A playmaker on the defensive side of the ball got a good chance to see Georgia Tech's players and staff do some work Thursday morning as 2026 nickel Shareef Jackson was in attendance for a visit to spring practice.

The talented defensive back from The Sunshine State came away impressed with what he saw and the entire visit overall.

"I loved everything today at GT," Jackson told JOL on Thursday. "The coaching staff was amazing, and the environment is one of the kind."

Georgia Tech jumped in on Jackson's recruitment in February with an offer as the Mandarin High product now boasts offers from the Jackets, Wake Forest and Western Kentucky. Several other programs have expressed interest but haven't quite pulled the trigger yet on an offer, including in-state school Florida State, which Jackson has previously visited. Indiana is also a school that has been in contact.

Jackson said prior to Tech's practice on Thursday he got a chance to spend some time with cornerbacks coach Kobie Jones as well as safeties quality control coach Quentin Jones. Then after practice Jackson said he talked with defensive backs coach Cory Peoples and executive director of recruiting Alex Mathis, who were the pair of coaches to first offer him back in February.

"That was my first time meeting Coach Peoples, Coach Jones and Coach Q (Quentin Jones) in person so today was kind of getting a feel for the coaches and building that connection," said Jackson. "I'm just trying to get a better feel of the staff."

Jackson has other spring or official visits scheduled so far with Wake Forest, Indiana, Western Kentucky and Florida State, and he said he would "definitely" be back at Georgia Tech later this summer.

While Jackson still has a long way to go in his recruitment and expects to add more offers in the coming months, he said the interest he's gotten from Georgia Tech combined with the eye-opening visit on Thursday has definitely made the Jackets one of the top contenders when it is all said and done and he eventually signs his name on an NLI either next December or February.

"Yes 1000 percent I could definitely see myself playing at GT," said Jackson. "You know far as education, I know I will get the best education, and I love what I saw today as far as development and competition."

Georgia Tech has already started its defensive backs class strong for 2026 with the commitments of cornerbacks Jaedyn Terry and Traeviss Stevenson. Could Jackson be another piece that the Jackets could add from the fertile recruiting ground of Florida? He is definitely one name for Georgia Tech fans to follow as the 2026 class comes further into focus.