wants to be great, and he wants to learn because he loves football,” Leisz said. “He loves it.”
 
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Very interested in seeing where he eventually ends up. Because I could see him at either OT or OG.

Same, love the versatility. Reminds me a bit of Andre Smith just in the sense that he isn't super tall but has the long arms and athleticism to play OT. That being said, I think he ends up at guard if Johnson and Tshabola are as billed as bookend tackles. Either way, great to have Jackson and his versatility, I think he can play anywhere on the OL.
 
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JACKSON TALKS OL IMPORTANCE
In an interview with ABC13 Houston’s Joe Gleason over the weekend, Ohio State five-star commit Donovan Jackson – the No. 1 offensive guard and No. 20 overall player in the country – commented about how he’s been staying shape leading up his season’s restart down at Episcopal High School in the Houston area.



“I feel like working out goes hand-in-hand with being a great athlete,” Jackson told Gleason. “You have to make sure you tune your body well. This place has great facilities, great people around here. I’m here almost every other day, and I work out at home every day. I’m never sitting around on the couch. I’m always doing something to make sure I am being the best Donovan Jackson I can be every day.”

At Jackson’s school, wins have been created in the trenches. So long before he gets on campus next summer, the 6-foot-4, 310-pounder is already comfortable being a big part of an offense’s success.

“We know how important our offensive line is to our school,” Jackson said. “If we’re able to run the ball every down, we’ll be able to do it. Doesn’t matter if it’s Cullen (Montgomery); doesn’t matter if it’s (Luis Chavarria). We’re all working hard to be the best as we can be.”
 
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The Buckeyes landed a huge commitment in early January when offensive lineman Donovan Jackson from Houston (Texas) Episcopal announced a commitment to Ohio State. Jackson announced his decision during a ceremony in the Episcopal gymnasium on Jan. 8.

Jackson had scholarship offers from schools all over the country including Ohio State, Georgia, Alabama, Oklahoma, LSU, Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Stanford before committing to the Buckeyes.

Jackson and his teammates played their first game of the 2020 season on Friday night. Episcopal lost to Port Lavaca (Texas) Calhoun 34-14, but Jackson was absolutely dominating from his left-tackle position. Jackson was credited with an incredible 30 plus “pancake” or takedown blocks in the game. Watch Jackson’s Hudl highlight video from the game:

 
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The Buckeyes landed a huge commitment in early January when offensive lineman Donovan Jackson from Houston (Texas) Episcopal announced a commitment to Ohio State. Jackson announced his decision during a ceremony in the Episcopal gymnasium on Jan. 8.

Jackson had scholarship offers from schools all over the country including Ohio State, Georgia, Alabama, Oklahoma, LSU, Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Stanford before committing to the Buckeyes.

Jackson and his teammates played their first game of the 2020 season on Friday night. Episcopal lost to Port Lavaca (Texas) Calhoun 34-14, but Jackson was absolutely dominating from his left-tackle position. Jackson was credited with an incredible 30 plus “pancake” or takedown blocks in the game. Watch Jackson’s Hudl highlight video from the game:



I think Donovan is our next Wyatt Davis. He's that dominant.
 
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BE ON THE LOOKOUT
Just a quick note to drop in here: Ohio State's five-star offensive guard commit Donovan Jackson is about to join fellow future Buckeye Jordan Hancock in being one of the featured athletes in the All-American Bowl’s Road to the Dome series.

At 8 p.m. tonight, the Episcopal (Texas) star out of Houston will be receiving his All-American jersey in a virtual presentation, just as Hancock did last week.



Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...ible-virtual-visit-could-lead-to-campus-visit
 
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I think Donovan is our next Wyatt Davis. He's that dominant.

So does Kurelic.....



To say I was impressed with Davis that day would be an understatement. Davis, who played tackle, was dominating. He just mauled his opponents and finished his blocks like very few high school linemen are able to. Davis really got after it and played with a nasty temperament.

I see much the same thing in Ohio State offensive line commitment Donovan Jackson. I’ve posted video from Jackson’s past two games including the video above. Jackson is 6-foot-4 and 308 pounds, but he has long arms. Tackle is not out of the question, but guard is the likely spot for him. In Jackson I see the next Wyatt Davis at Ohio State.
 
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So does Kurelic.....



To say I was impressed with Davis that day would be an understatement. Davis, who played tackle, was dominating. He just mauled his opponents and finished his blocks like very few high school linemen are able to. Davis really got after it and played with a nasty temperament.

I see much the same thing in Ohio State offensive line commitment Donovan Jackson. I’ve posted video from Jackson’s past two games including the video above. Jackson is 6-foot-4 and 308 pounds, but he has long arms. Tackle is not out of the question, but guard is the likely spot for him. In Jackson I see the next Wyatt Davis at Ohio State.


I feel validated haha. Jackson does have a little different body type, but his leverage, dominance and nasty streak scream Wyatt Davis.
 
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