Lawndale Athlete Elijah Jackson Talks Cal Offer and More

6-2/175 Lawndale DB/WR Elijah Jackson was one of many rising seniors to visit Cal in late January and early February.

The versatile athlete excels on both sides of the ball but the Bears are recruiting him at corner, where he totalled 64 tackles, three interceptions (returned for 127 yards), six passes defended and two fumble recoveries, playing alongside fellow Cal recruits Makell Esteen and Tuli Tuipuloto. On offense, Jackson had 14 catches for 304 yards and an impressive 21 yards per catch along with three touchdowns at receiver.

Jackson has been on the Cal radar for a while and has also seen Cal coaches several times on their campus visits to Lawndale to check in on the trio of Bear recruits, but the visit to Cal kicked things up a couple notches for the talented athlete.

“I’ve been talking to a lot of Cal staff members and coaches for a while, but finally got to hang out with them at Cal’s Junior Day,” said Jackson. “I’ve been talking to Coach (Gerald) Alexander, Coach (Nick) Edwards, Coach (Burl) Toler lll, and Coach (Cory) Nicol.”

On the visit, Jackson received the offer he’d been looking for from the Bears.

“When I got my Cal offer it didn’t really hit me until I got to the car,” said Jackson. “I was overwhelmed with joy and excitement when talking to my coach because of Cal’s academic excellence and great football program.”

On his checklist of priorities for what he’s looking for in a program, the Bears score well.

“In a program, I look for a home away from home and also a program that can prepare me for life,” concluded Jackson.

To date, Jackson sports offers from Cal, BYU, Oregon State, Nevada and Fresno State, as well as fellow academic powerhouse, Yale.