6/13/2018 football Edit

Four-star, Rivals250 defensive end Savion Jackson picks NC State

Matt Carter • TheWolfpackCentral

Editor

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Clayton (N.C.) High senior defensive end Savion Jackson is NC State's 11th verbal commitment. (Rivals.com)

Four-star, Rivals250 defensive end Savion Jackson from Clayton (N.C.) High verbally committed to NC State during a press conference at his high school Wednesday evening.

The 6-foot-3, 250-pound Jackson is listed as the No. 123 player and No. 12 strongside defensive end in the 2019 class. He will be the No. 3 recruit in North Carolina when the state rankings are updated.

As a junior, Jackson had 56 tackles, including 20 for loss and eight sacks, in 14 games. He also forced a fumble, recovered one and blocked a punt. During his sophomore campaign, Jackson had 51 hits, including 19.5 for loss, seven sacks and a safety, and forced a fumble.

On the recruiting trail, Jackson accumulated an impressive offer list that included Alabama, Florida, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Penn State, among others, before narrowing down his options to the Pack, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia Tech and Clemson.

The Gamecocks made a serious run at Jackson, hosting him on an official visit during the first weekend of June.

Jackson is NC State’s 11th verbal commitment, the eighth from the state of North Carolina, and its first four-star pledge of the cycle. Last year, NCSU signed five four-star recruits, including four that were ranked in the Rivals250 — but only one, running back Ricky Person (No. 85), was ranked higher than Jackson's current standing.

The pledge also extends the program's streak of securing a four-star commit along the defensive front to three straight classes, with Jackson following Alim McNeill in 2018 (No. 249 overall) and Grant Gibson in 2017 (not ranked in the Rivals250). Both were also in-state recruits.

Counting Jackson and the 2019 class, NCSU has inked six four-star defensive linemen in the last six years — but it isn't content with that total.

The Pack will await word next week from another Rivals250 product in the 2019 class in defensive tackle C.J. Clark from New London (N.C.) North Stanly High. Clark is expected to announce his choice Monday and is also considering UNC and Georgia.