You can't hold back the competitive nature of a great athlete. Along with his competitive fire, the desire to win and to be the best is what fuels Serra High School's Adoree' Jackson.
"I know once I get out there nobody is going to touch me," the junior says as he talks about competing in the long jump. "During basketball season I went out there and jumped 22 feet and I only took 8 steps."
This is why they call him "Adoree' Knows."
Adoree' Jackson excels at virtually every sport he plays. The junior was looking for three state championships with the Cavaliers basketball team this season after already winning the long jump and football crown this year. Serra fell short in the state basketball playoffs, but had a great run on a team stacked with underclassmen.
At the moment, the football recruiting process has fallen into place for Jackson who says that he's already received the offers he was looking for and will likely narrow down his list to about 10 schools within the next few weeks.
Although the offer hasn't been made official, Adoree' has been receiving significant interest from Oklahoma State, and the Cowboys recently offered Serra 2014 LB Dwight Williams.
"I was gonna go out there for a track meet (Oklahoma State) and the coaches wanted to talk to me but I didn't end up going," Jackson told CLA yesterday. "They wanted me to go visit. I'm gonna call the head coach."
When you're the top ranked recruit in the nation, you can be assured that college coaches will be excited to receive your phone call. Don't be surprised if Oklahoma State makes it official for Jackson sooner than later.
After helping lead the Serra Cavaliers football team to a CIF State Championship last season, and creating several ESPN Sportscenter-worthy plays in the process, Jackson catapulted himself into the national spotlight, literally.
I present, "The Flip," by Adoree' Jackson.
The difference in attention that Adoree' has received from coaches, recruiters and media this season compared to last is astronomical.
"The biggest difference between last year and this year is all the contact I'm getting. Now having to sort out who's telling me what I want to hear and who's telling me the real. I get between 5-10 calls a day for people asking to do interviews," he says.
It all comes with the territory when you're recognized as one of the nation's premier athletes, and the high school junior has learned to carry himself with humility.
"It's something you have to learn to manage. You definitely can't please everybody and do interviews every time. You have to get your personal life right and go about your day," says Jackson.
Adoree' discusses how people told him the day would come when the attention would become out of the norm.
"I see it now," he says. "My coaching staff tells me to be humble and be nice to everybody."
Adoree' Jackson: Top 10 Plays Junior Year
On the field, the Serra coaching staff also relies on Jackson to be a leader. "They just want me to do things right because they know other people on the team are going to follow me," he said.
Even though he receives a good amount of attention when it comes to recruiting, Adoree' is always quick to talk up his teammates to college coaches and recruiters.
"Everytime a coach boosts me up I try to bring up somebody else. I don't like people having all the focus of attention on me. I've already got mine. I got some help from other people about how to get myself out there, and now I want to show everybody else," says Jackson. "I don't want people to focus just on me."
In particular, he points to several up and coming Serra HS recruits who he thinks will be receiving deserved attention this year. Jackson says to look out for the likes of Glen Ihenacho (DB/2014), Olajuwon Tucker (DE/2014), Jalen Jones (DB/2014), John Houston (LB/2015), Malik Roberson (RB/2015), Rasheem Greene (DL/2015), and 2014 wideouts Gregory Webb and Jordan Lasley, amongst others.
Jackson has missed the 7on7 circuit this season so far, and will likely rest a sore ankle until it's time to go out and compete for the Serra High School track team in the next few weeks.
"It's always nice to step back because you can learn… sit back and coach other people and get the mental reps. If you have a minor setback, once you get on the field it makes it easier," he says. Once I get back out there, it's gonna be like I never left off."
Jackson's advice for recruits who are receiving a lot of attention?
"You can get self-confidence, but some people take it to the head and get arrogant. Once people get write-ups they may slack off. It's nice, but it's not the end of the world… it really doesn't phase me," says Adoree'.
As far as the rankings go, he has this to say: "It means something, but it doesn't mean everything. I already knew the type of player that I was and the mentality that I have. I'll still work hard and train hard. A lot of players take a lot of pride in it. They just have to keep working hard and not let it get to their head."
Look forward to more recruiting updates featuring Adoree' Jackson and the rest of the Serra Cavaliers from CLA.
