It’s that time of year again when elite high school recruits start closing in on their college decisions, and one name making noise through the recruiting circles is Devin Jackson. The 6’2”, 195-pound safety from Orlando is a Top-20 player at his position, and every power program in the country has him on their radar. But the chatter now points toward one school making the biggest move, just as they ramp up their push to fix a glaring weakness in their secondary.
Jackson has yet to make his decision official, but the writing may already be on the wall. He recently announced he’ll commit in the coming days, and insiders have already locked in their crystal ball picks. Nebraska, Miami, and LSU are in pursuit, but Oregon has emerged as the clear frontrunner. And the Ducks have a very specific reason to be all-in on Jackson. They’ve been torched by elite receivers far too often, and they know it.
Spencer McLaughlin broke the news on Locked On Ducks. He said, “Steve Wiltfong, amongst others, over at On3 has made a prediction for Oregon to land Devin Jackson. Devin Jackson has not officially committed to Oregon, but this is a top player in the country, just outside the top 200 nationally, top 20 safety, number 18 in the 247 Sports composite ranking. This would be a really nice pickup for the Ducks.” It’s almost July, and the Ducks’ 2026 recruiting class is still uncomfortably sitting outside the top 30, as per 247Sports. Devin Jackson, if he joins the Ducks, will be a godsend for their class. (and rankings) Moreover, they desperately, desperately, need him.
McLaughlin explained why Jackson’s recruitment aligns with Oregon’s recent push. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the biggest letdown moments of Dan Lanning’s coaching career with the Ducks have come at the hands of teams that have several NFL-caliber receivers, and Oregon might have one or two guys who can cover, but particularly at the safety spot, they really are not able to consistently match up.” Think Ohio State vs. Oregon last year and their matchup against Washington in 2023. They’ve been repeatedly decimated by the receivers. It’s about time they fill that gap.
Oregon’s strategy appears to be a full-scale rebuild in the back end. “They already have two safety commits in the class of 2026,” McLaughlin continued, referencing Xavier Lherisse and Jet Washington. “Jackson would be the third safety commit.” But talent isn’t the only reason they’re pushing this hard. McLaughlin emphasized that Jackson is a “6’2″, 195-pound, really rangy guy on the back end, good speed as a secondary player, and I think that’s what Oregon has really lacked: size and speed, which are indeed key attributes.” If you’re wondering about the stats, here they are. In his junior year, Devin racked up 80 tackles, 7 pass breakups, and 2 interceptions across 10 games, which makes him a tackling machine on the back end.
With Jackson set to announce his commitment soon, the momentum is swinging Oregon’s way. For Dan Lanning’s squad, the potential addition of another Top-20 safety could be the defensive boost they’ve needed to finally stand toe-to-toe with the offensive juggernauts that have haunted them in recent years. If Jackson suits up in green and yellow, Oregon’s B1G dominance will be continuing for one more year.
Commitment clock ticks as Devin Jackson eyes the final decision
Devin Jackson’s commitment journey is about to take the final turn. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound safety out of The First Academy in Winter Garden, Florida, has locked in July 3 as his commitment date. After decommitting from Florida back in April, Jackson reopened his recruitment, and now five major programs remain in the hunt: Florida, LSU, Miami, Nebraska, and Oregon. The announcement will mark the end of months of speculation and visits, and it could cap off a huge recruiting win for Oregon.
Jackson made official visits to four of his five finalists, LSU, Miami, Nebraska, and Oregon, with the Ducks reportedly making a strong impression. From elite recovery resources to a focused, no-distraction environment, Jackson admitted Oregon made an i’ll-choose-this-school impression during his May visit. He told ScoopDucks about his priorities. “Development, most importantly, and then student situation, like the living situation for the players. They check the box on that. And then the facility, they check the box on that. How they recover, the weightlifting, and all that. Just being away, like not many distractions at Oregon. Just football and class,” he said.
The Ducks already have two top-tier safeties in their 2026 class, including five-star Jett Washington and four-star Xavier Lherisse. Adding Jackson could give them arguably the best young safety room in the country.
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