Ohio State football: The forgotten five-star recruit

The Ohio State football team has so many good recruits this season that one seems to be getting overlooked.

By now, most Ohio State football fans are well aware of the five-star recruits from the 2021 class. Defensive end Jack Sawyer put on a show in the Spring Game. Receiver Emeka Egbuka caught everything thrown his way.

TreVeyon Henderson showed he is a serious threat for significant playing time at running back. Quarterback Kyle McCord was very impressive in the way he has picked up on Ryan Day’s offense in a short time. But, did you know there is one more five-star player in the latest recruiting class?

Most Ohio State fans are probably not aware of Donovan Jackson. He’s turned into the forgotten five-star because his high school does not permit early graduation, so he was unable to participate in spring practice.

Jackson signed with the Buckeyes out of Episcopal High School in Bellaire, Texas as the top interior offensive lineman in the country and the eighteenth-ranked player overall. He was actually ahead of Henderson and McCord in the overall rankings.

That makes him Ohio State’s third-highest ranked recruit in this most recent class. While most who did not enroll early only recently got to campus, Jackson has been in Columbus for almost four weeks. Reports say he is doing well in coach Micky Marotti’s strength and conditioning program.

The consensus is the 6’4 ½”, 308 pound Jackson will find his way onto the two-deep depth chart this year behind Nicholas Petit-Frere at right tackle or Paris Johnson, Jr. at right guard. He’ll then play alongside Johnson somewhere on the right side in 2022. Gabe Brooks of 247 Sports says he is an elite prospect at either guard or tackle and is technically sound for a high school player.

Brooks goes on to say Jackson will finish a block and drive a defender to the ground; he’s broad and burly with a legitimate seven-foot wingspan. In summing up Jackson, Brooks says he could reach first-round draft status someday. He was named the Anthony Munoz High School Lineman of the Year by the All-American Bowl Selection Committee.

Off the field, Jackson is described as soft-spoken and humble. Don’t mistake those qualities for passivity on the field. He very much knows how to flip the switch and become a different person. His most impressive quality is said to be his leadership skills.

When I began researching Jackson for this article, one name kept popping into my mind: Wyatt Davis. They are almost identical in size and appear to have a similar temperament on the field. If Jackson can approach the success of Davis, a two-time All-American, he certainly will not be forgotten again.