3-star ATH Giles Jackson talks new Oregon State offer, connection with former 7v7 teammates at OSU

The Bay Area has played an important role when it comes to Oregon State recruiting over the past few years as the need to continue to establish a firm presence in the 2019 class is a necessity once again.

With players on the current roster like sophomore wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins, redshirt freshman safety Trajon Cotton, and sophomore cornerback Isaiah Dunn all originally from the Northern California area, the Oregon State coaches are hoping to use those connections to their advantage with a few key prospects.

One prospect that had once been overlooked for quite some time picked up his second PAC-12 offer this past week as 5-foot-10, 182-pound 247Sports three-star athlete Giles Jackson from Freedom high school in Oakley, California received an offer from the Beavers on Thursday afternoon.

“Coach Hynson told me the great news on Thursday then gave the phone to Coach Pitre and we talked for a little bit as well. Since Oregon State is recruiting me as a running back, Coach Pitre had been talking to me all week about how he likes my vision, strength, and speed. I actually first visited Oregon State in person back in March when I was up in Oregon with my 7v7 team for a tournament. When I first saw the state I thought it looked really peaceful and I loved how Corvallis looked like a natural college town. Everything you needed was in the area and everything was comfortable. I remember watching some members of the team practice in their indoor field. Coach Hynson and I talked a lot about different things, mostly just about school and my team. Coach Pitre is another guy that talked with me quite a bit back then.”

When looking back at his time in Corvallis on his unofficial visit, Jackson highlights both the feeling overwhelming excitement and the comfortability of being at home in his surroundings.

“My tour was full of excitement, especially getting to check out Reser Stadium and being able to go onto the field was pretty cool to me. I even visited with some old TMP Mafia teammates that go to Oregon State and so it was really special to be able to reconnect with my brothers. I had a great experience even though I wasn’t there for too long just because it was a quick day trip. The main things I liked the most about the visit were being able to meet all of the coaches, trying on the game jerseys and taking photos and then getting on the field.”

With offers from Hawaii, Howard, Oregon, Oregon State, Utah State, Sacramento State, and San Jose State, Jackson has been letting his natural physical abilities speak for them self as college coaches evaluate him as a prospect.

“My two most recent offers are Oregon and Oregon State and they both stand out to me. I’ve been hearing from Michigan and Tennessee lately too. I have a very high interest level in Oregon State and I could see myself playing there and I think they could be a key factor in my decision. I have talked to (Isaiah) Hodgins and (Trajon) Cotton a lot and I’ve been in contact with the other former TMP Mafia guys that are at OSU too. They let me know how I’d be able to fit in with their new offense, the college life and how we could do great things together in Corvallis.”

Another Bay Area prospect from the same 7-on-7 team in TMP Elite that Jackson is close with is 247Sports three-star athlete Makai Polk as the two have thought about the possibility of playing together once again in college.

“I was going to commit on my birthday in December, but if my recruitment continues to blow up, I will have a decision before my senior season. Makai and I haven’t talked about playing together too much, but I’m pretty sure it will come up soon in more serious conversations. Because of the friendships we have with some former TMP guys that are now Oregon State, it’s a huge possibility that we could play with those guys again.”

The TMP Elite association is one of the best 7-on-7 programs in the entire country led by head coach Terrance ‘Coach T’ Leonard. Jackson has a tremendous amount of gratitude and respect for Coach T and his staff and what they've done for him as a young man.

“The TMP coaching staff is amazing. Every coach cares about you and knows everything about you. Coach T has the same goal for all his players and that is to get their college education paid for. He has been great to me ever since I was a freshman playing with TMP. He knew I had the talent before anyone knew my name and he made sure all colleges know about me. He’s like family to me and a lot of other NorCal football players.”

When deciding with his family what key factors are going to play into choosing a college, Jackson knows that he wants to make sure he is making a decision not purely based on football.

“The most important thing to me and my family would be do I actually picture myself at a particular college. It’s more of a 40 year decision because football eventually ends and my degree will allow me to fall back on something and still be a successful person. I don’t really care about distance from home or what the depth chart looks like, I love to compete.”

Heading into his senior season with Freedom high school, Jackson is looking to make a statement among Northern Californian athletes as one of the best there is while also on a mission to lead his team to a deep playoff run.

“My goal for senior season is for everyone on my team to form a better bond with one another and at the end of the day, we just want to win football games. I’ve mostly been working on my strength and my stamina by running more in the off-season while working on my hands to show I am a complete running back.”

As Jackson looks to narrow his choices down in the near future, Building The Dam will continue to stay in touch with the highly talented athlete before a decision is made.

Jackson’s Hudl highlights:

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