One of Jones first stops will be in the St. Louis area, where hes expected to see five-star cornerback Adoree Jackson while hes at home with his family before he returns to Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, Calif., for the start of his spring semester there. It will be a bit of a calculated risk for the Vols to use Jones visit with Jackson almost three weeks before signing day, but its an interesting strategy that could pay off. Tennessee will be one of the only schools and perhaps the only school that will get a chance to sit down with Jackson and his family at the same time leading up to signing day rather than sending coaches to see Jackson in California and his family in Illinois on the same day.
Tennessee, Florida, LSU, Oklahoma, Southern California and UCLA made the top six Jackson announced Jan. 4. USC once was believed to be his favorite, but there have been some indications in recent weeks that the Trojans no longer are one of the teams to beat. Florida and LSU both are believed to be high on his list, but Tennessee remains very much in the picture with Jackson entering the stretch run leading up to signing day. Oklahoma, much like the Vols, seems to have quietly positioned itself to be a bit of a darkhorse contender.