Top-100 ATH Bo Jackson sets three official visits

Collin-headshotby:Collin Ginnan05/02/24

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Cleveland (Ohio) Villa Angela-St. Joseph four-star athlete Bo Jackson has set up official visits to three schools, On3’s Chad Simmons confirmed.

Those three schools are Georgia, Ohio State and Alabama. He will visit Athens from May 17-19, Columbus from May 31-June 2 and Tuscaloosa from June 7-9.

“It was really tough to narrow it down to three schools,” Jackson told On3. “There was three other schools I really wanted to OV but I just didn’t have the time.”

He said that the plan “right now” is to commit to one of those schools and that he hopes to announce shortly after the final visit.

Jackson is one of the most coveted tailbacks in the nation. He ranks No. 68 in the nation overall, No. 4 among athletes and is the No. 4 recruit from Ohio in the 2025 cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking — a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Ohio State currently leads in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) with a 35.3 percent chance of landing Jackson’s commitment.

He visited Alabama and Georgia in early April and last visited Columbus just before that trip in late March.

Jackson broke down joint Bama-UGA visit

The 6-foot-0, 204-pound tailback visited Alabama and Georgia in the same weekend in early April. First up was Tuscaloosa.

“For me, Alabama is the school as a running back that you dream of getting the call that they want you to come play for the Tide,” Jackson told On3. “I had a great time hanging with Coach G and Coach DeBoer. I’ll have all the OV stuff figured out after I finish all spring visits. I think ‘Bama is a special place, and me and my family were very impressed with the program overall. But I was most impressed with Coach G and his vision for me and the program.”

From there, Jackson made it back over to Athens. He was last at UGA the first weekend in February.

“Visit was great,” Jackson said. “Georgia practice was one of the most impressive practices I’ve seen. Just the energy from Coach (Kirby) Smart and how intense the scrimmage was. I love Coach Smart. I spent a lot of time with him and new running backs coach Coach (Josh) Crawford. I’ve built a great relationship with since he has arrived.”

Ohio State continues to prioritize Jackson

On Sunday, Jackson spoke with On3 about his relationship with the in-state Buckeyes.

He had a connection with former Buckeyes running backs coach Tony Alford before he moved on to Michigan. But — while Alford’s move added the Wolverines back into Jackson’s recruitment — it did nothing to hamper Ohio State’s pursuit of Jackson.

“It didn’t change at all,” Jackson said of the impact Alford’s departure had on his relationship with OSU. “Coach (Ryan) Day still kept in contact with me until they got a running backs coach. Once they got him, coach Locklyn reached out and then the next week, I was down there talking to coach Locklyn.”

Jackson said that Locklyn wants him in Columbus and that the Buckeyes have made him feel like a “priority.”

“It’s actions,” Jackson said. “Coach Day and coach Locklyn are frequently reaching out to me.”