KNOXVILLE — Gary Coggin knew something had changed.
When Marcus Jackson returned from his visit to the University of Tennessee in November, the Vero Beach (Fla.) High School football coach noticed a difference in his typically quiet offensive guard.
“He came back just lit up like a Christmas tree and just liked everything about [it],” Coggin said earlier this week.
The 6-foot-2, 315-pound Jackson knew after his visit for the 52-14 win over Ole Miss that he wanted to be a Volunteer, and he announced his pledge publicly Wednesday night at the Under Armour All-American game in St. Petersburg, Fla.
“I knew when I went on my visit I was going to go there,” said Jackson, who’s rated a three-star prospect by Rivals.com.