Pitt FB Recruiting
Pitt OV Answered Every Possible Question For 2024 4-Star QB Target Trever Jackson
Trever Jackson set a top five of Pitt, Tulane, Indiana, FAU and Appalachian State back in March, just before his national stock began to blow up.
As Jackson — a 6-foot-3, 185-pound four-star quarterback from West Orange High in Winter Garden, Florida — won MVP honors at a Rivals camp series and advanced to the Elite 11 finals, he picked up offers from Arkansas State, Boston College, East Carolina, Houston, Illinois, Marshall, Memphis, Missouri, Penn State, Texas A&M, West Virginia and Western Kentucky.
But Pitt has always been high on Jackson’s list, even before his official visit over the weekend, and after that official visit answered every question that he had, Pitt may be higher than ever for the fast-rising signal caller.
“It was wonderful,” Jackson told PSN. “It was a beautiful place, the community was amazing, the coaches and the whole staff were nice and my host that I had was pretty cool, too.”
Had a Great Visit With @Pitt_FB this past week Thankyou @CoachDuzzPittFB @FrankCignetti @CoachTimSalem @Coach___Russell @CoachKlineAlex and the rest of the Staff for the great hospitality and Thankyou to the PITT community for Love an support as well.#H2P💙💛 pic.twitter.com/kRVuzMRJ6I
— Trever Jackson (@Future_eraTrev) June 4, 2023
Jackson was hosted by recent enrollee Zion Fowler, a true freshman wide receiver from Jersey City, New Jersey, and the two were able to hit it off immediately.
“He was just telling me how easy it is to adjust to the college schedule and stuff, and just how you have to be on top of things and make sure that you’re ahead when you come in your freshman year,” Jackson said.
But it certainly wasn’t just Fowler who made Jackson feel welcome. Frank Cignetti Jr. spent a lot of time with Jackson over the weekend, and Jackson’s parents by extension, and it was truly a red carpet experience. The bond that Jackson has built with Cignetti and Pat Narduzzi is a long time in the making.
He’s stayed in touch with Cignetti ever since Pitt was his first Power Five offer last June, making a camp appearance at Pitt last June, and the relationship has only grown since. Jackson can tell he’s a high priority for the Pitt staff.
“I really saw it because every time I walked past somebody, they already knew who I was,” Jackson said. “I barely had a lanyard on, they already knew who I was and the whole staff was telling me just how much they wanted me there. And while I was talking with coach Cignetti and coach Narduzzi, it was just real in detail about why they want me there and how I fit there with their scheme and program.”
Cignetti has been very complimentary of Jackson, lauding the mental aspect of his game, the way he’s able to read defenses and process situations, but also his natural ability. Jackson has a rocket arm, and he’s a smooth athlete in a 6-foot-3 frame.
“How I just use my arm and my legs to get the job done,” Jackson said. “He just told me how I can develop into a pro-style quarterback, especially with the Steelers and stuff right there, he just sold me with how I can fit in with that right now.”
As a junior at West Orange, leading his squad to a district title (in 10 games), he completed 96-of-162 pass attempts (59%) for 1,559 yards with 16 touchdowns and seven interceptions and added 306 yards (5.9 yards per attempt) and six touchdowns on 52 carries.
And of course, it wasn’t just the current Pitt guys that were helping to win Jackson over either. As he took his official visit, he was able to go down on the field at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex and watch the Pittsburgh Steelers’ OTAs. And as practice finished, he got to chop it up one-on-one with Kenny Pickett.
“I talked to him a little bit after his practice,” Jackson said. “He was just telling me about just the NFL-type offense, and it was really cool.
“There were so many (stand-out moments). I would probably say when I went and watched the Steelers practice, that was pretty cool. I was on the field with them, and I saw a lot of guys I use in Madden like T.J. Watt, I saw Cam Heyward and Patrick Peterson and all of them. It was pretty cool.”
Jackson is just entering his senior season at West Orange, but he’s already thinking big. He wants to be a college star and make his name in the NFL one day. And his college stock is certainly rising.
247Sports rates Jackson as the 524th-ranked recruit in the class (32nd-ranked quarterback and the 75th-ranked recruit from Florida) while On3 rates him as the 260th-ranked recruit in the class (17th-ranked quarterback and the 36th-ranked recruit from Florida).
Rivals hasn’t yet rated Jackson, but he holds a 5.6 Rivals Rating.
He was in Pittsburgh over the weekend, and he will take official visits to Texas A&M (June 9) and Missouri (June 22) before he makes his decision — likely — in July. And Pitt is certainly in excellent standing.
“They did a great job,” Jackson said. “Just some stuff I was questioning about, they answered all the questions and filled all the gaps in the hole that I was worried about, which is good.
“Pitt was always at the top, even before the visit, but now they’re even more at the top — even higher. I’m gonna need somebody to up the game or something.”
Pitt, of course, is still looking to secure its quarterback in the class of 2024, and it appears that it will come down to either Jackson or three-star Henry Hasselbeck, who will be making his official visit to Pitt from June 22-24.
