Colorado's top CB hears 'good things' on WSU

THE TOP CORNERBACK prospect in the state of Colorado says he "definitely" wants to check out Washington State over the coming weeks as his senior season draws near. About 30 minutes south of Denver in Castle Rock, the 6-1, 181-pounder with 4.48 speed in the 40 received his first college scholarship offer from the Cougars and says he's heard "a lot of good things" about 'ol Wazzu.

"I'll definitely check them out, I've heard a lot of good things about them," said Douglas County High defensive back Tyler Jackson of the Cougs.

Cougars' recruiting coordinator Greg Peterson, a longtime recruiter of the Centennial State, is running the point for Washington State.

"He's a real cool guy, a real nice guy," said Jackson. "He recruited a couple guys that went to DC, and he recruited Ross Diehl when he was at K-State."

All things being equal, Jackson's first love is cornerback, although he said he's open to any position. Some like him at corner, others at safety, and he'll be playing offense again his senior season after concentrating his junior year on defense. Washington State has offered Jackson as a corner.

"They like me at corner," he said. "And then Wyoming thought I'd play safety, and CSU thought I'd eventually move to safety."

Jackson said he has no frontrunner. In addition to Washington State, Jackson holds offers from Air Force, Colorado State, Kansas and Wyoming. Northwestern could become his sixth.

"I think they might be getting close, the head coach just wants me to me," said Jackson.

This summer, Jackson camped at both Colorado and Stanford.

"They were pretty fun, pretty cool and I got to check them out and everything but in both camps I didn't do as well as I wish I would have. I have a feeling they'll want to wait for senior film," he said.

NAMED FIRST TEAM all-conference, Jackson racked up 17 pass break-ups and 50 tackles as a junior, with four forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and three blocked kicks as well. Also a star in the classroom, Jackson carries a 3.87 GPA.

Jackson has very impressive strength numbers, with a squat of 575 pounds, a power clean of 320 and a bench press of 295 pounds.

Initially, Jackson thought he'd make the college call before his senior season, but now says he will probably wait until later in the fall before making the verbal commitment. The potential for earning playing time is among the factors he said will be important to his decision.

"I'm not sure if I want to stay close to home yet or get away but I wouldn't want to go to some Big 12 school if I wasn't going to play. I definitely want to be able to contribute. I think I'll get a better feel for all that later in my senior year," said Jackson.

Tyler Jackson profile