New Blackman WR Jacob Page may explode in recruiting in new fast-paced offense

Blackman 3-star wide receiver Jacob Page considers himself "goofy."

Blaze football coach Chandler Tygard said "aloof" would be a better word to describe his newest weapon, who enrolled at Blackman in June.

Those two words aren't similar. Maybe that defines the complex personality of one of the state's top 2023 prospects.

"He's hard to explain," Tygard said. "But he really fit in right away. Coming from Ensworth to here has a lot of similarities, whether it be academics or the way we coach the kids."

The 6-foot-3, 180-pounder led Ensworth last season with 39 catches for 763 yards and 10 touchdowns before transferring to Blackman in June.

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Page is No. 12 on The Tennessean's Dandy Dozen, a collection of the top Nashville area college football prospects for the Class of 2023 as selected by the newspaper after consultation with different recruiting writers and observations on the field.

He's ranked by 247Sports Composite as the No. 28 prospect in Tennessee and the No. 120 receiver nationally in his class.

Off the field, his sense of humor and work ethic stand out with his peers, including longtime friend Derron Patel, who he met at Smyrna's Rock Springs Middle.

"I remember in sixth grade, our first year on the team, they wanted him to suit up for a varsity game and he didn't know," Patel said. "Coach called him and said, 'Jacob, can you be on the way?'

"We thought it was just a normal day. We were playing basketball at the park and went to the pool before that and hadn't eaten. He just left (right after the call). He scored two touchdowns that night."

How does Page best describe himself?

"I'm goofy, but I'm still determined," he said. "I'm not a class clown. I don't do it to be looked upon as cool. I just have a goofy personality. When I need to be serious, I'm serious."

Power 5 schools including Vols, Vandy recruiting Page

Page has numerous Power 5 offers, including Tennessee, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Mississippi State, Purdue, Washington, Memphis and Indiana.

He hasn't narrowed down his choices yet, but has taken visits to Tennessee, Vandy, South Carolina, Washington and Clemson.

How would he fit in with some of his top Power-5 choices?

"Personally, I'm pretty high on (Page)," said Ryan Callahan, who covers Tennessee athletics for 247Sports. "I think he's a talented kid, and I'm a little surprised he doesn't have more Power-5 offers at this point.

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"He has the kind of ability that easily could allow him to play at an SEC program. He's had a little more of a low-key recruitment so far, for whatever reason. I could see that change this fall (in Blackman's offense).

"When you combine his speed and size, it's a good start. He's got good body control. There's a lot of upside there."

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Page, who has been recovering from a thumb injury, said the recruiting process has had its "ups and downs." He said he expected to narrow his choices soon.

But if fitting in at the next level is as easy as it was at Blackman, it should be a smooth transition.

"I just wanted to have fun and enjoy my senior year," Page said, of transferring. "Not that I wasn't (enjoying) Ensworth, but here I felt like I could fit in a little better. They already had a bunch of playmakers here, so I just kind of came in and feel like I fit in fine."

Joining a team that threw the ball 334 times last season should help Page garner more offers in the coming weeks.

"I've had some coaches reach out to me, and they're excited to see what he can do, as much as we throw," Tygard said. "He caught (39) balls last year. He'll probably get double the chances."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Jacob Page: UT football among offers, more may come in new offense