Jackson Kirkland
Jackson Kirkland
About Jackson
Expert Analysis
Nick Rock | Prep Redzone Scout
Similar to Kirby, Kirkland has potential to be that fly around Safety in Coach Kullos defense over at O’Connor. He did a solid job staying on receivers hips when in man coverage, oftentimes showing good recovery speed vertically downfield. He closes fairly well as a tackler with potential to be that big hitter when he squares up, as he showed spurts of closing quickly and delivering with a big strike.
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Read EvaluationJordan Reyes | Prep Redzone Scout
Kirkland is a technical safety prospect at 6’1” 180 lbs. He’s smooth in his back pedal playing with good pad level to adjust and change directions as the play develops. Flashes a high football IQ and plays well with his eyes. He’s patient with his reads as he diagnoses the play and maintains his eye discipline throughout coverage to stay in phase. Plus ball skills and plays through the hands to break up passes at the catch point. One to watch as he develops and gets more experience.
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Read EvaluationHunter Tierney | Prep Redzone Scout
Jackson Kirkland
Jackson
Kirkland
6'1" | 180 lbs | DB
Sandra Day O'Connor | 2026
State
AZ
immediately stood out through the first set of 1-on-1’s, in large part due to his impressive length. At 6’1″ 171 lbs, he plays even bigger with the reach that he has. With great hip control, Kirkland was able to switch directions in a hurry, which helped him to keep up with the speedy wideouts he was lining up against. Even though he isn’t the quickest, he played extremely smart throughout the day. Never panicking and taking great angles, Kirkland’s ability to recover is undeniable; his length becoming a factor again as he’s able to stretch out his arms and get back into plays. O’Connor’s another team that’s putting together an uber-talented, very young defense, and Kirkland will likely play a big part in that.
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