In the doldrums of the college football offseason, it doesn’t take much to excite the fanbase.
Tennessee freshman wide receiver and former Sheffield star Radarious Jackson had one of those moments.
His acrobatic catch during the Orange and White spring game on April 12 went viral and could be a prelude of what to expect from the four-star recruit for Tennessee in 2025.
“He showed a big flash in the spring game with a one-handed catch,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said at the Big Orange Caravan stop in Memphis on April 29. “That’s who he was consistently throughout the spring, meaning that he made plays and when he got the ball in his hands, was dynamic with it.”
The 6-foot-2, 206-pound Jackson had 1,604 all-purpose yards and 22 touchdowns his senior season at Sheffield.
Since Jackson’s enrollment in January, Heupel said he’s seen the same player he saw on film and then some.
“What I’ve been really excited about is how mature he’s been since he got to campus, (first) with playoff preparation, but really in mid-January when we started our winter semester,” Heupel said. “He shows up the same guy every single day. He competes at an elite level and takes coaching extremely well.”
Tennessee currently has just seven scholarship receivers on its roster, and only three who made catches last season in Chris Brazzell, Mike Matthews and Braylon Stanley. With his spring performances and potential development over the summer, Heupel said it’s not hard to imagine Jackson being in the mix for snaps when practices resume in August.
“I love what he did in the spring,” Heupel added. “He, like all of those first-year guys that started in January, if they do the right thing here in May and then in our summer program, they have a chance to show up in a different way when they get to training camp, meaning they look and operate like a seasoned vet, and we’re gonna need that from him.”
When he spoke with The Commercial Appeal on signing day in December, Jackson was ready to start his new journey in Knoxville.
“I’m really looking forward to coming in and showing that I can be a playmaker,” Jackson said.
A few months in, Jackson is showing what he can do.
“I’m really excited about what he’s done in a short amount of time since January,” Heupel said. “He’s a young guy that’s got a huge ceiling and I’m excited to see him continue to grow.”
Wendell Shepherd Jr. is The Commercial Appeal’s high school sports beat writer. Reach Wendell at wendell.shepherd@commercialappeal.com or on X @wendellsjr_.
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