CANTON, Ohio – Lamar “Bo” Jackson has one final season of high school football left for Villa Angela-St. Joseph before he heads to Columbus to play for Ohio State. And the four-star running back made sure to start his final season with a bang in a 42-7 road win over GlenOak on Friday night.
Jackson was efficient in the 2024 opener, carrying the ball 13 times for 172 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught a screen pass and carried it for 21 yards.
“It’s a great feeling to step into the first game of my senior year, make the right decisions and get the win,” Jackson said.
Jackson made his presence felt almost immediately when GlenOak blocked the ball with a short kick on the opening kickoff.
When VASJ went on offense, Jackson got the ball on the first two plays. On the first, he ran 12 yards around the right side. And on the second run of the game for the senior tailback, he managed a 46-yard run for a touchdown.
On the touchdown run, he took the handoff, ran wide to the left sideline and sprinted down the field, sprinting past defenders. When he reached about GlenOak’s 25-yard line, he changed course and ran to the middle of the field. He finished the play by entering the end zone almost unchallenged, giving the Vikings the lead just 22 seconds into the game.
“I just come out and try to be the aggressor,” Jackson said of that first series. “(I want to) make big plays and start the season hot.”
Jackson scored a 45-yard touchdown later in the first quarter and then added another 3-yard touchdown early in the second quarter. He rushed for 160 yards on 10 attempts in the first half and had just three attempts after halftime, giving the Vikings a 35-7 lead after two quarters.
Jackson entered his final season as the top running back and fifth recruit in Ohio’s class of 2025 according to 247Sports.com and the third-best running back in the country in 2025. He is ranked as the fourth-best athlete in the country and the best athlete in Ohio on On3.com.
After rushing for more than 1,700 yards and scoring 28 touchdowns last season and being named First-Team All-Ohio in Division III, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound running back began piling up college offers. He ended up with nearly 25 offers, including from Georgia, Alabama, Michigan and Notre Dame. He also had an offer from Auburn, where the original Bo Jackson played and won the 1985 Heisman Trophy.
But when the situation calmed down, Jackson ultimately decided to study at Ohio State University.
“When I was there (at Ohio State University), I could just see that they care about what they do and how they develop their players,” Jackson said.
Another reason for staying in the Buckeye State during his college years was the proximity to his hometown, as Columbus was only about a two-hour drive away.
“It’s very close to my home, two hours away,” Jackson said. “It’s not like I have to take a flight.”
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— Ryan Isley | [email protected] | @sbliveoh
