Blue-chip 2026 safety recruit Devin Jackson decommits from Florida football
Blue-chip 2026 safety recruit Devin Jackson decommits from Florida football
The Florida Gators lost a member of their 2026 football recruiting class on Thursday with the departure of four-star safety Devin Jackson out of Orlando (Florida) First Academy, who decommitted and reopened his recruitment after the end of the spring practice season.
The 6-foot-1.5-inch, 195-pound defensive back had been all-in on the Orange and Blue since 2023, when he was still playing for Winter Garden (Florida) West Orange, also located in the Orlando area. He has made frequent trips to Gainesville over the past couple of years and made his verbal commitment to the program last summer.
Jackson had recently stood out at the Golden Ticket Tournament of OT7 (Overtime's 7-on-7 league) in Dallas, Texas, last Sunday before he made his decision to leave Gainesville.
'Devin Jackson was a guy this weekend—he was playing for 24k—and was playing corner primarily for them," offers On3 national recruiting analyst Cody Bellaire. "I know he's a safety prospect for the Gators and his film is at safety and I think that's what he projects to at the next level. But Devin was playing outside corner in this 7-on-7 setting for both days of work.'
Bellaire continues, 'I was glad I got to see him move around and attack the football, play some coverage in both off and man coverage. All in all, pretty impressed with Devin Jackson this weekend. Very excited to dive back into the tape for our next 2026 update and see if I see a little bit more of that on the second go around.'
It was not made immediately clear why Jackson chose to seek greener pastures, but it is hard to ignore his 7-on-7 performance as a contributing factor.
Recruiting summary
Jackson is rated at four stars and ranked No. 355 overall and No. 28 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite, while the On3 industry ranking has him rated at three stars and ranked at Nos. 381 and 33, respectively.
"Based on our conversation with Cody Bellaire, we believe Jackson will be strongly considered for a fourth star during this recruiting cycle if he continues to perform well," On3's Keith Niehbur notes.
"He currently is the No. 36 safety in the country for On3 and carries an 88 rating. A player becomes a 4-star when their rating hits 90. Jackson is every bit of his listed 6-foot-2 and he continues to grow. The fact he played corner over the weekend in Texas speaks to his versatility."
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