2014 Defensive End J.J. Jackson Commits to Virginia

J.J. Jackson committed to Virginia today, becoming the 4th member of UVa's 2014 class. Jackson, an athletic defensive end from Purcellville, VA, chose the Hoos over early offers from Duke, ODU, Ohio, and Yale. The Woodgrove High standout is rated a 3-star prospect by 247Sports, and is currently unrated by Rivals, but you can expect a 3-star rating there as well. Jackson was offered by Virginia on a visit to Grounds a few weeks ago, and was the prohibitive favorite from then on.

Jackson, who stands 6'4" 220 lbs., is athletic enough to play either defensive end or linebacker at Virginia. J.J. is more in the pass rusher type model, who can make plays off the edge, and is athletic enough to help in coverage if need be. It is unclear at this early stage where the Virginia staff will slot Jackson down the road, and a lot will depend on how he much he grows. Jackson put up solid numbers as a junior at Woodgrove, recording 72 tackles, 13 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and 2 pass break-ups.

Jackson seemed really impressed with what the Virginia program had to offer, and he pulled the trigger for the Hoos relatively quickly after receiving his offer. Defensive line is a priority for Virginia in 2014, and Jackson is a nice addition to what looks to be a smaller class. Athletic defensive ends like Jackson are complimentary to the big, physical defensive tackles that UVa is still pursuing in the 2014 class. Virginia might have found a sleeper prospect in Jackson, who's recruitment seamed to be gaining steam of late.

We will have much more on J.J. Jackson and other developing recruiting stories in the coming days. Below is a list of Virginia's 2014 class to date.

Virginia Cavaliers 2014 Recruiting Class

Quin Blanding, FS, Virginia Beach, VA (Bayside)

Ratings: Rivals (5*), 247Sports (5*)

Offers: Virginia, Alabama, Florida State, North Carolina, Michigan, Ohio State, Miami, Clemson, NC State, Notre Dame, West Virginia, Auburn, Cincinnati, UConn, ECU, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Penn State, Purdue, Tennessee, UCLA, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech

Steven Moss, OL, Fredericksburg, VA (Chancellor)

Ratings: Rivals (4*), 247Sports (4*)

Offers: Virginia, Auburn, Florida State, Arkansas, Tennessee, Clemson, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Penn State, West Virginia, NC State, Maryland, Boston College, Illinois, Oklahoma, Syracuse, ODU

Gary Wunderlich, Kicker, Memphis, TN (Memphis University)

Ratings: Rivals (3*), 247Sports (NR)

Offers: Virginia, Texas A&M

J.J. Jackson, DE/OLB, Purcellville, VA (Woodgrove)

Ratings: Rivals (NR), 247Sports (3*)

Offers: Virginia, Duke, ODU, Ohio, Yale, Hampton