2020 WR Daniel Jackson Enjoys In-Depth Look At Notre Dame

2020 Bishop Miege (Kans.) receiver Daniel Jackson‍ isn’t a stranger to the Notre Dame program as he has made multiple trips to South Bend in the last year. 

However, the 6-foot, 180-pounder got to take in the Notre Dame campus for the first time on Saturday. 

“The visit was really good, and I had a great time,” Jackson told Irish Sports Daily. “I got there around 10:45 am and ended around 5:15 pm. I was there for quite some time. I ate breakfast, had a great photo shoot, and took a tour of the campus. It was my first time taking a tour of campus, and it was good to learn about Notre Dame’s traditions. 

“We had lunch with the other recruits and team. I got to talk to the coaches a lot more this time. When I came for the Michigan game, they were coaching. I got to watch practice, and that was intense.” 

During the tour, Jackson got to learn about the history of Notre Dame and all the little traditions around the campus.

“I knew a little bit about Notre Dame, but I couldn’t match buildings to know what they were,” said Jackson. “I learned about the dorms and everything.  I got to check out the gyms and stuff like that. It was good to see everything.” 

The highlight of the day was watching Notre Dame’s 60-play scrimmage, which included seeing his cousin, Jafar Armstrong, finally healthy.

“It was really good to watch,” stated Jackson. “Jafar was back at 100%, and it was good to see how hard he went. The 1-on-1 competition between the receivers and defensive backs was fun to watch.” 

Jackson had watched the Irish practice in the spring, but Saturday was a new level of intensity.

“You could definitely tell a difference, Jackson stated. “They were full on hitting today. In the spring, they didn’t really do that. It was just a totally different practice to watch.” 

As for what he got out of practice, the Kansas native was able to see the coaching style of the staff and how he would fit into the competitive culture. 

“You’re envisioning yourself in that position to see how you’d react to the coaches and how they coach,” explained Jackson. “You get a feel of if you were there.” 

The visit also gave Jackson the opportunity to reconnect with receivers coach Del Alexander. Jackson appreciated Alexander stating he still held an offer earlier this fall when he hurt his knee. Alexander remained firm in his word and looks forward to seeing a healthy Jackson run track this spring. 

“We talked a lot,” Jackson said. “We joked around a little bit. He was talking to me about getting healthy and how he was going to come in the spring to watch me run because I’m running track. He wants to see my progress in April. The doctors said I should be 100% in March, but I’m taking it slow to make sure I can come back without any problems.” 

Jackson also got to mingle with several of the other visitors on campus and felt everything was natural between all of the recruits. 

“I talked a lot with John Humphreys‍, Lorenzo Styles Jr.‍ and JJ McCarthy‍,” stated Jackson. “It was good to talk to those guys.” 

The Irish have put themselves in a great position to land Jackson, and the Bishop Miege star has an idea of when he wants to have a final decision in. 

“I want to have a decision when the summer is over,” said Jackson. “I want to commit before the first game of my senior year. We have two weeks before the first game of just practice and no games, so I was thinking around that time would be good for me.”