LSU edges out Texas A&M for On300 safety Kylin Jackson

Brian Kelly continues to ride the August wave of momentum on the recruiting as another one of the nation’s best defensive backs comes off the board right.

Kylin Jackson, the On3 Consensus‘ No. 11-ranked safety in America, pledged to LSU over Texas A&M on Saturday in the Zachary (La.) High School gym. The Tigers edged out their SEC West foe in a tightly contested two-team race that came down to the final days for Jackson, who ultimately leaned on his relationships with safeties coach Kerry Cooks and ace assistant Joe Sloan in nearby Baton Rouge.

“It’s home,” Jackson told On3. “I can stay home and I know Coach Cooks will be a great coach for me. He has been recruiting me well. Him and Coach Sloan have shown major love. They hit my coaches up, Coach Brew, almost every day asking about me, making sure I’m doing well, and that means a lot to me.”

“The relationships that they’ve built, between Coach Cooks and I talking every day, or Coach Sloan coming up to the schools in the spring to check on me. It was crazy because they showed amazing love.”

Jackson is a championship-winning defender from Baton Rouge powerhouse Zachary (La.) High School. He was an All-District and All-State selection as a junior in 2021 and helped his team to a 15-0 record with a suffocating style of defense, the ability to cover as a freelancing free safety with range to defend the run sideline to sideline.

The opportunities at LSU, including a path to the field and an opportunity to compete for national championships, were the catalyst.

“It feels good to win and I know I can win here next year and then go off to college and win a national championship and bring it back home to Baton Rouge with my brothers,” Jackson said. “That’s the only way to do it.”

Jackson is tabbed as the No. 157 overall player in the country regardless of position on the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.