Dan Fleser
Three days after a big win on the basketball court, the Tennessee Lady Vols scored an equally big victory on the recruiting front.
Rickea Jackson, a player with All-SEC credentials, announced her commitment to Tennessee on Twitter, simply saying, “I’m hereee.”
The former Mississippi State standout entered the transfer portal earlier this season.
The 6-foot-2 forward was averaging 20 points and nearly seven rebounds per game in 15 games before opting to transfer.
Jackson, who has one season of eligibility remaining, visited Tennessee in late February. The Lady Vols had recruited the former McDonald’s All-American out of high school. She also visited Texas and LSU. The Longhorns are coached by Vic Schaefer, who was Mississippi State’s coach and recruited Jackson to the school. She has one season of eligibility remaining.
Jackson’s announcement coincided with Tennessee’s departure for the Sweet 16 round of the Wichita Region and a date with top-seed Louisville on Saturday. The Lady Vols reached the tournament’s second weekend for the first time in six years by rallying in the final minute for a 70-67 second-round victory over Belmont on Monday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.
In her three-plus seasons at Mississippi State, Jackson averaged 16.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game and shot 44.4 percent from the floor. She was a WBCA honorable mention All-American in her last two full seasons with the Bulldogs.
Jackson’s decision gives the Lady Vols a second commitment via the transfer portal for next season. Jasmine Powell, a 5-6 point guard from Minnesota, committed to Tennessee earlier this month.
Powell, who entered the portal in January, was second-team all-Big Ten last season. She averaged 13 points and 4.6 assists for the eight games she played this season.
Jackson and Powell, who are both from Detroit, will join high school signee Justine Pissott in coming to UT for next season. Pissott, a 6-4 guard/forward, was named a 2022 McDonald’s All-American in January.
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Dan Fleser is a 1980 graduate of the University of Missouri, who covered University of Tennessee athletics from 1988-2019. He can be reached at ddanfleser3@gmail.com.