DT commits to Rams

Colorado State has been on the hunt for key, playmaking defensive tackles in the 2015 recruiting class. Frank Umu potentially helps fill that void in a big way, but the Rams still have potential depth concerns.

On Thursday afternoon - just as CSU's coaches hit the road with a bye week on hand - the Rams filled another important piece to the 2015 puzzle when Arlington (Tex.) Martin defensive tackle O'Shea Jackson committed to Ram defensive line coach Greg Lupfer.

"Well, they've been watching me over a couple of months, and my dad told me and my coach told me when I got the offer that I would feel good, but I would know when it's time to commit," Jackson told GoldandGreenNews.com. "Today, my heart just dropped when I thought about it and I knew it was time to commit."

Jackson holds a lone offer from CSU, but other schools like Oklahoma State, Washington, Air Force, Texas Lutheran, and Louisiana were all in the mix. He told GoldandGreenNews.com just a few days ago that even though he liked Fort Collins, CSU and the Ram coaching staff, he had no plans of announcing a commitment anytime soon.

But after mulling over CSU's offer for a few more days and talking with his parents, Jackson decided he wanted to commit to recruiter Greg Lupfer in person.

"I talked to my parents about it to see how they felt about it and they were behind me one hundred percent. I didn't want to commit over the phone and he (Lupfer) told me he was going to come to our practice and look at me. I just knew that that was the time."

Jackson further elaborated on how the process this afternoon played out.

"When he first got there, I didn't notice him until towards the end of practice. After that, our coach called us up and we broke out of practice and I talked to my coach and I told him I know I want to commit. He called everybody back up and did his little thing, called Coach Lup up, and that's when I told him that I wanted to commit."

And Lupfer's response?

"If I saw right, he was pretty happy. He almost jumped out of his shoes," Jackson said. "He was happy that I committed and wanted to go there. He told me like he told my family that he would take care of me, and I believe that."

The 6-foot-1, 275-pound Jackson visited CSU for the Rams' Elite Skills Camp in late July and came away with the offer after a strong performance. He told GGN at the time that he enjoyed the campus, the coaches, as well as the support of the current team when they came out to watch the recruits practice.

With a decision now in hand, Jackson promised that his play on the field will not change.

"It's not going to change how I perform on the field. I will keep playing like I didn't have an offer or as if I didn't commit."

He is now the Rams' seventh known verbal commitment for the 2015 recruiting class.

Jackson added that he will continue to listen to recruiters from other schools, but that he is firm in his commitment to Colorado State.

"I'll always have other colleges in mind, but I'm one hundred percent sure I want to stay with Colorado State," Jackson said. "I'm very excited to be a Colorado State Ram and get my education paid for."

Jackson has yet to set up a firm date on an official visit to Colorado State, but he will visit sometime in December.

Ryan Krous is the publisher of GoldandGreenNews.com. You can email him at ryan.krous@gmail.com or follow him on twitter @RyanKrous for all the latest and breaking Colorado State news.