On Tuesday the Florida Gators hosted a trio of top targets for the 2023 class on unofficial visits ahead of a busy month of June.
Defensive back Ja’Keem Jackson (6-1, 180, Kissimmee, FL. Osceola) was on campus with his teammates Derrick LeBlanc and John Walker and they had a jammed pack day.
“It went good, I finally got to meet some of the coaches,” Jackson said of his visit to Florida on Tuesday. “When we got there, we ate, we walked around the facilities, and then we did a photoshoot. After that, we watched them practice and then I talked with Coach [Corey] Raymond.”
Jackson picked up an offer from Florida this spring after defensive backs coach Corey Raymond watched him in practice at his school.
“I’ve been talking with Coach Raymond and Coach [Patrick] Toney,” he said on the coaches who are recruiting him for Florida. “He [Raymond] likes how I play especially my ball skills and my speed. He liked what he seen at my practice and wants me to play on the outside for him.”
Defensive coordinator Patrick Toney has also been recruiting Jackson hard and has explained to him how the Gators could move him around in the secondary.
“He has been pretty much saying the same thing, he likes how I play,” Jackson said on his talks with Toney. “He said that I could fit in really good and play some safety, but it depends on what team we play and stuff like that.”
Jackson is well aware of Raymond’s coaching history with top defensive backs, and he says it’s something that he likes because of his future goal.
“He’s coached Derek Stingley, Patrick Peterson, and them guys,” he said on what he likes about Corey Raymond’s history. “I look at it like he has developed some good players and put them in the NFL and my goal is to make it to the NFL.”
After visiting Gainesville, Jackson says he has a lot of interest in Florida for several reasons and he has been talking to current players about the new staff.
“I’m very interested in them,” Jackson said on his interest in Florida. “I just like the coaches, the players, I’ve been talking to some of the players, and they’ve given me some good advice and they like it there.”
Next up for Jackson will be some more unofficial visits as he’s waiting to take official visits and also waiting to make a decision until sometime this fall.
“I’m going to wait to take them [officials] until the fall, I’ve locked in two so far, one to Penn State and one to Tennessee,” he said on what’s next for him in his recruitment. “We’ve [Derrick LeBlanc and John Walker] have been trying to figure out the same day [to commit] but I’m not sure yet.”