Elishah Jackett Becomes Latest 2023 Offensive Lineman to Earn UCLA Football Offer
The Bruins are going after a local prospect to help bolster their future offensive line, and they just took the next step in their recruitment of the Orange County native.
UCLA football sent an offer to class of 2023 offensive tackle Elishah Jackett on Monday, the recruit announced on Twitter. The 6-foot-7 Jackett is heading into his senior year at El Modena High School (CA).
Jackett also has offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Kansas, Ole Miss, Rice, San Diego State, Texas, USC, Washington and Washington State.
Jackett talked about his most recent offer with 247Sports' Greg Biggins, citing his quick connection with new offensive line coach Tim Drevno and his interest in UCLA's kinesiology program as things that could draw him to Westwood.
“I had a good talk with coach Drevno and then he offered me,” Jackett said. “I kind of saw it coming because I’ve been talking with the coaches for a while now and they had been sending me a lot of letters as well."
Jackett will be coming to Los Angeles this weekend, first to visit USC on Saturday and then to take part in the Under Armour All-American camp on Sunday. Jackett has not visited Westwood, though, and he said he plans to come to Westwood for a full tour this spring or summer.
While his football recruiting is more than taking off, Jackett is still suiting up as a dual-sport athlete at El Modena. Jackett's 6-foot-7 frame transitions nicely to basketball, where he is a forward/center for the Vanguards.
On the gridiron, though, he took off in 2021. USC and San Diego State had been in touch through most of the fall, but Jackett did not have an offer until November. Once those two schools hopped on board, Rice was not far behind, and nine more programs have offered Jackett since the end of his junior season.
Jackett has been putting on weight recently, now approaching 280 pounds. He still boasts a skinnier physical profile than most elite tackles, but his height gives him plenty of room to put on extra weight before he reaches college.
One of the benefits of being a basketball player and not being as bulky as most other linemen is that Jackett has footwork and athleticism that are drawing the eyes of many schools and scouts.
Jackett is a three-star prospects according to both 247Sports and Rivals. In the 247Sports Composite rankings, Jackett is currently the No. 31 prospect in California, the No. 42 tackle in the country and the No. 487 recruit in his class overall.
UCLA lost both of its starting tackles earlier this offseason, with both Alec Anderson and Sean Rhyan declaring for the 2022 NFL Draft. Garrett DiGiorgio will be a junior by the time 2023 rolls around, but the other tackle spot remains a question mark both in 2022 and moving forward.
As a result, the Bruins' staff is leaving no stone unturned when looking for potential pieces for its future trenches. UCLA now has six outstanding offers to class of 2023 offensive tackles, more than they have sent to any other position.
Spencer Fano is the highest-rated of the bunch, but Jackett is joined by Elijah Paige, Luke Baklenko, Raymond Pulido and Heath Ozaeta as other West Coast prospects who could figure into the Bruins' future plans up front.
None of them have committed to UCLA as of yet – the Bruins are one of four Pac-12 programs without a class of 2023 recruit under their wing at the moment. But in the coming months, once Jackett and others are able to come to campus and narrow down their lists, the picture of their future at tackle may become increasingly clear.
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