Growing up, there was some pressure on Trever Jackson from a dear family member to consider Florida State in his recruitment.

"She always used to tell me, 'Florida State, Florida State,' " Jackson recalls of his grandmother.

However, becoming a part of the FSU football program didn't appear to be in the cards. After all, the Seminoles already had a 2024 quarterback commit in four-star Luke Kromenhoek. Jackson, a three-star quarterback from Winter Garden, Fla., had interest elsewhere, eventually committing to Ole Miss last August.

But after Jackson and Ole Miss parted ways in October, he went through the early signing period without a landing spot. A few schools like Syracuse, Houston and Michigan State offered him scholarships as a late-cycle addition.

However, an offer from FSU to join the program as a preferred walk-on proved too much for the 6-foot-3, 190-pound Jackson to deny. Especially since the call came just days after his grandmother — the same one that tried pushing him to FSU — had passed away.

"A couple weeks ago (FSU director of player personnel) Chuck Cantor gave me a call and said, 'Are you still interested in Florida State?' I said, 'Of course. I'm a Florida guy, love Florida State.' After that, I made it a done deal, called coach Norvell and made the decision," Jackson said. "I feel like it was a blessing. God works in mysterious ways. Everything was planned out the way it was. I thought it was a blessing for sure."

When Jackson announced he was enrolling at FSU on Jan. 17, it was certainly a leap of faith of sorts. He never actually got a scholarship offer from FSU but did take a few visits to see the Seminoles during his recruiting process. His grandmother's passing certainly inspired his decision to pass on a few offers and bet on himself as a Seminole, but there were other, more football-centric reasons behind the decision as well.

"I mostly did it for her, but on the other side, being a Florida kid, growing up with Florida State, I always loved Florida State," Jackson said. "The person (FSU head coach Mike) Norvell is, why not get enhanced by him and developed by him? It was an easy decision in my mind."

Discuss this story on the Osceola Village

Just months before landing at FSU, Jackson seemed to be headed for a scholarship spot at a promiment Power Five program. He was one of 20 quarterbacks invited to attend the 2023 Elite 11 Finals, fresh off a junior season at West Orange High where he threw for 1,559 yards, 16 touchdown passes and seven interceptions.

Rivals even ranked Jackson — who was at the time the only committed QB at Elite 11 — ninth out of the 20 quarterbacks at the Elite 11 Pro Day.

"Whichever (school) gets the Winter Garden (Fla.) West Orange three-star will be getting someone with unique abilities who could move way higher in this class..." Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney wrote of Jackson at the time. "Of all the quarterbacks there, Jackson timed up with his receivers and threw with incredible anticipation to them during the Pro Day. He missed on some deep balls though, which speaks to the refinement he still needs to find over time."

Jackson transferred to Orlando Jones High for his senior season and the transition wasn't an especially smooth one. He split time with a sophomore quarterback, Dereon Coleman, at his new school, throwing for 916 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions while running for 855 yards and 10 touchdowns over the 14 games he played.

"I feel like my greatest strengths as a quarterback, I would say leadership, accountability, I can get the job done throwing, running," Jackson said when asked to evaluate his game. "I feel like something I need to work on is pretty much getting that college tempo. It's very fast-paced. Making sure I get comfortable in that fast-paced lifestyle and understanding more ball. You can always learn more so I feel like if I can understand more, I'll be more comfortable as well."

Asked if he prefers to establish himself as a passer or if he's confident in being a dual-threat option, Jackson bluntly said, "At the end of the day, I'm about winning ... It doesn't matter which way I can get it done. Just play winning football."

Jackson arrived in mid-January in what has become a bit more crowded of a quarterback room of late as the third quarterback addition of the offseason.

Oregon State transfer DJ Uiagalelei is seen as the bridge quarterback for 2024 to the future while redshirt freshman Brock Glenn and fellow true freshman Kromenhoek are viewed as the likely options at quarterback for the Seminoles in 2024 and beyond.

Jackson is focused on getting comfortable with his new teammates and learning his new offense after a roller coaster of a recruiting process kept him where he wants to be, in his home state.

"Sitting down and learning right now, (QBs coach Tony) Tokarz and (senior offensive analyst Austin) Tucker always talk about how this is one of the hardest college offenses to learn because there are so many different things that can happen in one play. There are so many different outlets that can happen in one play as well," Jackson said. "It gives you a good experience to learn from the NFL aspect, you'll be ready for that at the next level."

Follow The Osceola on Facebook

Follow The Osceola on Twitter

Subscribe to the Osceola's YouTube channel

Subscribe to the Osceola's podcasts on Apple