Tulane picks up huge commitment from Tre Jackson of Southern Lab
Score a huge first-year recruiting victory for new Tulane coach Willie Fritz and his staff.
University Lab defensive back/wide receiver Tre Jackson, a one-time commitment to Florida and then South Carolina, chose the Green Wave over Kansas State on Saturday afternoon.
Jackson (5-feet-10, 178 pounds), who tore an ACL four games into his senior season, de-committed from South Carolina after taking official visits to Tulane on the weekend of Jan. 15 and Kansas State on the weekend of Jan. 22.
Tulane has not often won battles with power-five conference schools, but Jackson, rated four stars by ESPN.com and three stars by Rivals.com and 247Sports.com, bucked the trend.
“It’s been a tough decision between two great programs that fit me so well,” Jackson tweeted. “But after much prayer and consideration with my family I’d like to announce that I’ll be spending the next 4 years obtaining my degree at Tulane University. Roll Wave.”
Jackson’s decision came at the end of a long, winding road. As a sophomore, he pledged to Florida and former coach Will Muschamp, intending to follow in the footsteps of his father, Jack Jackson, a star receiver for the Gators from 1992 to 1994.
After Muschamp was fired, he changed his mind. This past July, he committed to South Carolina and Steve Spurrier, who coached his father at Florida. Spurrier resigned early in the season, though, and the Gamecocks hired Muschamp to replace him.
Having committed to Muschamp at one school, Jackson rejected him at the other, then made it clear Tulane and Kansas State were his two finalists.
The coup for Fritz is similar to the one Curtis Johnson had in his first recruiting class at Tulane in 2012, when he convinced four-star safety Darion Monroe to de-commit from Texas A&M and choose the Wave. Monroe started all four years, finishing with 333 tackles and six interceptions.
Jackson was a Class 3A first-team All-State selection in 2014 at University High, which went 15-0 and won the Division II state championship with a 46-32 victory against Parkview Baptist in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. It was the Cubs’ first state title since 1988, and he played an integral role as a two-way starter, catching 45 passes for 876 yards and nine touchdowns. He also averaged 35.6 yards on kickoff returns and 16.9 yards on punt returns with a score.
After Jackson was injured this past year, University Lab lost to Parkview Baptist in the second round of the playoffs.
Jackson is Tulane’s 19th commitment and third of the week, joining College Park (Ga.) Woodward Academy wide receiver Jacob Robertson, a three-star recruit according to Rivals.com, and South Grand Prairie (Texas) safety Chase Napoleon, a two-star recruit.
Tulane still is looking for another quarterback in the class. Its two primary targets, Lindsey Scott of Zachary and Ty Pigrome of Clay (Ala.), have not committed. Scott is considering LSU, Maryland and Rutgers along with Tulane, while Pigrome will choose among Tulane, Maryland and Virginia Tech.
This week, the Wave also offered a scholarship to Dutchtown quarterback Jared Sparks, a Purdue commitment.
National Signing Day is Wednesday.