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Rivals250 WR Ketron Jackson commits to Arkansas

THE SITUATION

Arkansas just made a serious dent in the Lone Star State.

Ketron Jackson, one of the top remaining wide receivers in the Rivals250, pledged to the Razorbacks. Texas, TCU, Baylor, Texas A&M, Alabama and LSU were other serious contenders for the four-star prospect from Royce City (Texas) High School in the Dallas Metroplex.

Jackson, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound dual-sport playmaker, is the first four-star prospect to land in the Razorbacks' 2021 recruiting class to date. He joins fellow Texans Chase Lowery, Lucas Coley and Jaedon Wilson is Arkansas' haul, which entered the day ranked No. 32 nationally in the Rivals team rankings.

Jackson is the third receiver alongside Wilson and Oklahoma's Bryce Stephens. He's the 19th addition to the group overall. Justin Stepp, a holdover from Chad Morris' Arkansas coaching staff, is credited with the big victory on the recruiting trail over several in-state heavyweights and SEC teams.

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IN HIS OWN WORDS

"They check on me daily. The coaches check on me -- multiple coaches talk with me. When I went down there (to Arkansas), I felt comfortable with the staff. It felt great being down there. I just think that they're good people, they're good coaches and I want to be around good people. Whatever decision I made, they were good people and great coaches."

"Coach (Justin) Stepp -- he's the one coach who gets me. We talk every day before we go to sleep. He's the one coach who texts me every day. He's a good coach, but a better person to me. When I'm with him in-person, he's a better person and he has a good history with wide receivers, so that'll be good."

"Coach (Kendal) Briles told me and showed me how his offense works. A lot of coaches tell me it's built on speed and that I can get open. I'm not a speed receiver, but I'm fast enough -- and in that offense, I can be a great deep threat and be involved in the quick-screen game. They want to use me like Corey Coleman. Coach Briles coached him and who wouldn't want the ball like Corey Coleman did?"

"As an athlete getting recruited, there's a lot of things that goes on. There were a lot of coaches talking to me and my senior year, to get the decision off of me, to get a load off my shoulder to focus on my senior season and my last semester (in high school) before going to college in the spring."

"There were some great schools I just couldn't visit, so I had to make a decision. I met some people committed to places they hadn't visited. I didn't know if I'd be comfortable committing somewhere just by talking to a coach on the phone. You wanna get that feeling actually being there. Arkansas stayed on it ... There were a lot of great situations where I could go into, but I feel as though I had to make the best decision for me."

RIVALS REACTION

Jackson is a two-sport standout that is as well-decorated in track and field as he is on the football field. In his final season at Lancaster High School, Jackson clocked a personal-best 22.12-second 200-meter time and led all the Dallas-area athletes in long jump (24' 11") and finished third in triple-jump (47' 6"). He also contributed to Lancaster's first-team all-area 4x200 relay team.

Pair Jackson's speed with a 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame and it should come as no surprise that Jackson is one of the nation's premier pass-catching wide receivers. As a junior for Royce City, Jackson reeled in 59 receptions for 841 yards and nine touchdowns, good to earn First-Team All-District 8-5A D-II honors. In the past two seasons, Jackson has 12 receiving touchdowns and well over 1,000 yards.

Jackson is one of the most versatile wide receivers when it comes to being a home-run threat that's also dangerous in the red zone and in the open field.

Jackson's big frame and speed is complemented by a physical running style, elusiveness and twitch in space. He has straightaway speed that makes him dangerous after the catch and is a tough athlete to slow down after the fact. He has quick feet and great vision of the field, which is what makes him so hard to contain in a wide-open offense that operates in space.

It's worth noting that Jackson is agile and can make someone miss, but is also physical enough to run through arm tackles and refuses to go down to the turf easily. He also has excellent balance to stay on his feet and continue to pick up chunk yardage after contact.

Jackson is long-strider that can take the top off of defenses. He has natural speed and plenty of juice to get downfield and, at times, shown the ability to get past double coverage. When the balls in the air, Jackson capitalizes with a dangerous combination of getting vertical with strong hands. He's a jump-ball aficionado and has shown the ability to make grabs over the middle and hold on through contact.

Jackson is a developing route-runner, which is something he'll sharpen when he arrives in Fayetteville, but makes up for it with natural athleticism, a large catch radius and the ability to make plays when he's covered. Jackson is one of the best when it comes to making a play on a ball in tight coverage. He's open even when he's not, which is rare.

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