[Update]: Jim Jeffcoat says
he will remain at Houston. Certainly the first official word from Jeffcoat on the matter, but it may or may not be the final word on the situation.
--GoBR--
In an interview with the Houston Fox affiliate, Jackson Jeffcoat indicated that he will take his official visit to Oklahoma this week and may make his final decision next week. Both Jackson and Jim acknowledged that there isn't any pressure to go to attend college at Houston, the school that currently employs the elder Jeffcoat. It's the same official party line the two have maintained throughout the process.
What could alter that paradigm significantly is a change in employment for Jim Jeffcoat. Rumors have flown over the last several days about Jeffcoat possibly replacing Chris Wilson at Oklahoma as the defensive line coach, the same job Jim currently occupies at Houston. If that does occur, the family would no doubt maintain the same official stance, but the possibility of having father, son, and sister all in Norman would surely have some appeal to the family as a whole. Another possibility is that Jeffcoat could step into the role of defensive coordinator at Houston, a job that is also currently available.
One school that is no longer in the running for Jackson is USC after the departure of Pete Carroll and Ken Norton, Jr. The remaining finalists are Oklahoma, Houston, Arizona State, and Texas.
As for the Longhorns, a blogger for Star Local News (whatever that is),
opines that Jeffcoat is headed to Texas, based on a conversation with an anonymous source that never actually included said anonymous source making any confirmation of the Plano West star becoming a Longhorn other than a knowing smile accompanying the standard denial of said knowledge. So, yeah.
The news is that the blogger did learn that the presumed future coach of Jeffcoat will be visiting Plano in the next several days and Mack Brown has not taken his in-home visit with the Jeffcoats yet and would have to do so within days to fit into the current timeframe of a week or so. However, it's also not clear if any of the other coaches have taken their in-home visits.
With how little news has emerged throughout the process about Jackson's true feelilngs, it's almost hard to believe that he's approaching a final decision. In the Fox interview, Jeffcoat indicated that process hasn't been particularly stressful for him, unlike some other recruits, no doubt because of the intense protection his father has provided and the lockdown on information. And that lockdown makes all speculation concerning Jeffcoat's recruitment even more speculative than most than normal.
