Three-star linebacker Jackson becomes latest to pick the Wahoos

Sometimes in recruiting, even when you go your own way you end up taking the path you've always known. After all, it's hard to find somewhere that can replace what has always felt like home. And that's why three-star linebacker Nick Jackson, after taking his time and going on a number of visits in the midst of a recruitment he never expected to develop the way it did, is now committed to the University of Virginia.

Jackson, a 6-foot-2, 217-pound linebacker from Atlanta whose father graduated from UVa, chose the Wahoos over Northwestern, Duke, and a host of others following his recent official visit for the Miami game.

Though he went into the trip with plans to take similar visits to see the Wildcats and Blue Devils up close, his weekend in Charlottesville convinced him that it was time to say out loud what he always knew to be true. And that's why he ended up committing to Bronco Mendenhall and the Wahoos.

"My mindset going into the trip was that I knew I had these three visits to take across the country," he told CavsCorner, "but when I got up there to UVa, being at the game I went to and being around the program, I just knew. The game I went to last year was the Georgia Tech game when they became bowl eligible and this one was a big win over Miami. I just felt like all the signs were just pointing towards it and saying this is where I'm supposed to be. This is something special."

Jackson admits that the recruiting process was a bit intimidating at times and he was always mindful of trying to make the right decision. But taking his time didn't deter him from picking the school he always wanted to pick.

"It's always been a dream school for me," he explained. "I think that throughout the whole process I was scared or unsure so I would kind of just compare every place to UVa. So I think this trip made me realize that and ask myself why am I comparing everything to the school where I could just go."

How he arrived at it, though, was also unexpected.

"We had a break in the schedule for my OV," Jackson recalled. "I was in my hotel room and I was like sleeping, hanging out, playing on my phone, and then I was just like thinking about it. This was Sunday, so the day after the big win. And I just woke up from my nap and I was like, 'I'm going to UVa. I just need to go UVa. That's just where I'm supposed to be.' So I got up, went to my mom's room and I told her all about it. And then we talked it all out. So when we got to Coach Mendenhall's house, we sat down and we started talking and I just told them that there's something special here and it's something I want to be a part of. I want to just help. And I told them I was in."

Jackson's time on Grounds the past two years allowed him to appreciate what Quin Blanding and Micah Kiser meant when they talked about leaving a legacy.

"They just built a foundation for this and I think UVa needs people to come in and just finish the job and make sure that UVa becomes a powerhouse," Jackson said. "I wanted in on that. I wanted it for real."

The Peach State prospect may have been excited about the opportunity to come in and do something special but he wasn't so much impacted by the positive recruiting results Virginia has had in 2019. It's the similarities in how the recruits think that has his attention.

"It helped but I look at it in a bigger way," he said. "I look at it and I think this class is really something special. So it does help. But I think bigger than that what helps a lot is knowing that people are coming in here with the same mindset as me and that's to help you UVa win ACC championships and then national championships. That's what we want."

The time Jackson had to sit down with Kelly Poppinga and Shane Hunter, who coach UVa's outside and inside linebackers respectively, also left a strong impression.

"UVa's linebackers come in and make plays from all angles," he said. "They said that they were kind of thinking inside linebacker right now but at UVa, everything is earned not given. So I'm going to come in and try and earn some playing time. That's what they want from me and that's what I plan to do.

"I was really comfortable," Jackson added. "I like the scheme a lot. They see me as a player who can do it all, a three-down line backer. They told me that I can play well in space and so they don't need to substitute anybody. I think they just see me as somebody who can just come in and make plays, which I'm going to try and do."

With his recruitment behind him, Jackson has plenty of thoughts on what the last year or so was like for him.

"It was a wild ride, man," he said. "I look back on it and think about my sophomore year when I went to The Opening regional and saw all these guys who had all these offers and stuff like that, I came out and played and thought that I wished I had what they had. So I kept grinding and then my junior year, I finally got my first offer and I had two by the end, from Georgia Southern and Central Michigan. But I mean, realistically I never thought it would be like this. Me and my best friend Kyle (Hamilton) would see these guys with 30 some offers and just be like 'Wow, that's insane. That's surreal.' But looking back on it, I have 43 offers and I made The Opening finals. Like if you had told me all this would have happened, I would have told you that you're crazy.

"But it's a tribute to my family and my coaches and just everybody," Jackson added, "because I have a wealth of support behind me and it just means the world to me to be in this position I'm excited to have my decision made and to be going to UVa."

While Hamilton, who is firmly committed to Notre Dame, might not be a realistic target ("I already told him that on September 28, 2019, when we play at Notre Dame, we got problems because we are coming up there to win," Jackson said) there's no doubt in his mind that he's going to be a serious recruiter now for the Hoos.

"Oh, I'm going to be recruiting like crazy," Jackson said with a laugh. "I'm going to be their No. 1 recruiter. I'm definitely going to tell the coaches to let me know who they want and then I'm going to work. I'll tell them why I'm in and everything like that. You watch."

Jackson is the 21st commitment for the Cavaliers in the class of 2019 .

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