Jackson Meeks will be an example for many in the coming years. He had a different route to the SEC than most.

He played at a program that is known for sending WRs to big-time college football and had to wait his turn as a younger player.

As he did, his prep career was derailed by a major knee injury. It cost him some good reps on a state championship team. When he came back late in his junior year, he just wasn’t the same player. He wore a knee brace and it takes time for a receiver’s explosiveness and ability to create separation to return.

Meeks finally was at his best when his best was required. He was healthy and confident at the start of the 2020 season and exploded out of the gate with some monster games against some elite competition, including national power Hoover High in Alabama.

He was a late find for Georgia receivers coach Cortez Hankton and the staff.

Check out this early season start for Meeks:

  • Week 1 vs. Hoover: 13 catches, 230 yards, 3 TDs (with one called back)
  • Week 2 vs. Eufaula: 9 catches, 130 yards, 2 TDs

When he began his breakout, he had offers from Texas State, Liberty, South Alabama, Appalachian State and West Virginia. That said, the 6-foot-2, 195-pounder was showing vast potential early on in his senior season.

It led to some new offers, including the one from Georgia.

He also picked up an offer from Ole Miss but he still quickly committed to UGA on September 8, 2020. Meeks said he always appreciated seeing Georgia jump out as the first really big school to offer him.

It was going to mean a lot to him even if the Alabamas and Clemsons of the world came with offers, too.

Meeks, as noted in the annual DawgNation yearbook chronicle, was the last member of the eventual 2021 signing class to pick up their offer. He was rated as a 3-star player at the time, but his film and ability will offer the glimpse of a player that’s at least one star better than that.

He was rated as the nation’s No. 101 receiver prospect and the No. 649 overall recruit on the 247Sports Composite in the 2021 class. Given that UGA signed him, it is a safe assumption that he has a lot more potential in the SEC than that.

Jackson Meeks had an explosive start to his senior year that earned his Georgia offer but then missed sometime later in the year. He’s already enrolled at UGA for the second semester. (Jackson Meeks/Twitter)/Dawgnation)

What Terrence Edwards likes about WR signee Jackson Meeks

DawgNation’s film room series has previously featured the evaluations of former All-American and 2002 second-round NFL draft pick Jon Stinchmob. The next wave this week will feature the breakdowns of another all-time Georgia great in Terrence Edwards.

Edwards owns all the prime A1A beachfront real estate in the Georgia record books for a receiver. The former “Mr. Football” out of Washington County is the career record holder in catches (204), yards (3,093) and touchdowns (30) from 1999-2002.

He’s not just the longevity ‘Dawg either. Edwards also holds the school records for most receiving yards and touchdowns (11) in a single season. It also garners him the distinction of being the only 1,000-yard receiver in Bulldog history with his 1,004-yard effort in 2002.

The most productive WR in Georgia football history broke down what he sees in Jackson Meeks for DawgNation.

“I think he’s going to be a slot receiver,” Edwards said. “He’s probably going to be a guy I would say who would probably redshirt.”

That’s not a pump-the-brakes take from Edwards. He basically sees a path for him to benefit from a year in the system and the strength and conditioning program coming off those high school injuries plus there is a large group of talented guys ahead of him on the depth chart that has been in Athens for more than one season already.

“I see him playing at the same role that Kearis Jackson is playing right now,” he said.

Check out the video embedded above and below for a few of his takes on the following:

  • What did he see that made him say he “loves this kid a lot” in his evaluation? 
  • What sort of grade did he give his primary tools, including his hands?
  • Does he need to get a lot of separation to make the tough catches? 
  • What did Edwards notice about the body types the Bulldogs signed at receiver in 2021? 
  • What level of production does he see for Jackson Meeks during his time at UGA? 

Central-Phenix coach Patrick Nix was a coordinator at Miami and Georgia Tech. He was also a multi-year starting QB in the SEC at Auburn. His opinion here is also worth noting.

“I think he is a guy with really good speed regardless,” Central-Phenix City coach Patrick Nix said back in the fall. “Now, he’s not going to be that small burner that just can fly by everybody but his combination of size and speed is really good. He’s not going to be the biggest receiver, but very big. He’s not going to be the fastest receiver, but very fast. He has the combination of things there and he is only going to get faster coming off that knee injury right around two years ago. He’s only going to get faster and he trains and gets stronger coming off that.”

“I really think he’s going to be that guy who has the size and can do all those things you want as a receiver but he has that speed where he can separate and put himself at a whole different level.”

Meeks was a December graduate and a midyear enrollee at Georgia earlier this month.

The 2021 DawgNation film room so far

Have you subscribed to the DawgNation YouTube channel yet? If so, you will be able to see special 1-on-1 interviews with Jake Fromm, Gunner Stockton and Brock Vandagriff. You will only be able to find it on the DawgNation YouTube channel. 

SENTELL’S INTEL

(the recent reads on DawgNation.com)