Armwood's Jackson ponders following his best friend to Auburn

Jackson, who plays quarterback at Armwood High School in Seffner, Fla., played with freshman Auburn running back Eric Smith, who he calls his best friend, last season. He and linebacker Petey Smith, Eric’s younger brother, are having their turn at the recruiting process this summer.

“Auburn is pretty high up there on my list,” said Jackson, who Auburn projects as a cornerback. “My best friend signed a scholarship to play football up there last year, and he is already moved in and working out with the team.”

Jackson says he and Petey Smith agree joining Eric Smith at Auburn “would be fun to do.”

“But we haven’t decided on anything yet,” Jackson said. “We’ve just talked about it with each other.”

Eric Smith, who Jackson says he talks to “at least once a week” is doing his best to sell his pal on the Tigers.

“He always talks Auburn up, but we talk about everything,” Jackson said. “He tells me about the workouts and conditioning that the coaches have him doing, and all of the stuff like that.”

Jackson says he’s not ready yet to name his favorites.

“I’d say that Louisville, Auburn, Illinois, North Carolina, and South Carolina are the schools that are recruiting me the hardest right now,” he said. I don’t really have any favorites at this point. I’m still trying to learn about all the schools.”

What he’s learned about Auburn, he says he likes a lot.

“Auburn beats Florida every year,” Jackson said. “That stands out. To be able to beat them like that is real big. Plus, they have a great coaching staff and are recruiting some great athletes out of the state of Florida.”

Jackson has not seen the Auburn campus, but he plans to make a trip in early August for an unofficial visit. He has already visited Louisville and plans to visit both North Carolina and South Carolina this week. He says he’s in no hurry to make a decision, but he doesn’t rule out calling an early end to the process.

“The plan right now is to take all of my visits before I make a decision,” Jackson said, “but if a school really stands out to me and feels right, then I will go ahead and make my commitment.”

As a junior, Jackson rushed for 1,135 yards and 12 touchdowns. He passed for 875 yards and six touchdowns.

ESPN, Scouts Inc. evaluation: Jackson is very athletic and extremely quick as a running back/cornerback/wide receiver playing quarterback at the high school level. He shows the open field run skills of a scatback and the speed and moves of a wide receiver with great feet. Has very good initial burst and quickness to attack the line of scrimmage and exploit cutback lanes. Shows fine change-of-direction skills. Runs with a low center of gravity and displays very good overall agility and balance. Shows sudden moves and decisive cuts in-line and has the speed and burst to bounce plays outside once through the line of scrimmage. Throws the ball just well enough to give this offense some balance and make him a run/pass threat on the perimeter. Jackson's feet and short area burst may land him at corner possibly as he can accelerate well and is versatile. Jackson is not overly big or physical, but he is tough and he plays very hard. Good prospect.