Height / Weight / Position: 6’2.5 / 185 lbs / QB
Trever Jackson is a quarterback from Jones High School in Orlando, Fla. Prior to his senior year, Jackson played at West Orange High School. As of Aug. 27, Jackson is ranked by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 222 overall player nationally and the No. 15 overall quarterback in the class of 2024.
What Ole Miss is getting:
Whatever “it” is, Jackson has it. He is comfortable throwing out of the pocket, hitting out routes, and has the playmaking trait that has become almost required of modern QBs.
One of my favorite traits with Jackson is his throw height on intermediate passes. Though this may seem nitpicky to the average fan, I promise it changes games on the field. Jackson does a great job keeping his mid-level passes low, meaning he gives defenders very little time to react to his attempts. This shows how strong Jackson’s arm can be and how he utilizes it in more ways than just attacking defenses over the top.
Another subtlety that I appreciate about Jackson is how well he throws his receivers open downfield. He understands when and how to throw a back-shoulder go route, when to layer it over the DB and when to move on altogether.
Overall, Jackson clearly has spent a lot of time working on attacking the deeper parts of the field, and that should translate very well to Ole Miss’ offense.
At the end of the day, he just looks natural playing QB. His release is smooth, his spirals are crisp and he has the aggressive mentality you want from a signal caller.
Finally, Jackson has a major upside as an athlete. He is the perfect fit for a Kiffin-led football team. He is a pass-first, dual-threat QB who is more of a football player than a QB.
He evades pressure while keeping his eyes downfield but still has enough juice to scramble if left open. He is very similar to current Ole Miss starter Jaxon Dart as a prospect, though Dart was a little more refined headed into USC.
The first pause I have on Jackson is his consistency. Though he has shown elite traits on his highlight tape, his in-game production is a little different.
During his unior season, Jackson attempted only 162 passes, and he broke only 20 attempts in a third of his games. His season completion percentage was just .593, and he threw for 16 touchdowns against 7 interceptions.
Numbers do not tell the full story, but watching his more complete tape reveals that Jackson can struggle to command an offense throughout a game. It seems that for now, Jackson is more focused on making the big play rather than the correct one. That flaw is common in young QBs — Dart flashed that last season — and can lead to needless sacks, stalling drives and inconsistent offense.
I would like to see him become a little more accurate on chain-moving passes as opposed to focusing on chunk plays. Part of this flaw could easily be his current coaching staff, but for now I will mark it with a red pen.
College Outlook:
As I mentioned earlier, Jackson is a perfect Kiffin QB. It is no wonder the staff fell in love with his game. He should transition seamlessly into the offense without having to create any wrinkles to fit his skillset.
That said, I am not sure when he will be able to see the field. Counting Jackson, the Rebels currently have four high-quality QBs on the roster. Dart (junior), Walker Howard (sophomore), Austin Simmons (freshman) and Jackson (high school). With Jackson being the last of the group on campus, he may not see starter reps until his senior year of college.
He doesn’t have any long-term red flags, and he could take over as the starter late in his career as a pro-ready player.
Personal Ranking:
Right now, the 247Sports Composite has Jackson as the No. 222 overall prospect nationally. I actually agree with this one. Jackson is not yet college ready, but he has the skills and mindset to be a very successful QB at the next level and beyond.
QB is a ceiling-driven position, and I think Jackson brings enough tools to the table to justify a top-250 ranking. However, if he irons out some wrinkles, I could see him leap closer to the top 100.
