Texas Assistant Coach Chris Jackson Named National Recruiter of the Year

The Texas Longhorns are pushing to have two consecutive top recruiting classes, welcoming the No. 1-rated 2025 class next season and recently claiming their second four-star commit for the 2026 class with offensive tackle Max Wright.

The Steve Sarkisian era has been filled with top-notch recruits, and none of the program's success would be possible without the staff behind the scenes, and especially assistant coach Chris Jackson.

Jackson was named the Rivals National Recruiter of the Year for the 2025 cycle for his contributions in bringing in a wave of offensive talent, including four five-star prospects.

Texas Longhorns wide receivers coach Chris Jackson against the Clemson Tigers during the CFP National playoff first round at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator assisted Texas in signing three top-20 receivers Kaliq Lockett, Jaime Ffrench, and Daylan McCutcheon. Lockett will come in as the No. 2 receiver following a promising performance at the Navy All-American Bowl, while Ffrench and McCutcheon will enter as the No. 10 and No. 18, respectively.

Prior to spending two seasons with the Longhorns, Jackson played as a receiver in the NFL for five years and had stints with five separate teams until he turned to coaching. In 2019, he began working with the Chicago Bears as a defensive assistant and later moved to assistant wide receivers coach. He took a wide receivers coach position with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022 before starting at Texas in 2023.

Jackson takes his previous experience to heart when recruiting the next generation of Texas athletes, as he said that his players have to be looking toward a career in the pros.

“When you look at the guys that you bring into Texas, you have to be more critical and selfish – if you don’t play in the NFL in three or four years, then why am I recruiting you?” Jackson said. “It’s an X-factor – and they all have it.”

His lengthy resume was also a major reason why Lockett became interested in Texas, he told Rivals, along with the ability to develop at Texas under Jackson's watch.

“His growth and maturity is what separated him from the previous year,” Jackson said. “He wanted the numbers to compete on a national level – and we were with him. We saw his development. I’m proud of his development off the field.”

Lockett, alongside the rest of the 2025 class, looks to make an immediate impact under starting quarterback Arch Manning and Jackson in what hopes to be another historic year for the Longhorns.

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