5 Things To Know About Ja'cari Jackson, Olympia's Do-it-all Athlete And Ucf Football Commit

ORLANDO — At the start of spring camp, head coach Travis Gabriel issued each of Olympia High's football players a helmet with their names marked in the back on a piece of masking tape. Only one, rising senior Ja'Cari Jackson, noticed tape on the front as well.

Just above his facemask, in all capital letters, he saw the words "UCF COMMIT." It's a label Jackson, an Orlando-area native, wears with pride.

Jackson told Rivals he cried when defensive coordinator Alex Grinch pulled him aside after the team's April 3 spring practice and informed him that UCF was ready to offer him a scholarship. Two days later, the 5-foot-11, 175-pound athlete made his commitment public.

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"I was proud of myself because I've been working so hard for three years," Jackson said. "It was a sigh of relief."

A longtime friend and former teammate of Knights linebacker commit Michael McClenton at Ocoee, Jackson shined in his debut season at Olympia in a variety of roles. Here are five things to know about one of the upcoming "hometown heroes" of the 2026 recruiting cycle.

1. Ja'Cari Jackson had only 1 offer prior to UCF — from Mercer

Scott Frost's staff has demonstrated a willingness to recruit outside the box and a lack of concern for star ratings. Jackson did not have a 247Sports profile at the time of his commitment, and he held just one Division I offer — from Mercer, a Football Championship Subdivision program in Macon, Georgia.

Jackson attended two practices last month and was shocked to learn upon his second trip to campus that the Knights viewed him as a priority target in the secondary.

"I had a couple thoughts about me not getting any offers, but I always prayed about it. So I knew it was coming sooner or later," Jackson said.

Since then, Jackson — now ranked a three-star prospect and the No. 144 overall player in Florida by 247Sports — has picked up offers from Connecticut and Duquesne. UCF defensive backs coach Brandon Harris visited Jackson at Olympia on April 28, the Florida High School Athletic Association's first permissible, non-contact spring football practice date.

2. Ja'Cari Jackson made high school DB debut in 2024

How Jackson ended up in Olympia's secondary in 2024 can best be described by the old proverb, "Necessity is the mother of invention." Ocoee hung 53 points on the Titans in the second game of their regular season, so Gabriel decided to deploy Jackson in a largely unfamiliar role.

"He'd say, 'Coach, what am I doing?' I told him, 'Hey, just don't let him burn you,'" Gabriel said. "The rest is what it is."

Jackson said that, prior to last fall, he had not played defensive back since he was 12 years old. He proved a quick study, registering two interceptions and six pass breakups.

The idea of 'best man on best man' most excites Jackson about the position. He predominantly lined up on the boundary last year, but has the versatility and twitch required to play in the slot or at safety.

3. Ja'Cari Jackson described as 'ultimate competitor'

What separates Jackson from other prospects, Gabriel said, is his will and desire to compete every single snap. He transformed into an ironman for the Titans last year and simply did not want to leave the field in big games — especially its regular-season finale against Winter Park.

"It's probably midway through the third quarter, and Ja'Cari has not come off the field all game. You could tell that he had no more sweat coming out of him," Gabriel said. "I said to one of my coaches that I had to rest him for a series, and he snapped. He said, 'Coach, I'm not coming out the game.'

"When I try to take him out the game, he gets upset. … When the game is over, you can tell, physically, that he has nothing left."

Jackson embraces a Travis Hunter-esque role for Olympia, wanting to erase an opponent's top receiving option on the perimeter and score touchdowns for the Titans on offense and special teams. He took snaps at quarterback and receiver, and headlined both the kickoff and punt return units.

He also ran this spring for Olympia's track and field team, posting a best competitive 100-meter dash time of 11.35 seconds at the Metro West Championships in Winter Garden, according to Milesplit.

4. Ja'Cari Jackson produces 'wow plays' for Olympia

The first play in Jackson's junior-year highlight reel exemplifies his big-play ability. He snatched a pick at the goal line, made a cutback around the 10-yard line and outran East Ridge's entire offense for a game-changing, 99-yard score.

And yet, Gabriel rattled off two other 'wow plays' before even mentioning the length-of-the-field pick-six.

The first came in the loss to Ocoee, when he fielded a direct snap, followed blockers to his right and shook a second-level defender in the hole en route to a 75-yard TD run. Later in the season, against Timber Creek, he snagged a leaping interception on an overthrown pass and took it about 15 yards the other direction.

Even the finer details, the ones that do not usually show up in a box score, improved as the year wore on.

"Just him coming off a jam, going up against a receiver and making a tackle in the open field — not whiffing, but actually hitting him — those were the 'wow' things where you can see he has that twitch," Gabriel said.

In total, Jackson accumulated 1,245 all-purpose yards and nine touchdowns.

5. Ja'Cari Jackson inspired by brother's sickle cell disease battle

Jackson's 13-year-old brother, Shamarion Ware, is his biggest fan — as well as his "inspiration" every time he takes the field.

Ware was diagnosed with sickle cell disease as an infant. It is an inherited condition that affects hemoglobin, the major protein that carries oxygen in red blood cells. He has undergone a blood transfusion, and he is treated regularly at the hospital for pain crises associated with the disease.

That has not dissuaded Ware from playing Pop Warner football; their mother, Lelunde Davis, said he will play in the fall for the Ocoee Bulldogs. He's also a regular on the Olympia sidelines during practices and games.

"They’re inseparable," Davis said. "Because he's a fighter and he's inspired by Ja'Cari, he pushes himself through.

"It's something that I can't explain, words that I don't have. I'm just a proud mom to know they love each other unconditionally."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF Knights football recruiting: Meet Olympia DB Ja'Cari Jackson