2024 5-Star Cornerback Charles Lester III Includes Alabama in his Final Four

4-star EDGE Travis Jackson included the Crimson Tide in his top five following his visit on April 12.

Obtained from Travis Jackson's Twitter profile

Charles Lester III

The 6-foot-2, 171-pound prospect out of Riverview High School in Sarasota, Fla., is ranked as the No. 2 cornerback in the nation, the No. 4 junior in the state and the No. 13 prospect in the class. Lester included Alabama, Florida State, Georgia and Ohio State.

5-star CB Charles Lester III is down to four schools ⭐️

Read (On3+): https://t.co/NSIcuXYxPM pic.twitter.com/mvPEaTTymm

— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) April 16, 2023

Lester's ability to change of direction is showcased throughout his tape. His hips are facing the inside of the field during the pre-snap instead of directly at the receiver. This helps him change direction quicker and disables the receiver from making double moves due to lack of separation.

Lester's length gives him a much larger catch radius than the receiver to bat down and intercept passes. He makes these plays through jumping and even diving across the middle. He is solid in press coverage, but his frame makes him take up a lot of space in a zone scheme as well.

Lester's athleticism has helped him star as a wide receiver, wildcat quarterback and also a returner.

Travis Jackson

The 6-foot-4, 240-pound prospect out of Tyler Legacy, Texas, is ranked as the consensus No. 25 EDGE in the nation and the No. 58 junior in the state per On3 Recruiting. Jackson visited the University of Alabama on April 12 and listed them among his top five schools on April 14.

After an amazing conversation with @HolmonWiggins I’m blessed to receive an offer from the University of Alabama!!!!! @CoachBeauTrahan @CharlesMossFB #offer #blessed #SEC #RollTide pic.twitter.com/GVEeBS8YaO

— Travis Jackson 🥷🏾⭐️ (@thaboitj) April 13, 2023

Jackson's strength is evident throughout his tape, but not in the way you'd think for his position. Edge rushers are known to explode off the line of scrimmage and make quick swim moves to push aside the offensive tackle. Jackson goes straight for the offense tackle and pushes him backwards.

This strategy is similar to that of a defensive tackle, but Jackson's confident enough that he won the trench battle, then he pushes the offensive tackle aside (like a true edge rusher) to reach the backfield. On the plays where he acts like a true edge rusher from the start to the end, he makes efficient swim moves to break free. 

Jackson finished his junior season with 63 tackles, including 15 for loss, 7.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.