By Josh Ellis

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@KYKernelSports

Woodford County, Ky., native and class of 2016 UK commit Drake Jackson has been boasting his talent at national-level camps and competitions across the country this summer.

The No. 1 ranked center in the nation according to 247sports began his summer by competing in Baltimore this weekend at the Rivals Five-Star Challenge with fellow UK commit Landon Young, who is also considered as one of the best offensive line prospects in the nation.

“It was a lot of fun — there was big time competition,” Jackson said. “It was nice being able to spend time with my boy Landon Young and compete against the best at the same time.”

Jackson made the 14-mile drive to his future home in Lexington on Wednesday, touring the newly renovated Commonwealth Stadium and practicing in a UK camp.

“My visit was awesome, the stadium looks like a big time university’s,” Jackson said. “Landon and I got some great work in with (offensive line) coach (John) Schlarman. I can’t wait to play for him.”

The biggest headline for Jackson’s summer was his invitation to The Opening, a camp in Beaverton, Ore., at Nike World Headquarters where 161 of the best high school football prospects compete against each other.

With the amount of raw talent all bundled in one place, The Opening will be an opportunity for Jackson to do some recruiting of his own.

“I do plan to (recruit). I don’t know who yet, but I’ll figure that out,” Jackson said. “It was a huge goal of mine and now it’s time to perform.”

Like the majority of the players at The Opening, the Woodford County star had the opportunity to play just about anywhere in the country. He had offers from programs including Alabama, Ohio State and Stanford.

“I’m way more comfortable here than anywhere else,” Jackson said. “I want to do something special, and I have a lot of faith in the staff. I love UK and I can’t wait to be a part of it.”

With a summer full of opportunity, Jackson could improve UK’s recruiting class before even stepping on the turf.