Arkansas defensive end Landon Jackson admits that he still has a bad taste in his mouth from LSU’s 13-10 win over Arkansas a year ago.
Being a former Tiger, himself, a win over his old team would mean everything.
“I’m excited,” he said, while being a guest of the Sam Pittman Live radio show Wednesday night at the Catfish Hole. “It’s a great environment down there and I am ready to go out and get the win.”
After recording just one tackle and a half-sack against LSU a year ago, the much-bigger Jackson hopes to have more of a presence this time around. He currently leads the Razorbacks with 2.5 sacks for minus-27 yards, and 11 tackles, this season.
His bigger 6-foot-7 frame should help his cause, after going from 236 pounds last year to a more-muscular 281 pounds this season. He credits new Arkansas Strength & Conditioning coach Ben Sowders with his growth, along with a lot higher food intake.
“I just ate a lot of food and worked out hard – just making sure I was eating enough, and multiple times throughout the day.” he said. “When Coach Sowders came in, the first thing he told me was, ‘We’re going to get some more weight on you.’ He said he wanted to get me up to about 270 and I thought he was crazy. I didn’t think I couldn’t put on that much weight, that quick. But he pushes me every day in the weight room, loading up the racks as much as he possibly can. He just pushed everybody really hard.”
Sowders apparently got the entire defensive line much stronger, while also creating great chemistry throughout the unit.
“We had all the defensive linemen in the same lifting group, so you had Trajan (Jeffcoat) squatting 550 pounds, Stew (Jashaud Stewart) squatting 650,” Jackson said. “I mean my legs were probably my weakest part, but we were all pushing each other, and it was great.”
That camaraderie has led to the Razorbacks’ immense improvement along the defensive front this season. The unit has led the charge with 12 total sacks and three forced fumbles, through the first three games.
“It all started with Coach (Deke) Adams,” Jackson said. “He brought in some great guys out of the portal. We have all become really close. Even when it’s the weekend, like on a Sunday, we are always communicating all the time. We’re always wanting to be around each other. We’ve got a really tight bond, and I think that makes us better on the field, as well.”
Jackson was a highly-touted 4-Star recruit coming out of Texarkana (Tex.) Pleasant Grove High School in 2021. He was rated as the No. 8 weakside defensive end in the country and ultimately opted to go to LSU over Arkansas and a slew of other Division I offers.
His family is primarily Razorbacks fans, so when he decided to transfer a year later, the decision was already made.
“I’m not going to lie, I had it in my head, even before I entered the portal, that if Arkansas called me, that’s where I’m going,” he said. “I already knew I loved it up here from my previous visits from high school, but my official visit let me set it in stone.”
He hasn’t regretted his decision the slightest bit.
“The coaches here are real,” Jackson said. “Everything that Coach (Sam) Pittman and the other coaches told me when I took my visit here, they stuck to their word and stayed true to it. They all told me that when I got here I was going to work, and that I had to earn my spot. That’s what I did, so I’m excited to be here. And any other transfers that are thinking about coming here, I can tell you, this place is home, for sure.”
Jackson’s youngest brother, 6-foot-5, 245-pound Lance, is now a 4-Star defensive lineman in the 2025 class. Arkansas is heavily onto him and hopes the family ties will lead him to Fayetteville.
Landon Jackson knows that he and his line unit will have their hands full Saturday with LSU’s elusive quarterback Jayden Daniels, who not only leads the team in passing, but also in rushing. Fortunately, the Arkansas defense faces a similar dual-threat quarterback, in KJ Jefferson, every day in practice.
“That definitely helps,” Jackson said. “I can’t hit KJ, but the way he moves around in the pocket, really gives us a good idea of what we are about to see. So, I think that is preparing us really well.”
For now, Jackson has just one thing on his mind – getting payback against the Tigers.
“I want to go down there and play really well, but overall, I just want to come back with a win,” he said. “I still have a bad taste in my mouth from last year, so I want to go in there and beat them. But all I can do is go out there and try to help put the team in the best position to win the game.”