Ja'Kobi Jackson Pays His Dues, Ready for Final Season

After the game, he detailed his thoughts on a few issues, including how to stay mentally focused while not the first person on the depth chart.

"Just staying patient, you know?" he said. "Listening to my coaches every day knowing that injuries can happen and when it comes, you got to step up and that's all I wanted to do last year was step up. If the team needed me, that's all I did, so."

The Road to Gainesville

To fully know Jackson, you must examine his path.

First, playing football at small Pensacola High School doesn't really garner notice. A school of 745 students doesn't give you that vast of a talent pool. A zero-star recruit necessitated him taking a circuitous route to FBS football.

For three years, he bided his time as Coahoma Community College. While he did gain more attention, he didn't seem to appear on national radar. Jackson discussed how he arrived in Gainesville and what mindset led him there.

"Yeah, it fueled me more before I got here, but it it's still fueling me every day when I'm here," he said. "I just want to continue to work. I just want everybody to know me as a person, I'm going to come in every day and work. I'm not going to complain, not too much to worry about when it comes to me."

Bottom Line

Star rankings in recruiting usually color viewpoints on talent in the eyes of the college football world. However, someone forgot to tell Jackson, who could emerge as one the top backs in the SEC should he improve on his performance from last season.

The road from northwest Mississippi back to Florida is littered with frustration and
unrealized expectation. Y et, when you get to your final collegiate destination, make the most of those opportunities.

If Jackson enjoys a huge year, that could mean that the team is also succeeding.

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