The Tar Heels landed their first commitment of the 2024 class on Monday in Georgia linebacker Evan Bennett. It didn’t take them long to add a second commitment, this time in the form of an in-state offensive tackle.
On Thursday afternoon, 2024 OT Desmond Jackson from Clemmons, NC announced his commitment via social media over Louisville, Georgia Tech and others. The Tar Heels were the first Division 1 school to offer him back in October and hosted him the week after they offered him for the Virginia Tech game. Jackson returned to campus again in late November for the Tar Heels meeting with NC State.
Jackson just finished a huge junior season for himself at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, NC. He earned All-State and All-Conference recognition after he finished with 35 knockdown blocks and didn’t allow a single sack the entire season. He was also a starter for the team at left tackle the prior season as a sophomore.
Jackson will bring a physical presence to the offensive line, especially in the run game. He simply overpowers defensive linemen and finishes many of them off with pancake blocks. He has the frame to come in and become an immediate factor and he moves fairly well for a player of his size. He will have work to do as a pass protector considering he hasn’t had to do it much at the high school level, but with his frame, it shouldn’t be that concerning considering he could probably move inside to guard to capitalize on his abilities as a run blocker.
This is a promising addition to the offensive line for new position coach Randy Clements and gives the Tar Heels an important first commitment from in-state in the class. The team now has two commitments in the class, one from each of the state that feel like they will be the most important for this team’s success in the 2024 cycle.