Letter of intent No. 22: Keenan Jackson
The 22nd letter of intent comes from wide receiver Keenan Jackson of Matthews (N.C.) Weddington High.
Here is a full bio on Jackson.
Statistics
• Senior year: Jackson had 102 catches for 1,704 yards and 19 touchdowns at Matthews Weddington High. He added two carries for five yards, three kickoff returns for 89 yard and two punt returns for nine yards.
• Junior year: Jackson had 50 receptions for 582 yards and seven scores at Waxhaw (N.C.) Cuthbertson High.
• Sophomore year: He caught 52 passes for 772 yards and nine touchdowns at Cuthbertson High.
Ratings
• Rivals.com: Four stars, No. 74 wide receiver nationally, No. 14 overall in North Carolina.
• 247Sports: Three stars, No. 120 wide receiver nationally, No. 28 overall in North Carolina.
• ESPN: Three stars, No. 144 wide receiver nationally and No. 39 overall in North Carolina.
Matthews (N.C.) Weddington High coach Andy Capone
Senior wide receiver Keenan Jackson has a flair for the dramatic.
Jackson caught 10 passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns, plus recovered a teammates fumble for a third score, in helping Matthews (N.C.) Weddington High crush Wilmington (N.C.) Hoggard 56-21 in the NCHSAA 4A state title game Dec. 9 at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh. He did all his damage just in the first half.
Jackson then shocked the recruiting world about 10 days later on the eve of National Signing Day by flipping from North Carolina to NC State. He had picked the Tar Heels on June 29 after officiating UNC, NC State, Virginia Tech and Duke that month.
Rivals.com ranks the four-star prospect at No. 14 overall in the state of North Carolina and the No. 74 wide receiver in the country.
“He watches more film than a lot of high school kids,” Weddington coach Andy Capone said. “He’ll get stronger [at NC State], but he added a bunch of muscle when he got into the weight room here. He’ll continue to work on route running and get in and out of cuts, and to continue to run the full route tree.”
The physical 6-foot-3, 185-pounder had a storybook senior year at Weddington after transferring in from Waxhaw (N.C.) Cuthbertson where he played his first three years. He had 102 catches for 1,704 yards and 19 touchdowns with the squad going 14-2.
“In Union County, the 102 catches is second all-time, and the 1,704 yards is first all-time,” Capone said. “It’s just super impressive. I knew he had the talent. Our goal when he got here is make him more of a complete receiver.
“His hands are very strong and that was the first thing I noticed when he came to us. He is confidence with his hands and does a great job of attacking the ball.”
The Warriors knocked off Charlotte (N.C.) Providence High, Charlotte Chambers, Charlotte Catholic, Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley and Charlotte Independence to reach the state title game.
“Everything went right and we were able to play 16 games,” Capone said.
Capone wanted his star players to play like stars against Hoggard. He reminisced how running back Will Shipley rushed 26 times for 265 yards and four touchdowns in Weddington’s 34-14 win over Sanford (N.C.) Lee County in the 2019 3AA state title game. On defense, linebacker Alec Mock had 21 tackles and an interception. Shipley is now at Clemson and Mock is starring at Air Force.
“When Weddington makes the biggest the game, the big-time players make the biggest plays,” Capone said.
NC State wide receiver coach Joker Phillips had offered Jackson on June 10, 2022, following him working out at camp. He methodically saw NC State his other finalists over and over on unofficial visits. The vibe was he was North Carolina’s to lose, which proved true the first time around.
“With Joker and him being able to teach him, that’s going to be a big thing,” Capone said.
— Jacey Zembal
Honors/Accomplishments
• Jackson was first-team all-conference, and should be receiving several upcoming honors.
• He invited as a injury replacement for the Shrine Bowl, but declined due to reaching the state title game.
Recruitment
Jackson had the shocking move of the class of 2024, going down in NC State lore for decommitting from North Carolina on Dec. 19, 2023, and flipping to NC State on National Signing Day.
Jackson had narrowed his list to NC State, North Carolina, Duke, Virginia Tech and Appalachian State last spring. He officially visited all but the Mountaineers last June. Jackson verbally committed to North Carolina on June 29.
Recruiter of Record
NC State wide receivers coach Joker Phillips.
Quotable
“He’s [NCSU wide receiver coach Joker Phillips] a cool dude who definitely knows what he is talking about. I went to camp [last June] and he helped me a lot. He fixed my stance and that really helped. He’s got a great mind.” — Keenan Jackson last spring
2023 Projection
Jackson will have the opportunity to make an impact as an outside receiver right away for NC State.
Highlights
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