WVU’s Big 12 Newcomer of the Week T.J. Jackson stood out as a source of hope for Mountaineer fans in Saturday’s Backyard Brawl loss, but those that Jackson credits most for his performance are the very coaches on the fanbase’s hot seat.
Jackson, a senior defensive lineman from Millbrook, Alabama, transferred to WVU from Troy this season. Jackson made the move after WVU’s 9-4 breakout season and as a result of feeling ready for Power Four competition, but he says the seed for the move was planted long before then.
“Coming out of high school my junior year, as y’all would know, coach (Neal) Brown and that staff was there (at Troy). My defensive coordinator in high school is actually coach (Jordan) Lesley’s best friend, and they were hugely recruiting me then,” Jackson said.
“I wasn’t the typical d-lineman size coming out of high school, so when they came up here (to West Virginia), that (recruitment) kind of went away,” Jackson said.
Brown’s coaching style at Troy excited Jackson during the recruitment process, and he knew he wanted the opportunity to play for him, and despite the move of Brown’s staff in 2019 to WVU, Jackson did not leave that dream behind.
“Even when he left to come here, I was like, ‘I hope I get to play for coach Brown at West Virginia one day,’ because I always wanted to play for him.”
The coaching staff’s departure from Troy did not stop the Trojans from recruiting Jackson, and with a solid relationship already built due in part to Neal Brown’s efforts, he took that opportunity and shined.
At Troy, Jackson grew into his 6-foot-1, 282-pound frame in which he found success, earning him All-Sun Belt First Team honors as a sophomore with 55 total tackles, including eight sacks, 14.5 tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles.
Now, after joining the Mountaineers, Jackson says he has found success trusting the coaching staff that took interest in him as a high schooler.
“I listen to what the coaches tell me to do,” Jackson said. “Coach Lesley puts me in spots for me to make plays.”
Despite fans’ rising criticism of Lesley after WVU’s 1-2 nonconference campaign, it seems that his handling of Jackson has been effective. Jackson has 2.5 sacks and a recovered fumble in three games at defensive edge, with his best performance coming this weekend against Pittsburgh, where he tallied six tackles, including three solo tackles and 1.5 sacks.
West Virginia’s plan for Jackson is unclear, but the coaches have made it obvious that they trust him just as much as he trusts them, and that relationship can only take the Mountaineers in a positive direction.
TJ Jackson and WVU’s struggling Mountaineers will welcome Kansas at home on Saturday at noon. Gates open at 10:30 a.m. at Milan Puskar Stadium.
Photo by Tanner Mountz, Blue Gold Sports
