Mississippi State National Signing Day 2014: Jesse Jackson signs with MSU

You can a former Petal Panther to the list of players signing on to play with Mississippi State as wide receiver Jesse Jackson as sent his Letter of Intent on to the the Bulldogs.

A talented player who missed part of his senior season due to injury, Jackson has the potential to be a productive player for a long time for Mississippi State.  In his time at Petal, the Panthers advanced to the state championship game, and his team constantly contended in one of the toughest divisions in Mississippi High School football.

Excited about 6-2, 201-pound WR Jesse Jackson from Petal, Miss. (Petal HS)! Welcome to the family! #HailState

— MSU Football (@HailStateFB) February 5, 2014

Jackson is one of the more talented players in Mississippi, and several school in and out of the state hoped for his services.  He committed to the Bulldogs in October of 2013, and after that commitment, little recruiting buzz seemed to follow him.

Essentials

Jesse Jackson
Wide Receiver
Petal High School- Petal, Mississippi

Measurables

Height - 6'2"
Weight - 200 lbs
40 - 4.4

Stats

2013 (Sr. Year) 7 games because of injury 19 receptions  296yds  15.58YPC  3 TD's

2012 (Jr. Year)- 39 receptions 842yds 21.59YPC 11 TD's

2011 (So. Year)- 20 receptions 300yds 15 YPC 2 TD's

Recruiting Service Ranking

247Sports - 4-star (#8 MS, #41 WR), 91 Grade

Scout - 3-star (#90 WR)

Rivals - 3-star (#15 MS, #97 WR), 5.6 Grade

Highlights

Offers

Mississippi State, Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss, Missouri, Southern Miss

FWtCTrecruitings's Quick Thoughts

Jesse Jackson has the potential to become one of the best wide receivers on the Mississippi State roster in short order.  A player with excellent body control and history of big catches, he should find a way to be a solid contributor for a long time for Mississippi State.  Jackson is coming off of a knee injury, so that will be important to watch in his early days as a Bulldog.

HailState.com Bio

HIGH SCHOOL: A four-star recruit according to ESPN.com and checked in No. 129 on the ESPN300 list ... The fourth-best in-state prospect according to ESPN.com ... Selected to participate in the 2014 Under Armour All-America High School Football Game ... Played for head coach Marcus Boyles ... A three-star prospect according to Scout.com and 247Sports ... Slated at No. 4 on The Mississippi Press' Fantastic 15 list of the state's top collegiate football prospects at the beginning of the season ... A member of the MaxPreps 2013 Mississippi Preseason All-State Football Team ... Selected to the 2013 All-Gridiron First Team by the Mississippi Gridiron ... Named to the 2013 247Sports All-State All-Prospect Second-Team Offense ... Rated as the No. 27 wide receiver in the nation by the 247Sports Composite ... Finished the year as the No. 11 recruit in Mississippi according to Scout.com ... Helped Petal to a 10-3 record and a trip to the second round of the Mississippi High School Athletic Association Class 6A state playoffs ... Did not play entire senior season due to injury suffered during 42-7 win against Jim Hill ... Prior to injury, caught 22 passes for 332 yards and three touchdowns ... As a junior, hauled in 39 passes for 842 yards and 11 TDs ... Tallied 1,018 all-purpose yards as a junior after adding 176 yards on kickoff returns ... Contributed on defense with 17 tackles during junior campaign ... Transitioned from quarterback to wide receiver following freshman year ... Also played basketball as a freshman at Petal and played baseball as a freshman and sophomore.
PERSONAL: Mother, Angela, played basketball at Southern Miss (1997-2000) and spent time with the WNBA's Cleveland Rockers and Portland Fire.