Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/399784
Eagles and Detroit Pistons. Performances are critiqued, and demo reels are sent out to various media outlets. After his showing at the camp, Jackson's tape crossed the right desks. "I got a call from the guys at the Big Ten Network," he said. "They ex- pressed their interest, and it just kind of grew from there." A standout for the Nittany Lions from 1990 to '93, Jackson was a good fit for BTN. He was part of Penn State's first Big Ten team in '93, winning first-team All- Conference honors after finishing his final season with a team-high eight sacks. His 24.5 career sacks rank fourth in school history, behind only Courtney Brown (33), Larry Kubin (30) and Michael Haynes (25.5). After graduating from Penn State in 1994, Jackson signed a free agent contract with Miami. A year later, he landed in Tampa Bay, where he spent five seasons. Then it was on to St. Louis, where he joined a Rams team that had become an annual Super Bowl contender. Jackson enjoyed his best season in 2003 when he finished with 24 tackles, 5.5 sacks and an interception. He retired after playing one last season in Detroit in 2006 and then turned his attention to his business ventures, in- cluding the Jackson Investment Group, which has brought a pair of IHOP restau- rants to Washington, D.C. – the fran- chise's first foray into the District of Co- lumbia. Jackson still pays close attention to his alma mater and is confident that the pro- gram is headed in the right direction under first-year coach James Franklin. "I've said many times, the cavalry is coming," he said. "James Franklin is as good a recruiter as there is in America, and his staff is so energetic and so good with young people that they'll continue to bring the best players in the country to our university, and we'll get back to where we were. I don't have any doubt that within three to five years, we'll be in that [College Football Playoff] tournament. I have no question about that." Jackson is hoping to further his broad- casting career, both on TV and in radio. He's made regular appearances as an NFL analyst on CBS Sports 920 in St. Louis and calls radio "kinda my first love." He's eager to expand his presence on BTN and would be thrilled do color analysis on game broadcasts. The best way to fulfill those ambitions, he says, is to focus on his "BTN Live" appear- ances. "Just like in football, you have to try to impress the decision-makers. My job is to do the best I possibly can, and hope- fully, at some point, the folks who make those decisions will give me an oppor- tunity to show that I can do that," he said. "But at this point right now? I'm just trying to be the best college football analyst I can possibly be for the Big Ten Network." ■