Ohio State junior college defensive tackle commit Antwuan Jackson (247Sports).
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State is expected to sign four-star junior college defensive tackle Antwuan Jackson during the early signing period for the 2018 recruiting class from Dec. 20-22. Here's an in-depth look at this member of the Buckeyes' recruiting class.
By Bill Landis, cleveland.com
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Antwuan Jackson
School: Blinn College (Brenham, Texas).
Position: Defensive tackle.
Height, weight: 6-foot-3, 305 pounds.
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247Sports rating: Jackson is a four-star prospect rated the No. 1 junior college defensive tackle and the No. 3 overall JUCO prospect in the 2018 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports composite ratings.
Other offers: The former Auburn Tiger picked up offers from Alabama, LSU and South Carolina after transferring to junior college.
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What's his deal?
Ohio State doesn’t go into the junior college pool often. This is only the fourth time in Urban Meyer’s seven recruiting classes that the Buckeyes are bringing in a JUCO prospect. But you can consider Jackson’s commitment more of a delayed recruitment.
Jackson was down to Ohio State and Auburn when he chose the Tigers coming out of high school in the 2016 recruiting class. Back then he was the No. 7 defensive tackle in the country, No. 51 overall in the class, from Cedar Grove High School in Georgia. Add him to the list of premier defensive tackles from the south that Ohio State swung on, and missed.
After deciding to transfer from Auburn, he was blocked from jumping to any other SEC program, any team on the Tigers’ 2017 schedule, and Ohio State. Think the Auburn staff might have saw this one coming? So Jackson went to Blinn College, and after the Buckeyes saw a few games of his JUCO film, they were ready to accept his commitment.
Jackson’s relationship with Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson made it a close pick back when he chose Auburn, and made the Buckeyes the favorite once Jackson was back on the market.
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How he fits into Ohio State's plans
Jackson, along with five-star prospect Taron Vincent and four-star prospect Tommy Togiai, forms the best defensive tackle haul Urban Meyer has signed since he came to Ohio State. This is a major recruiting moment for the Buckeyes that feels like it’s not being talked about enough. Perhaps that’s because Johnson has done a good job of developing talent, which at the moment doesn’t make tackle a glaring position of need.
But Ohio State needed to change the narrative when it came to defensive tackle recruiting. Adding in Haskell Garrett last year, Vincent and Togiai this year and getting a former top-10 high school prospect at the position in Jackson out of junior college accomplishes that.
And though Vincent, the five-star tackle that’s always eluded the Buckeyes, will get most of the attention, it’s likely Jackson who’s coming in the most college-ready with his year at Auburn, and his season at Blinn -- one of the top JUCO programs in the country.
Ohio State has had some mixed results with junior college prospects, but the expectation remains the same. If OSU signs you as a JUCO prospect, you’re expected to play immediately.
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Projections for 2018
So where does that leave Jackson for next season? Well he’s enrolling early, which will help in his development. By blocking his transfer to Ohio State, Auburn stole away a year of development under Johnson. But they can make up some of that this spring.
Ohio State will lose Tracy Sprinkle and Michael Hill after this season. It’s possible Dre’Mont Jones moves on to the NFL. If that happens, Robert Landers and Jashon Cornell will be the top two returning tackles. Garrett will demand playing time. Davon Hamilton will be in the mix, as will redshirting freshman Jerron Cage. Malik Barrow is coming off his second major knee injury, and his status is unknown.
There are bodies here, but only Landers and Cornell feel like fixtures (assuming Jones is gone). There’s an opening for a new tackle like Jackson to enter the mix. And the rotation could be the deepest it’s been since Meyer and Johnson set out to rotate defensive linemen like SEC teams do.
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Jackson was a U.S. Army All-American coming out of high school (247Sports).
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