Jackson attended Riverview High School, in Sarasota, Florida, where he earned four varsity letters in football, three in basketball and four in track. He was twice named an all-state basketball player while in high school.[1]
College career
He played college football at University of South Florida from 2005 to 2007.[2] In 2005, he led USF to a 45-14 win over Louisville with two rushing touchdowns on runs of 51 and 12 yards, a touchdown throw of 11 yards on a reverse, and two catches for 75 yards. He also had seven catches for 68 yards in a game against Rutgers in 2005. As a senior in 2007,[3] Jackson started the first eight games of the season but missed the last four games due to an injury. He had six catches for 60 yards against Florida Atlantic and returned to the USF Bulls' lineup for the 2007 Sun Bowl.[1]
Jackson was the subject of an oft-debated moment in USF's loss to Rutgers in 2007.[4][5] With under a minute to go and the Bulls down 30-27 and facing a 4th and 22, quarterback Matt Grothe threw a pass to Jackson which he seemingly caught for a first down.[5] The play was called back for offensive pass interference on Jackson, however, and the Bulls ended up losing, knocking them from #2 in the national rankings.[5] The play, particularly whether or not the call on Jackson was correct, has since become a source of debate.[4][5]
Professional career
He has been signed twice by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, first as an undrafted free agent in 2008[6][7] and again as a training camp invitee in 2009.[8][9] He was released by the Buccaneers both times during training camp, prior to the start of the preseason.[10][11]