It’s nearly seven years later, but Todd Jackson still vividly remembers when the turning point came in his son’s career as an offensive lineman.
Donovan Jackson had been playing the position since he was 7 years old, starting in tackle leagues at 8 and establishing a reputation as a talented and solidly built football player. But the aggressive nature with which a person of his ilk should be playing on the offensive line did not start setting in until a 10-year-old Donovan made a couple soft hits during a Texas travel league game.
Sure, he had laid down a pair of blocks that were effective enough, but when he sauntered over to the sidelines, he got an earful from the team’s offensive line coach … his dad.