Auburn Fighting Virginia Tech for 4-Star EDGE Rion Jackson

The Auburn Tigers are gaining steam on another top recruit in the 2027 class. As Alex Golesh sits as the 11th-best class in the country, according to Rivals, heading into another weekend of important official visits, one name will come off the board in less than 24 hours. 

On Wednesday, Annapolis, Maryland, Edge Rusher Rion Jackson is set to announce where he will commit to for next season, and Auburn has been named a finalist. Jackson has narrowed his selection to two programs, Virginia Tech and the Tigers. 

Jackson is 6-3, 210 pounds, and is viewed as the 28th best Edge rusher in the country. He is overall the 311th player, regardless of position, and the 8th recruit in the State of Maryland. 

Auburn's defensive coordinator, DJ Durkin, has built strong relationships inside the Maryland pipeline since his former head coaching days for the Terps, and it's showing big time with Jackson and other potential defensive commits in this class. 

Jackson was impressed of the coaching staff on his last visit and told On3 about the positive relationships he was building. "We went over how I feel in the program and the schemes and all that. I definitely get a culture shock every time I come here because of the intensity of everybody."

During his junior year at Annapolis Sr., Jackson recorded 50 tackles, 9 sacks, and 16 tackles for loss across just 9 games. 

Virginia Tech has certainly gained a ton of momentum this offseason as the program looks for a resurgence itself, as new head coach James Franklin is pushing to make them a contender inside the ACC. They currently have the 17th-best class in the country, according to Rivals.

If he commits to Golesh and the Tigers, he will become the 16th player to join and will already be a part of a loaded 2027 class. Others already committed to the Tigers are QB Gary Chatman, RB Myson Johnson-Cook, RB Kingston Miles, WR Brylan Oduor, TE George Lamons, OT Layton Von Brandt, OT Rance Brown, IOL Jaylon Moore, DL Donivan Moore, LB Kareem Palmer, LB Isaac McNeil, CB Nash Johnson III, Aidyn Wiggins, S Chance Gilbert, and K Noah Ash.   

Jackson will commit live on the Rivals YouTube channel on Wednesday, June 10th at 12:30 PM EST.