2026 Devin Jackson, S - First Academy (Orlando, FL) offered

[Brooklyndee]

I'm good with portaling the position.

I don't think we are in on any plug n play guys out of high school.

Portal until we fill the cupboard.

Georgia just landed a plug n play kid i liked. We have a poster saying Oregon likely leads on Jackson who i think is a priority.

Land some trait -size/development guys and portal proven safety products out of the portal.

For once I agree on how the portal should be used in this instance. That's the purpose in it If you don't have people ready to go you don't have people in the system that should get that attention and this is where you head.

 

[grover]

For once I agree on how the portal should be used in this instance. That's the purpose in it If you don't have people ready to go you don't have people in the system that should get that attention and this is where you head.

I wouldn't object to this if we could prove we know how to land Portal safeties. 2024 portal was an unmitigated disaster and while we scored with Poyser, Thomas is a Plan B kid. And you still need to be stacking HS commits, even if you're going on traits not necessarily big game hunting.

 

[skeeter]

I wouldn't object to this if we could prove we know how to land Portal safeties. 2024 portal was an unmitigated disaster and while we scored with Poyser, Thomas is a Plan B kid. And you still need to be stacking HS commits, even if you're going on traits not necessarily big game hunting.

Thomas is a fairly high plan B…. Although I'm pretty neutral on him and have questions about his coverage ability.

It's not a "know how"" imo. Thomas is a top 20 spring and winter combined portal safety imo, probably towards the middle bottom of that range. If you can use him mainly to bust heads in the box, then he's one of the better ones. The fact is you are no lock to get the #1 safety, nor are you a lock to get say 2 of the top 8.

There are some issues I have with the way they recruited high school safeties this year. In the last couple years…for the most part, with some exceptions, CMC and staff have done a good job of it, but not the last month or so. They are BELIEVING KIDS too much and having no idea where they stand…The net needed to be bigger. It's like they focused on 4-5 kids (there were probably 6-7 and let's say 2-3 just weren't realistic options)…That 4-5 needed to be bigger. Combo of being way too picky, and thinking a kid is locked up way too early. From everything DMoney and Gabby say, Redding seemed like the top backup plan…With a move from 85 to 105. He needed to be locked up. You can't believe Jackson and Stewart are coming just because you are leading a close race and they are saying good things to you and to reporters. T.Hughes is a kid that I think could have been locked up…Now if they hate him, ok, then find someone else….Sitting there with 4-5 kid because you like where you stand with them with no contingency plan is just naive in this day and age.

Like I said though, the last couple years, they have been a little better at doing this…But the last couple weeks, they seem to get blindsided, and that just can't happen.

 

[grover]

Thomas is a fairly high plan B…. Although I'm pretty neutral on him and have questions about his coverage ability.

It's not a "know how"" imo. Thomas is a top 20 spring and winter combined portal safety imo, probably towards the middle bottom of that range. If you can use him mainly to bust heads in the box, then he's one of the better ones. The fact is you are no lock to get the #1 safety, nor are you a lock to get say 2 of the top 8.

There are some issues I have with the way they recruited high school safeties this year. In the last couple years…for the most part, with some exceptions, CMC and staff have done a good job of it, but not the last month or so. They are BELIEVING KIDS too much and having no idea where they stand…The net needed to be bigger. It's like they focused on 4-5 kids (there were probably 6-7 and let's say 2-3 just weren't realistic options)…That 4-5 needed to be bigger. Combo of being way too picky, and thinking a kid is locked up way too early. From everything DMoney and Gabby say, Redding seemed like the top backup plan…With a move from 85 to 105. He needed to be locked up. You can't believe Jackson and Stewart are coming just because you are leading a close race and they are saying good things to you and to reporters. T.Hughes is a kid that I think could have been locked up…Now if they hate him, ok, then find someone else….Sitting there with 4-5 kid because you like where you stand with them with no contingency plan is just naive in this day and age.

Like I said though, the last couple years, they have been a little better at doing this…But the last couple weeks, they seem to get blindsided, and that just can't happen.

I know we're being sued by Wisky for tampering (which is a total joke). But if you don't have a good idea of who is going to be in the portal, and their level of interest in potentially transferring to your program, you're just not doing it right, IMO. These kids have NIL agents. There has got to be a way to create a portal board of safeties before it opens up. Then your concerns about landing #1 or 2 of the Top 8 scenario are resolved. You're making the market.

 

[gogeta4]

I wouldn't object to this if we could prove we know how to land Portal safeties. 2024 portal was an unmitigated disaster and while we scored with Poyser, Thomas is a Plan B kid. And you still need to be stacking HS commits, even if you're going on traits not necessarily big game hunting.

Meesh Powell was a solid portal take.

Id be back there this winter portal session.

Go look at our safety offers its been pillaged i mean we have teams like oregon wiht 3 plus safety commits , osu...etc we cant even get one.

We dont plan on spending big nil money on hs safeties that they dont expect to be plug n play so go get high upside trait guys and spend the money in the transfer portal on guys with multiple years.

 

[Brooklyndee]

I wouldn't object to this if we could prove we know how to land Portal safeties. 2024 portal was an unmitigated disaster and while we scored with Poyser, Thomas is a Plan B kid. And you still need to be stacking HS commits, even if you're going on traits not necessarily big game hunting.

Meesh Powell wasn't our issue last season. He was a bright spot in a dark tunnel. But when ***** broke crazy glue ain't always the fix you need. I'm not disagreeing that SO FAR safety recruiting hasn't been trash. It has. No matter what issues zay had I knew losing him was gonna be an issue. Hope this all works out and I think it will. But would be great not to have to play all these kids games. Only so much you can allocate though when you're big game hunting.

 

[BALLHAWKU]

Meesh Powell was a solid portal take.

Id be back there this winter portal session.

Go look at our safety offers its been pillaged i mean we have teams like oregon wiht 3 plus safety commits , osu...etc we cant even get one.

We dont plan on spending big nil money on hs safeties that they dont expect to be plug n play so go get high upside trait guys and spend the money in the transfer portal on guys with multiple years.

I like the portal for safeties over 3 star kids who play Christian school comp

 

[skeeter]

Meesh Powell was a solid portal take.

Id be back there this winter portal session.

Go look at our safety offers its been pillaged i mean we have teams like oregon wiht 3 plus safety commits , osu...etc we cant even get one.

That's what I mean though…Why so few offers at the position?

Guys like Webb from Texas, the local kid Hughes, were given fake *** "interest offers"…And we focused on 3 kids only

Green, Stewart, D.Jackson…We liked Fitzpatrick and Benjamin as well, but both seemed intent on being corners and are among the most sought after players in the country, I get the misses there. Redding was the other kid but all our usual sources have implied that he's likely a backup plan.

If you are going to narrow it down that much then **** it someone better be a lock lol…And none of them were.

Just a botch at this point imo. Some decent kids still out there, maybe they turn it up on Redding, Hester, Tims etc...

 

[grover]

That's what I mean though…Why so few offers at the position?

Guys like Webb from Texas, the local kid Hughes, were given fake *** "interest offers"…And we focused on 3 kids only

Green, Stewart, D.Jackson…We liked Fitzpatrick and Benjamin as well, but both seemed intent on being corners and are among the most sought after players in the country, I get the misses there. Redding was the other kid but all our usual sources have implied that he's likely a backup plan.

Just a botch at this point imo. Some decent kids still out there, maybe they turn it up on Redding, Hester, Tims etc...

This.

 

[Cane30]

Recruiting across the board (excluding LB) went really well, mostly this off-season. Recruiting was looking awesome at the end of the 1st visits, the beginning of June. What happened over June where negotiations happened? Let's stop with the Harris is checked out or our recruiting is not good.

 

[gogeta4]

That's what I mean though…Why so few offers at the position?

Guys like Webb from Texas, the local kid Hughes, were given fake *** "interest offers"…And we focused on 3 kids only

Green, Stewart, D.Jackson…We liked Fitzpatrick and Benjamin as well, but both seemed intent on being corners and are among the most sought after players in the country, I get the misses there. Redding was the other kid but all our usual sources have implied that he's likely a backup plan.

If you are going to narrow it down that much then **** it someone better be a lock lol…And none of them were.

Just a botch at this point imo. Some decent kids still out there, maybe they turn it up on Redding, Hester, Tims etc...

i agree with you and i am a fan of Hester from cocoa. Probably like him more than Redding.

Man we offered Jett Washington like a month ago....thats when i knew we really were behind in safety recruting and pretty much all in on Devin Jackson

 

[lindend]