3-star LB Kari Jackson commits to Penn State

Bloomfield Hills (Mich.) West Bloomfield three-star linebacker Kari Jackson has announced his commitment to Penn State. He chose the Nittany Lions over offers from Michigan, Michigan State and Cincinnati among others.

Jackson is the No. 504 overall prospect and No. 53 linebacker in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 11 player in Michigan.

The 6-foot-1.5, 215-pound defender has visited Penn State three times. He was most recently in State College on Jan. 28 for the Nittany Lions’ Junior Day.

“Just being able to see the campus and see the different facilities for the first time, that was exciting for me,” Jackson told Ryan Snyder of BlueWhiteIllustrated on Jan. 29. “Also, being able to sit down with the different coaches, talk to them one-on-one, I enjoyed that. Having my family there, too, and having them see all the same things I’m seeing, I thought that was good. I felt like we got the total view of the school, the campus and the city around the campus as well.

“They just renovated the weight room. It was just completed this past season. That was really nice to see. Seeing the different amenities and the different things that are available to the players on campus, I thought that was really nice.”

For more Penn State recruiting intel, check out BlueWhiteIllustrated.

Since September, defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Manny Diaz has been one of Jackson’s main contacts at Penn State.

“Coach Diaz is a really cool guy,” Jackson said. “He knows a lot about football and understands the linebacker position well. He plays through his linebackers in his defense, which is a big thing for me. He’s been at all the different levels in football and has a lot of wisdom, a lot of knowledge, particularly at the linebacker position.”

Jackson has an On3 NIL Valuation of $22K. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.