Neal Brown has made it a priority to keep the top athletes in West Virginia home, and that’s exactly what he’s done with Zah Jackson.
Jackson — a 5-foot-10, 180-pound three-star cornerback from Huntington in Huntington, W.Va. — officially committed to West Virginia Thursday night, announcing his decision on Instagram with 304committed.
Jackson committed to WVU over a list of finalists that included Liberty, Mississippi State and North Carolina State — and additional offers from Akron, Appalachian State, Bowling Green, Eastern Kentucky, JMU, Kent State, Marshall and Toledo.
West Virginia has been on Jackson for just about nine months now, with Brown, Matt Moore, Chad Scott and former WVU assistant Dontae Wright leading the charge.
Jackson may not be a “local” kid, considering it’s a three-hour drive from Huntington to Morgantown, but he’s very familiar with the program. He’s been checking out WVU in person since before he was extended an offer and made his most recent trip out for Junior Day in January.
It’s no secret why the WVU coaching staff wanted to keep Jackson in the state either. His two-way dominance at powerhouse Huntington. He racked up 840 yards and 12 touchdowns on 121 rushing attempts (6.9 yards per attempt), 264 yards on 18 receptions (14.7 yards per reception) and 33 tackles, six pass breakups and a fumble recovery.
247Sports rates Jackson as the 68th-ranked cornerback and the top-ranked recruit from West Virginia while Rivals hasn’t rated him yet. But he does hold a 5.5 Rivals Rating. And his evaluation should continue to improve throughout the summer.
Jackson isn’t just a big win in-state, fending off an ACC and SEC school for the talented cornerback, but he’s an excellent fit in the future of the defense, too.
WVU currently holds four commitments in the class of 2025 — three-star quarterback Scotty Fox (Mentor, Ohio), three-star wide receiver Tyshawn Dues (Hurricane, W.Va.) and offensive lineman Thomas Barr (Haverford, Pa.).
With the summer of official visits fast approaching, there should be quite a few more commitments in the coming weeks and months.
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