Pine-Richland 2021 DE Miguel Jackson Commits to Liberty

A nice pipeline is starting to develop between Pine-Richland High School and the Liberty University Football program.

Back in April, the Flames received a commitment from Pine-Richland offensive lineman Harrison Hayes and today they landed one of his talented teammates.

2021 3-star defensive end Miguel Jackson announced that he plans on playing his college football at Liberty, choosing them over his other finalists: Central Michigan, Old Dominion, Bowling Green, James Madison, Villanova, Louisiana-Monroe, Coastal Carolina and Delaware.

“I picked them because I picked a great relationship with the Liberty coaching staff,” Jackson told Pittsburgh Sports Now. “I just felt that they were the best fit for me and my family. They recruited me a lot like the other programs but the biggest thing that stood out to me was that they are telling me that I have a chance to come in right away and play. They are graduating some defensive ends when I come in and I feel that’s a great chance for me to come in and play and to make a impact early.”

“Making this decision is definitely a relief because now I can focus on school and my team so that we can win that state championship This is a big relief.”

Jackson (6’1″, 240) has been one of Pine-Richland’s biggest playmakers on defense over the last couple of seasons and believes his skillset will allow him to star in Hugh Freeze’s attack style defense.

“I believe my biggest skillset is my athleticism and my versatility,” said Jackson. “I can play anywhere on the defensive line and feel that my pass-rushing ability is really good and that I can’t be blocked. I believe that I can be dominant on defense.”

Jackson tells PSN that he actually informed Liberty of his decision a week ago but choose to publicly announce it today. One of the first people he told was his current Pine-Richland and future Liberty teammate Harrison Hayes.

“That’s my boy. I’ve known him since 8th grade when I came here and he was one of my first friends up here. He’s been like a brother to me and we’ve built a great relationship since then and I look forward to playing with him in the future.”

Now that this big decision is out of the way, Jackson and Hayes have one thing in mind and that’s bringing a high school championship back to Pine-Richland before leaving for college at Liberty.

“I’m ready to get back on the field and hopefully we’re able to have a season,” said Jackson. “I feel like we have a great bond with each other here at Pine-Richland, we all love each other and it feels like a brotherhood. I’m ready to get on the field this season and compete.”