From humble beginnings, Florida football RB Ja'Kobi Jackson has emerged as leader on UF's offense

After playing three seasons at Coahoma Community College in Mississippi, Ja'Kobi Jackson didn't know what to make of a phone call that went directly to his voicemail.It came from Florida football coach Billy Napier, who was looking to add depth to the running back position group following the end of the 2022 season.

Jackson had also gotten direct messages earlier in the day from two members of UF's football personnel department Joe Hamilton and Jacob LaFrance.

But he didn't quite believe Florida's interest until a follow up text came from Napier later in the day.."At that point it was just a crazy moment," Jackson said.

"I was just jumping up and down, and then went to Google to google the names from the Twitter pages to see that they were legit."It took Jackson another year to see the field for the Florida Gators.

But after redshirting in 2023, Jackson made the most of his opportunities in 2024.

After Montrell Johnson Jr.

went down with a knee injury midway through last season, the 5-foot-11, 214 pound Jackson picked up the slack, rushing for 509 yards on 95 carries and matching a team-high with 7 rushing TDs.Jackson followed that up with a 198-yard, 3 TD effort in UF's spring game last April."Hes one of the more impactful players on our team, because he, there was no history there, no stars and a guy who's earned everything he's got here," Napier said.

"Hes got a real story, and I think he's inspirational to the entire team, and he lives it every day.How Florida football RB Ja'Kobi Jackson began his college football careerJackson hails from Pensacola, the same hometown as former Gator and Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith.

But unlike Smith, who was the Gatorade National High School Player of the Year out of Escambia High in 1987, Jackson was a far less heralded recruit.

He played running back and linebacker at Pensacola Catholic, but didn't have any offers coming out of high school.Being a senior in high school during the height of the COVID pandemic in 2020 didn't help matters.

Jackson worked in the lumber department at a Lowe's in Pensacola following his senior year of high school before getting an offer to play at Coahama CC."I didn't take a visit," Jackson said.

"I didn't do anything.

I got on the road, packed my bags, and I got dropped off down there."Jackson rushed for 1,390 yards and 14 TDs over three seasons at Coahoma, a JUCO in Clarksdale, Miss., not far from the banks of the Mississippi River.

But his only scholarship offer came from Charleston Southern before Florida came calling."Ultimately we go back to the high school tape, the production, the vision, loose hips, big, low to the ground," Napier said.

"Look, the guys out of shape when he got here, rough first year, maybe there's a little buyer's remorse in the beginning.

And then JaKobi just worked, like on a mission and had a phenomenal year last year."Jackson said the biggest difference in going from JUCO to SEC football has been the facilities."My first year and a half at junior college, I didnt have a weight room," Jackson said.

"I worked out in a garage shed type of thing.

So really just getting here and seeing all the recoveries, the pools, the different Normatec boots that we have, the different cold tubs, steam rooms, everything that we have was really exciting.

I felt like a kid in a candy store when I first got here, my first visit here.

It was an amazing experience and I'm still excited every day to be here.

Ja'Kobi Jackson, Jadan Baugh form 1-2 rushing punch for Florida footballWith Johnson departed for the NFL, Jackson and sophomore running back Jadan Baugh project to form a potent rushing punch for UF in 2025.

The 6-1, 231-pound Baugh rushed for a team-high 673 yards and 7 TDs last season to earn All-SEC freshman honors."We have very great potential," Jackson said.

"I would say we have the potential to be one of the best duos and one of the best running back rooms in the nation, I would say.

So just continue to work hard and do what we do and see how it goes."Napier said Jackson had a positive effect on Baugh last season."Certainly Ja'Kobi rubs off on Jadan," Napier said.

"You think about it, Jadan got here last year and was able to observe a guy like Ja'Kobi and the way he worked, the way he practiced, his attitude, his energy.

Those two guys are some of our better teammates and players."As the oldest boy in a family of 11 siblings, Jackson has incentive for a big senior season to help lead UF to more wins and move on to playing pro football."Having a big family and just growing up with them and my mom, they were my why," Jackson said.

"I never watched my mom give up on us, she always came through and did what she needed to do, so that's why I do what I need to do.

Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Suns Florida beat writer.

Contact him at [email protected].

Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1.

Read his coverage of the Gators national championship basketball season in CHOMP-IONS! a hardcover coffee-table collectors book from The Sun.

Details at Florida.ChampsBook.comThis article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida football RB Ja'Kobi Jackson making successful jump from JUCO level.

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