Armond Hawkins has done it again. The Tar Heels landed their third commitment out of the state of California in as many days on Tuesday night in the 2026 class which is starting to load up quickly.
As first reported by Brandon Huffman of 247Sports, the Tar Heels landed the commitment of 2026 3✮ ATH Jaden Jefferson late on Tuesday evening, a move that he confirmed just moments later via his social media. His commitment comes just three days after he received an offer from Hawkins, the Tar Heels new defensive backs coach who was recruiting the state of California last week. He chose the Tar Heels over Arizona and Oregon State, who were seen as the two favorites for his services prior to Hawkins’ offer.
Jefferson is coming off of his junior season at De La Salle High School in Concord, CA where he has been a three year contributor. This season, he ran for 344 yards and four touchdowns on 30 carries, caught six passes for 36 yards and a touchdown and tallied 27 total tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss and a forced fumble while helping lead the Spartans to a 12-1 record with the only blemish being in the CIF Open Division Final to Mater Dei. The previous season as a sophomore was his most productive, as he ran for 422 yards and two touchdowns on 42 carries, caught seven passes for 25 yards and collected 31 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack and two interceptions while helping propel the Spartans to an 11-3 record and a runner-up finish in the CIF Division 1-AA classification. As a freshman, he wasn’t nearly as involved offensively, running for just 38 yards on four carries and catching just one pass for 25 yards. Defensively, he finished with 40 total tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss and interception for a Spartans team that went 10-4 and lost in the final of the CIF Division 1-AA state playoffs. Jefferson also handles return duties for the team, averaging 30.8 yards on 15 kick returns and 4.6 yards on his five punt returns. He has two kick return touchdowns which came this season as well a missed field goal return touchdown, which also came this season.
Jefferson might be small in stature at 5’9, 155 lbs., but there is plenty to like about his game. The most notable thing that you see in all three elements that he is involved in is his speed. His straight line speed is about as good as anyones in the class and it is no surprise that he is a track star, as well, that has 10.40-100m and 21.12-200m times, which he ran as a sophomore. Offensively and as a returner, he combines that speed with great suddenness in the open field, which allows him to make defenders miss and stay on his feet. At his size, he will likely slide in offensively as a slot receiver, so it would be nice to get a better look as just how good his hands are and how crisp his route running is, meaning De La Salle should play him there more as a senior. Defensively, he shines with his physicality that shows up in a multitude of different ways. He is a very strong press man coverage corner who likes to get his hands on the receiver off the line of scrimmage and hand battle down the field. His ball skills are a strength, as well, as he does a great job of picking his moments to make plays on the football. He has very fluid hips that allow him to open up easily and stay with receivers and his speed will allow him to recover if he gets beat. He is an aggressive tackler who is more than willing to tackle and will lay the wood when he gets to the ball carrier. Because of his size, he would be reserved to a nickel corner spot, but there is plenty of potential there. His level of competition is as good as you can ask for in the state of California, meaning the learning curve should be pretty minimal for him compared to others. Figuring out where exactly to play him is going to be the biggest challenge for this staff, but there is so much to like about his game that he can be moved around if he doesn’t succeed at his first stop. Personally, I would start him at slot corner, but slot receiver is also a viable option if he proves himself a little more there this upcoming season.
With his commitment, the Tar Heels already have four commitments in the 2026 class, three of which come from the talent-rich state of California. The class now sits 20th overall and 5th in the ACC according to the 247Sports Composite Team Rankings.
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