MORGANTOWN -
A television set in Tampa, Fla. delivered the news to
Vincent Jackson that a player he feels like he compares favorably to had been
selected No. 15 overall in the NFL Draft.
Bruce Irvin, the two-year defensive end for West Virginia
University, was the surprise pick of day one in the selection process and when
he came off the board, Jackson took notice.
A 6-foot-2, 230-pound defender from Jesuit High School,
Jackson already shows 10 scholarship offers as he wraps up his sophomore year
of school.
When the draft began on Thursday, he was interested to see
where the former Mountaineer sack specialist would wind up, and he didn't have
to wait long to find out.
"Just the way he plays," Jackson said Friday of why he's drawn to
Irvin. "He's almost my exact size and we play the same position on top of that.
I couldn't watch him that much on TV, but I did get to see some."
Jackson's head coach, James Harrell, believes that seeing an
athlete from West Virginia come off the board so early will only help the
team's cause in recruiting.
"I'm sure that helps out in terms of adding validity to the
potential of playing there even though it's still early in the process," says
Harrell.
But for Jackson, the decision of which school he ends up
selecting will not hinge on the success of others who came before him. He will
instead look at what he believes the coaching staff and the program itself can
offer him to help reach his full potential.
"When it all boils down to it, my decision will be what team
I can play my position at best for my team to have success and try to win
whatever bowl game or championship it is," says Jackson.
Adding Jackson to the roster could certainly help whichever
team he ultimately chooses in winning those championships. His frame allows for
more weight to be put on if he needs to, but his athleticism is what stands out
to coaches who have come looking for him.
Jackson has started at tight end for Jesuit since his
freshman year while also play fullback and his roles on defense. His
contributions can be found all over the field as the coaches look for all the
best ways to utilize his talents.
With offers from teams like Miami (Fla.), Notre Dame and
Cincinnati in addition to WVU, Jackson has interest in playing on both sides of
the ball. The Mountaineers, he believes, are most intrigued by him following in
the mold of a Bruce Irvin.
"Just the way I play. I play aggressive and there are a lot
of guys who are 6-2, 230, but I just play different," he says. "I use my size
to my advantage, but I play even bigger than I am. I take on blockers, I throw
tackles to the ground and just overpower them."
Defensive line coach Erik Slaughter has been impressed
enough to extend an offer and will likely visit both Jackson and Jesuit junior
receiver Travis Johnson within the next month.
"We're just talking general knowledge," Jackson says of his
talks with Slaughter. "He asked if I was interested and of course I'm
interested in West Virginia, so we've been talking about the future."
That future is bright and will likely include many more
offers by this time next year as Jackson gets set to begin his senior season in
Florida. Despite the success he has had and the number of coaches whose heads
he has turned, Jackson is not becoming over-confident.
"It's great. I really can't let it get to my head, though,"
he says. "There are guys out there who haven't gotten offers who play just like
me or even better, so it just shows me I have to go out and work even harder."
Surely that mentality means the Mountaineers will have to
work even harder to keep his interest in the coming years.
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