Arkansas is recruiting Pulaski Robinson athlete Koilan Jackson like he never committed to the Hogs on April 29.
“They still recruit me as if I didn’t have an offer or I wasn’t a commitment,” said Jackson, who's being recruited by tight ends coach Barry Lunney Jr. “They text me all the time and tell me they’re going to be up here. They still keep me updated on everything.”
Jackson, 6-3, 210, 4.52 seconds in the 40 yard dash, chose the Razorbacks over scholarship offers from Illinois, Army, Memphis and La.-Monroe while drawing interest from Alabama, Kansas, Louisiana Tech, Arkansas State, Houston and others.
He played quarterback at Little Rock Parkview as a junior and had 3,000 yards of total offense and 38 touchdowns before transferring to Robinson at semester. His role in the fall will be different.
“I’ll be starting at wide receiver and safety, but I’ll be the backup quarterback,” Jackson said. “So if anything goes wrong, I’ll be a quarterback.”
Jackson, who was offered by Illinois as a quarterback, said he and Coach Bret Bielema talked about him lining up under center.
“He said you can explore your options at quarterback too,” Jackson said. “He said ‘We don’t mind, but I see you as wide receiver’.”
He likes the possibilities of the Arkansas playbook showcasing his versatility.
“We can run a little reserve and I throw it deep,” Jackson said. “Or the Wildcat offense, I’m all for it.”
Jackson showed nice instincts at safety with three interceptions during a practice attended by Lunney last week. One of the three was a one-handed grab.
“I was really just trying to make a play and just grabbed with one hand,” Jackson said. “The first I was thinking about catching it with one hand…..I was like this is a second opportunity I might as well do what I was going to do the first time.”
His pledge to the Hogs has eased his mind.
“I can just relax and focus on what I need to learn about the game and making my team better,” Jackson said.