Vista’s Jackson Says He’s Attend Arizona

Chato Jackson, who played on both sides of the ball and led Vista High to the 1991 San Diego Section 3-A title football game, has orally committed to play next year at Arizona.

Jackson, who will major in electrical engineering, visited the Tucson campus over the weekend and said he fell in love with it.

“Football wasn’t the only thing I was looking at,” Jackson said. “I wanted to check out how I felt, how I felt about my peers, and whether I could be comfortable away from football. I wanted to make sure the chemistry was there.”

It was. He made his decision early Sunday morning, but didn’t tell Arizona coaches until Monday morning.

Jackson was a Times All-County first-team selection on defense. He played weakside linebacker and had 122 solo tackles, including eight sacks. He had two interceptions, caused five fumbles and recovered two others.

Although recruited as a linebacker, Jackson also played running back, and rushed for more than 1,500 yards and scored 25 touchdowns. He was the Palomar League’s offensive player of the year.

Washington was the other university Jackson considered.

Jackson said the Arizona defensive scheme closely matched that of Vista’s, and that he was comfortable with the concepts.

“They like what I do, they liked that I played both ways and thought I would be a good addition to their defense,” Jackson said. “They said it was up to me if I wanted to redshirt or not. I’ll make that decision when I get there. They said I shouldn’t have any problem playing when I get there.”