2028 class WR Derrick Jackson confirms receiving offer from Ryan Day's Ohio State

No. 3 Ohio State is gearing up for its first Big Ten matchup of the 2024 season as it heads north to face Michigan State on Saturday at Spartan Stadium. Coach Ryan Day and his staff are also looking ahead by actively scouting and recruiting future talent.

In recent weeks, OSU has been extending scholarship offers to a number of junior and sophomore high school players, but the Buckeyes have also started reaching out to younger prospects. Freshmen have already begun receiving offers, with Narbonne High School’s Derrick Jackson being one of the latest names added to the list.

Buckeyes running backs coach Carlos Locklyn is credited with extending the offer to Jackson, who shared the news on X, writing:

"Glory to the most high! After a great conversation with coach @Locklyn33 Blessed to have received an offer from Ohio State University! @ChadSimmons_ @Jchatman17 @CoachManuelNHS @GregBiggins @adamgorney @CoachTroop3 @OhioStateFB."

Earlier in June, Ohio State made headlines by offering Eric McFarland, the first player in the 2028 recruiting class to receive a Buckeye offer. He had yet to play a snap of high school football, but his remarkable quickness and advanced route-running skills for his age made him a standout at a summer camp hosted by the Buckeyes.

Another name to watch is quarterback Neimann Lawrence, who became the second player in the 2028 class to receive an offer from Ohio State. He impressed the coaching staff by competing alongside five-star quarterbacks, including OSU commit Tavien St. Clair.

Beyond these two prospects, Ohio State's top targets for the 2028 class include running back Micah Rhodes and defensive lineman Asher Ghioto, according to Bucknuts.

Derrick Jackson's athletic profile amid Ohio State offer

Derrick Jackson secured a landmark victory for Narbonne Gauchos on Sept. 20 by defeating Cathedral 35-31. Jackson rushed for an impressive 152 yards in the win, marking the biggest triumph for the program since its rebuild began in 2021. The team followed up with a dominant 35-0 victory over King/Drew last Friday and now prepares to face Banning on Oct. 4.

Despite being just in his freshman season, Jackson has already received offers from multiple programs, including SMU, San Diego State, UNLV, Ole Miss, Georgia and Oregon.

Though he is still in the early stages of his recruitment, the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine indicates that San Diego State leads with a 22.2% chance of securing Jackson’s commitment, followed by UNLV at 19.4%, Oregon at 16.7% and SMU at 13.9%.

Derrick Jackson can excel as both a wide receiver and a running back. As a member of the 2028 class, he will have to wait until next year to be ranked by recruiting channels, which have just released rankings for the 2027 class.