Coach | 2021 ATH & Notre Dame Target Sam Jackson Has "Unique Skillset"

Sam Jackson‍ is a quarterback, but even when he’s not under center, the 2021 Illinois athlete is too talented to keep off the field.

Naperville Central head coach Michael Stine calls Jackson “a pretty special athlete.”

“He came to us his sophomore year,” Stine explains. “He’s a quarterback by trade. He played wide receiver for us his sophomore because we had Payton Thorne at quarterback who is now at Michigan State.”

Jackson’s athleticism and speed helped him catch 49 balls for 800 yards and 14 touchdowns that year.

“He runs a 4.4/4.5, he’s a legit speed guy,” says Stine. “With his athleticism, he can jump out of the gym.”

That talent translates to other positions as well.

“He can throw the ball 70 yards,” says Stine. “He’s a really competitive person. He has a unique skillset, which really allows him to be able to play a lot of different positions on a football field.

“He’s a very driven young man. He works extremely hard. He’s very focused. He wants to be great. He’s got athleticism, he’s got a lot of talent and he also has the drive to want to be special.”

After playing quarterback for the Redhawks this past season, Jackson continued to grab the attention of top colleges and has even received offers to play defensive back, a position Stine hasn’t played him at in a game to this point.

“Over the last 10 years, our best players do play both sides of the ball part-time,” the coach says. “There’s a chance Sam will be one of those guys who may step in and play some one-high safety or corner in a man-type situation against certain teams and certain players this year, but he has not played any defense with us so far.”

But Notre Dame saw enough of Jackson’s physical abilities to project him as a cornerback and extended an offer to him last month.

Jackson made an early commitment to Minnesota back in February of 2019, but continued to pile up offers and eventually backed off that pledge while not eliminating the Golden Gophers. His offer sheet also includes Michigan State, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Iowa, Iowa State, Illinois, Virginia Tech and Cincinnati among others.

He took a visit to South Bend back in December and has heard plenty about the Irish from his teammate, 2022 prospect Reggie Fleurima‍, whose father played for Notre Dame. Jackson’s interest in Notre Dame should be considered serious.

“He’s a happy go-lucky guy,” his coach says. “When he walks in the room, you know he’s there. When he came here as a sophomore, we had some pretty strong upperclassmen, so his role wasn’t to be the leader of the team. Now it’s his job to be a leader of the team.

“Up until we had this virus situation, I felt like he’d been doing a great job of what we need him to be as far as a leader. Obviously, now it’s a little bit hampered for everybody.”

The dead period has obviously hampered Jackson’s process a bit, but Stine believes current recruits are better-positioned than they would have been in the past.

“The recruiting process is so different now than it was even five years ago,” says Stine. “Sam’s probably been 15 or 20 campuses over the last two or three years.

“Those guys have been on campuses, they’ve been to places. Obviously, they didn’t get to see spring ball, which I know a lot of colleges like to have them do. But it’s not like they haven’t been to the school. Obviously, it changes the recruiting a little bit. I know the coaches can’t get out until the end of May.”