The Football Brainiacs

Player Profile

Position: Defensive Lineman

Height: 6’2”

Weight: 295

Class: Freshman

Seasons at OU: 0

Hometown: Indianapolis, Ind.

Previous School: IMG Academy [Fla.]

The Path to Norman

Jayden Jackson was a highly-touted defensive lineman in the 2024 OU recruiting class. Jackson was defensive MVP for Florida’s IMG Academy his senior year of high school football, where he was teammates with fellow 2024 recruit David Stone. Jayden had offers from just about every top program in the country, with a final five including Texas, Florida, Ohio State, Miami, and the Sooners. The OU offer, which came in the spring of 2023, came relatively late in Jackson’s recruiting cycle. However, a summer official visit made a big impression and was enough to land the young man’s commitment a few short weeks later.

Highlights

This Season

Jackson comes to Norman as part of an insanely talented group of OU freshmen defensive linemen. Incoming transfer Damonic Williams will certainly start in the interior, with Da’Jon Terry set to start beside him and Gracen Halton likely a big factor. There are several other talented options behind that group, so Jackson will have a chance to acclimate to the college game in 2024 if that’s the staff’s plan. However, the likely two-deep at defensive tackle is upperclassmen, so Jackson will be able to show what he can do as early as next year.