Redshirt freshman 6'2", 246 lbs.
Stats in 2014: Jackson redshirted in 2014.
Spot on Fall Depth Chart: Not listed.
How He Came to USF: Jackson is from Tampa, where he went to Jesuit High School. He could have gone to college anywhere, like Alabama, Auburn, Ohio State, Oregon, Notre Dame, and so on. He had 36 offers in total, mostly from power five schools. Jackson narrowed his choices to Virginia, Missouri, Texas Tech and USF before making his decision to join the Bulls on National Signing Day in 2014.
Recruiting Rankings: ESPN gave Jackson four stars, the rest gave him three.
Projected Playing Time: So, there are ten defensive ends on this team and the one called the "bull" is played by a linebacker. The traditional end is being played by Eric Lee, and Mike Love is his backup according to the fall depth chart. There isn't much room on the field for the eight other DEs.
But, Jackson has been getting a lot of practice at that bull position and appears to be developing into a pretty solid threat to the backfield. He's a little heavy for the position, but is fast enough to rush the edge consistently. As a former linebacker, Jackson is well-suited for one of these hybrid spots that USF is trying this season. I'd say Jackson is the definite 3rd stringer, but has a shot at making it to 2nd.
I wouldn't expect Jackson to turn a lot of heads this fall, since he'll mostly be on the field in special teams or goal line situations, but he has the right stuff to develop into a monster over the next four years. With Eric Lee and Zack Bullock playing their last college seasons, Jackson may even sit atop the 2016 depth chart.
Fun Fact: One of Jackson's teammates at Jesuit was quarterback Vincent Testaverde, whose father was the famous Heisman winner and Tampa Bay Bucs project. Testaverde has ended up at Miami, following in his father's footsteps.
Highlights: Jackson was no fun to play against in high school.