Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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where have you gone? Jarious Jackson, 1995‑99 Quarterback CFL veteran makes a fast transition to the coaching world By Dan Murphy T he jump from playing quarterback to coaching quarterbacks could not have been any more seamless for former Irish standout Jarious Jackson. In the same month that he signed a one-day contract with the Canadian Football League's BC Lions to end his north-of-the-border career where it started, Jackson received an offer to join the Lions' staff and tutor his successors. Eight months into his new career, Jackson's team has clinched a playoff berth with its 9-6 record and he's helped steer two different quarterbacks into the league's top 12 in passing yards. "I didn't know it would happen this quickly," he said. "In a way, I was always coaching and just not getting paid for it I guess." Jackson spent 13 seasons as an active backup quarterback during his NFL and CFL career. After beginning his career with the Denver Broncos behind Brian Griese and Jake Plummer, Jackson got his start in Canada by working his way up from the Lions' practice squad. He won three Grey Cups (Canada's Super Bowl), two of which have come in the last two years. Jackson, a two-year starter for the Irish, accounted for 3,217 yards of total offense (2,753 passing and 464 rushing) and 24 touchdowns (17 passing and seven rushing) as a senior during the 1999 season. photo courtesy notre dame media relations He played regularly during his seven seasons with the Lions. His biggest year came in 2007, when he started 11 games for the Lions and compiled a 9-2 record and 18 touchdown passes. In 2012, he spent a year with the Toronto Argonauts. Jackson said he feels like he had a few more seasons left in the tank, but when the opportunity arose to return to Vancouver and break into the coaching world by working with the general manager and most of the staff that helped him get on the field, he couldn't pass it up. "I was a little taken aback at first. Not in a bad way, just like, 'Wow, This is happening,' " he said. "I thought if