No matter who you talk to, one word will likely come up when asked to describe Oregon Ducks junior linebacker Devon Jackson.
“Fast.”
Ever since he landed in Eugene as a headlining member of the 2022 recruiting class — Dan Lanning’s first with the Ducks — Jackson has been regarded as one of the fastest players on the team. Though he plays a position that isn’t typically known for housing sprinters, the former 4-star recruit from Nebraska routinely takes on receivers and cornerbacks in races and leaves them in the dust.
With a 10.54 100-meter time, and a 21.63 200m in high school, there was no question about what Jackson could bring to the table when he landed in Eugene.
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The only problem, though, is that speed is rendered useless when you don’t know where you’re going. Fortunately, a third year in Lanning’s defense is giving Jackson a sense of direction.
“Devon is a completely different player than when he got here,” Lanning said on Tuesday. “He’s always been a fast guy, but fast in the wrong direction doesn’t help you. Now, he’s fast in the right direction.”
His first two years at Oregon were slow. Jackson played in five games as a true freshman, recording a single tackle. Last year, things picked up as he recorded 17 tackles and 1.5 TFL in 12 games. Now, going into a season where he is expecting to be called upon in big moments to help spell the likes of Jeffrey Bassa and Jestin Jacobs, Jackson is ready for the task.
“I feel like I’m really confident in my ability, in this scheme, and in this defense with how they want me to play,” Jackson said. “It’s really coming to life this year.”
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While world-class speed is enough to inspire anyone, it’s the preparation that has gone on behind close doors that made the biggest difference for the former No. 109 overall player in the 2022 class. No longer can he rely on being the most gifted athlete on the field and ride that mismatch to success.
That’s a transition that took some time to get used to.
“Coming across the country, you know, you are ‘that guy,'” Jackson said. “But coming here, it’s like everyone else is fast too. You’re not the only fast guy, you’re not the only strong guy, not the only smart guy.”
Fortunately, Jackson had other players who were ‘that guy’ to look up to and help show him the way. Though all players in Oregon’s LB room have helped guide, it’s Bassa who Jackson credits with teaching him the most about what it means to be a linebacker at the college level.
“Jeff’s really helped me to learn how to take notes and, like, how to watch film from a linebacker perspective,” Jackson said. “In high school, I ain’t gonna lie, I never really did that. I was just talented. And so showing you like, how to do it and what to look for. It’s easy just to look at plays, but if you don’t really know what you’re looking for, you’re just wasting your time.”
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Going forward, Jackson doesn’t have much time to waste. He has two years of eligibility remaining before making a potential leap to the NFL. Snaps are going to be somewhat scarce on Oregon’s defense in 2024 with Bassa and Jacobs having one final go-around before departing for the NFL.
If he’s going to have an impact and make a name for himself, he needs to get moving, and do so fast.
Luckily, that’s what he does best.
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