Matthew Jackson (American football) explained

Matthew Jackson
Current Team:Tennessee Titans
Number:39
Position:Safety
Birth Date:9 November 1998
Birth Place:Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Height Ft:6
Height In:1
Weight Lb:209
College:Eastern Kentucky (2017–2022)
Undraftedyear:2023
Pastteams:
Status:Active
Statseason:2023
Statlabel1:Total tackles
Statvalue1:6
Pfr:JackMa04

Matthew Alexander Jackson (born November 9, 1998) is an American professional football safety for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Eastern Kentucky.

Early life

Jackson was born on November 9, 1998.[1] He attended Hillsboro High School and competed in both football and track and field.[2] As a junior in 2015, he had 39 total stops, an interception, and two defensive touchdowns.[3] The following season, he was named team captain and led the squad with 64 tackles, additionally having two interceptions, one of which he returned for a 100-yard touchdown.[2] At the same time, he won the city long jump championship while competing in track and field and participated at the state tournament.[2] He committed to play college football for the Eastern Kentucky Colonels over several other FCS offers.[3]

College career

As a true freshman at Eastern Kentucky in 2017, Jackson redshirted.[4] He saw limited action over the next two seasons, having 11 tackles in 11 games in 2018 and 15 tackles in 10 games in 2019 while appearing mostly on special teams.[4] [5] He saw his first major action in 2020; starting at linebacker, he recorded a team-leading 79 tackles, as well as eight and 2.5 sacks, in nine games, three of which were played against FBS opponents.[5] The following season, Jackson posted 102 tackles, 11 TFLs, eight pass breakups, 3.5 sacks, two interceptions and two forced fumbles in 11 games played, earning all-conference honors, being a candidate for the Buck Buchanan Award for best FCS defensive player, and winning Phil Steele's ASUN Conference Defensive Player of the Year Award.[5] [6] [7] In his final year, 2022, he led Eastern Kentucky with 87 tackles and also compiled 7.5 TFLs, two fumble recoveries and two sacks on his way to being named all-conference and a third-team All-American by Stats Perform.[2] [8]

Professional career

After going unselected in the 2023 NFL draft, Jackson was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent.[9] He was one of five undrafted rookies to make the team's final roster.[10] He was waived on November 18 and re-signed to the practice squad three days later.[11] [12] He was promoted to the active roster on January 6, 2024.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Matthew Jackson - Tennessee Titans Safety. ESPN. August 29, 2023.
  2. News: Titans' crop of undrafted free agents includes Nashville's Matthew Jackson. Nashville Post. May 12, 2023. Glennon, John.
  3. News: Hillsboro's Matthew Jackson commits to Eastern Kentucky. The Tennessean. September 4, 2016. Murphy, Michael.
  4. Web site: Matthew Jackson. Eastern Kentucky Colonels.
  5. Web site: 2022 FCS Jersey Countdown: 33 — The Best Player Who Wears No. 33 Is EKU’s Matthew Jackson. HERO Sports. Herder, Sam. July 29, 2022.
  6. Web site: EKU football stars earn ASUN, Phil Steele All-American honors. WTVQ-DT. January 11, 2022. Rogers, Steve.
  7. News: Jackson named preseason all-american. Richmond Register. August 1, 2022.
  8. Web site: Jackson, McKinney Tabbed As Stats Perform FCS All-Americans. Eastern Kentucky Colonels. December 20, 2022.
  9. Web site: Former Hillsboro standout Matthew Jackson signs UDFA deal with Titans . WKRN-TV. Terry, Samaria. May 31, 2023.
  10. Web site: Five Undrafted Rookies Make Tennessee Titans 53-Man Roster Including Caleb Murphy & Kearis Jackson. Sports Illustrated. Rowland, Tyler. August 29, 2023.
  11. Web site: Titans Make Several Roster Moves Ahead of Sunday's Game vs the Jaguars. Wyatt, Jim. TennesseeTitans.com. November 18, 2023.
  12. Web site: Ulrich . Logan . Titans Make Three Roster Moves . NFL Trade Rumors . 22 November 2023.