Rebels Back in the RB Market, Inquiring about Under-the-Radar Sean Jackson
Ole Miss has swung and missed on a few running back targets in the 2021 recruiting class.
Now, they're reaching out to one under-the-radar, bowling ball of a tailback out of the Birmingham area in Hewitt-Trussville's Sean Jackson. A true downhill runner with surprisingly good receiving chops for a man of his size, Jackson could very well be the next power back in Oxford.
Standing at 5-foot-10, Jackson weighs a whopping 225-pounds. Picture Ole Miss' current go-to running back in short yardage situations, Snoop Connor, and add ten pounds. That's what you're looking at in the high school senior Jackson, and it's not like that size makes him lack required speed at the position.
In 2020 as a senior, Jackson rushed for over 1,071 yards on 106 carries, averaging 10.1 yards per touch in the ground game. He added 339 receiving yards and totaled 14 touchdowns in the process. As a junior, he ran for over 700 yards and added 450 yards through the air.
Jackson managed to do all of this while being the No. 2 tailback behind Armoni Goodwin, a four-star who recently de-committed from Auburn.
Likely because of Goodwin, Sean Jackson has flown under the recruiting radar. He was a late addition to the SI All-American Candidates list, being added in November, is a three star prospect (yet unranked) by 247Sports and is unranked by Rivals.
John Garcia Jr,. Sports Illustrated's director of recruiting, had this to say of Jackson's tape:
He isn’t flashy or possessive of sudden traits, yet he has good mental processing, run instincts and vision. He runs well behind his pads with good contact balance. In fact, a good chunk of Jackson’s yardage came after contact on the first and second levels of the defense. However, Jackson also is a threat in the passing game, as he is capable of working up the seams against linebackers and has some natural ability at catch points. He has an offer from Alabama-Birmingham.
Currently his only serious offer is from UAB, but the senior has recently been drawing late interest from the Ole Miss, Kentucky, South Alabama and others.
Ole Miss currently doesn't have a running back committed for the 2021 class. They struck out on a few running backs earlier in this class, think Kenji Christian (Virginia Tech) and Logan Diggs (Notre Dame). They're very much still in the picture for Alton McCaskill (Oak Ridge HS, Tex.) and Jarquez Hunter (Neshoba Central, Miss.), and honestly both may be more likely than Jackson.
Regardless, the Trussville product in Sean Jackson is starting to draw more late attention from Ole Miss and others. And really, who couldn't use a 225-pound power back with hands?