Deonte Jackson
From NCAA College Football Information & Resource
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Deonte Jackson (born July 14, 1988) plays running back for the University of Idaho Vandals in the NCAA college football tournament. After redshirting his first year at Idaho, Jackson made an immediate impact in his first tour of duty on the Vandals' backfield after establishing a new school freshman rushing record of 1,175 yards which in the process made him the first Idaho tailback to eclipse the 1,000 rushing mark since Zach Gerstner's 1,157 rush yards in 2003. He ended his rookie year as the #4 rusher in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and #36 in the nation with an average of 97.92 yards per game and 4.9 yards per carry in 12 outings.
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[edit] Personal Life
Deonte is one of Rhonda Jackson-Pullens' sons. Rhonda's brother and Deonte's uncle, Steven Jackson, was a former Oregon State standout and is now playing in the NFL for the St.Louis Rams as a running back. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound Steven, whom Deonte calls his idol, was said to be one of the people who convinced Deonte to play for Idaho in college despite offers from several schools. Deonte is an Architecture major at the University of Idaho.
[edit] High School
The versatile and athletic Jackson attended Warren High School where he was not only a football standout but was also part of Warren's basketball and track team. Jackson, who was named as the team's captain, racked up over a thousand yards rushing both as a junior and a senior, leading the team in rushing in both seasons. He went on to become a Dream Teamer as a running back aside from being named into the all-conference and all-state selections.
[edit] College
Dennis Erickson, who mentored Idaho after his stint with the San Franciso 49ers, was one of the several coaches who showed interest in signing up Jackson. Erickson, who also recruited Jackson's uncle Steven for Oregon State previously, won out the services of the hardworking rusher over Oregon State, Tennessee, Memphis and UNLV with some help from Steven.
[edit] 2006
Redshirted.
[edit] 2007
When coach Dennis Erickson left Idaho to coach in the Pac-10 at the Arizona State, he convinced Jackson to join him in the Sun Devils fold. Citing the bond he had created with his brothers and teammates, Jackson turned down the offer and remained a Vandal during his redshirt freshman year and his decision eventually paid off after earning coach Robb Akey's nod to start at fall camp.
In his collegiate debut and with uncle Steven in attendance, Jackson compiled 99 yards on the ground on 22 attempts while also catching 2 passes in the Vandals' season-opening loss to the Southern California Trojans. The following week, he chunked up and established career highs in rushing yards (214) and carries (30) while scoring his first career touchdown on a remarkable run in the home debut win against Cal Poly. The victory turned out to be Idaho's first and last of the season, but Jackson nevertheless managed to turn some heads and showed promise on his very young career. Jackson registered four hundred-yard rushing games in losses to Washington State (113 yards), Northern Illinois (111), Fresno State (108), and New Mexico State (143) while also scoring a season best two scoring runs against the Huskies. He also scored a touchdown apiece in four other games and had not for a sprained ankle he sustained against NIU, he was likely to score more. Nonetheless, Jackson ended the year with 1,175 yards on 240 carries with 7 touchdowns to establish himself as the #3 rusher in the WAC, 36th in the nation, and the team's #1 option on the backfield.
Jackson capped the year with citations from the league as part of the All-WAC Second Team, and from The Sporting News as a Freshman All-American. He also bagged the team's Offensive Player of the Year award after setting the UI freshman rushing record at 1,175 yards.
[edit] Highlights
| Deonte Jackson rushed for 214 yards and a touchdown to lead Idaho to its lone win in 2007 against Cal Poly. |
[edit] Achievements
[edit] 2007
- CollegeFootballNews.com's #3 RB in the WAC
- CollegeFootballNews.com's #12 Player in the WAC
- Idaho Offensive Player of the Year
- Phil Steele All-WAC Second Team
- The Sporting News Freshman All-American
- WAC All-Conference Second Team
[edit] References
- Deonte Jackson ESPN.com Profile
- Deonte Jackson Idaho Profile
- Deonte Jackson Scout.com Profile
- Freshman RB Jackson off to a fast start with the Vandals
- Jackson stayed put with Idaho buddies
