Texas assistant Chris Jackson named Rivals National Recruiter of the Year

Since Steve Sarkisian arrived at Texas in 2021, the Longhorns have been battling for blue-chip recruits and competing for conference and national championships.

The Longhorns have signed top-five classes in each recruiting cycle since Sarkisian arrived – including top-three hauls in 2023 and 2024 – culminating with Rivals.com’s No. 1 class in 2025.

Texas passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach Chris Jackson engineered the recruitment for the quartet of offensive playmakers signed this year and has been named the Rivals National Recruiter of the Year for the 2025 cycle.

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Jackson helped Texas sign three top-20 receivers headlined by five-star receiver Kaliq Lockett, who ascended to No. 2 in the receiver rankings after a compelling showing at the Navy All-American Bowl. Texas also inked four-stars Jaime Ffrench and Daylan McCutcheon, the Nos. 10 and 18 receivers in the Rivals250, respectively. Rounding out the group was four-star athlete Michael Terry, who will play receiver as well as a multitude of other positions on the Forty Acres.

“When you look at the guys that you bring in to Texas, you have to be more critical and selfish – if you don’t play in the NFL in three or four years, then why am I recruiting you?” asked Jackson, who is entering his third season on Sarkisian’s staff. “It’s an X-factor – and they all have it.”

Jackson had been recruiting Lockett out of the Dallas Metroplex since he was a sophomore.

He instantly grew fond with the traits and the early production. The recruitment tightened up as Lockett drew the attention of LSU, Ohio State, Florida State, Texas A&M and others.

Jackson faced an uphill climb – and secured a commitment from Lockett before his senior season at Sachse (Texas) High.

“We showed him genuine love and where he fits with the offense,” Jackson said. “It’s been a great journey building a relationship with him. He was a no-brainer.

“We had to get back into good graces with him.”

Jackson spent six seasons playing receiver in the NFL on five different teams before diving into the coaching scene. He spent an additional half-decade on NFL coaching staffs before taking over as the Jaguars’ receivers coach in 2022.

His experience in the league is one of the chief reasons why Lockett signed with Texas. It’s also caused friction – temporarily – between the touted receiver and Jackson, who noticed some poor body language during a live evaluation and mentioned it to Lockett and his father afterward.

“His growth and maturity is what separated him from the previous year,” Jackson said of Lockett, who as a junior turned 69 catches into 1,055 yards and six touchdowns as a junior. “He wanted the numbers to compete on a national level – and we were with him. We saw his development … I’m proud of his development off the field.”

Up to the challenge, Lockett separated himself on a national platform in San Antonio at the Navy All-American Bowl last month – making plays on the perimeter; curating consistent explosive plays; winning on contested catches, and sharp, crisp route-running.

The Texas signee finished as the No. 19 overall prospect in the Rivals250.

“We think he has a chance to be a special wide receiver,” Brandon Harris, Texas’ GM, said of Lockett. “He has an incredibly high ceiling.”

Before joining Sarkisian’s staff in 2023, Jackson helped Zay Jones reach career marks as part of the Jaguars’ receiving corps that featured three receivers with 80-plus catches.

When Jackson returned to Jacksonville in January 2024 to meet Ffrench at Mandarin (Fla.) High, he knew his experience with Jones – whom Ffrench trains with – would move the needle.

The coaching staffs in Gainesville, Tallahassee and Coral Gables also have assistants and coordinators with NFL backgrounds. Austin was the catalyst to plucking Ffrench out of Florida.

“It all started with seeing what Austin was all about – what separates it from a lot of SEC schools,” Jackson explained. “We showed them the Austin food trucks, the networking ability, DKR, what the culture is here … this ain’t just Texas. We have national guys here. He saw that vibe. This is what he was looking for – football and life after.”

Ffrench regularly shined in national settings as an underclassman and again as a senior. His smoothness, his body control and his craftsman-like approach to the position – among other things – had the Longhorns signee as Rivals’ No. 10 receiver.

“He can run every route in the book,” Jackson said. “His elite body control – I’ve never seen that from a high school kid before. The get-up speed – it’s like a basketball coming off the rim. The 50-50 catches – he makes it look easy. …

“He’s the total package being an outside WR that can get open and manipulate you during his routes.”

Jackson was equally enamored with McCutcheon’s skill set.

It stung when McCutcheon – the No. 95 overall prospect in the Rivals250 – committed to Florida State over the Horns last July. The four-star from Dallas kept in touch with Jackson “every stop along the way” – leading to his flip to Texas midway through his senior season at Lucas (Texas) Lovejoy.

“It’s the intangibles with him … you can’t put a finger on it,” Jackson said. “He’s a playmaker on the outside or the inside. His doesn’t-say-a-thing demeanor about him – he’s so even-keeled. He turns into such an opposite player as he is a person … He’s a dog. He’s a smart, high-IQ football player with position flexibility. He can do it all.”

After signing with the Longhorns in early December, Terry enrolled on campus in time to practice with the team before its semifinal game against Ohio State.

The four-star athlete out of San Antonio (Texas) Alamo Heights played the Jeremiah Smith role in practice. Like Smith, Terry has playmaking ability as a wide receiver – and a multitude of other positions.

Terry drew comparisons from the Texas staff to three former Longhorns who played under Sarkisian – all drafted and currently on NFL teams – who play three different positions: former first-round running back Bijan Robinson, tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders and receiver Jordan Whittington.

“There’s a multitude of things he did that made the competition look so inferior to him. We said we had to get this guy,” Jackson said. “He could play one or two positions on defense if he wants to. His versatility, his humbleness … he’s an extra added piece to a great receiving core. With him, we have the flexibility to do even more.”

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