Antwuan Jackson has unique path to Ohio State
COLUMBUS, Ohio- Antwuan Jackson had done this before. As he sat among players at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center just out of high school on National Signing Day, the junior college transfer had a second chance at what he wanted his collegiate career to look like.
In December 2015, preparing to graduate from Cedar Grove High School in Ellenwood, Georgia Jackson chose to commit to Auburn, picking the Tigers over teams like Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State. However, once he arrived for his first season with the Tigers, he was redshirted for his first season, not touching the field during his 2016 season.
Even though he picked against Ohio State in 2015, the defensive tackle and defensive line coach Larry Johnson had already begun to form a bond that Jackson did not forget even when he was at Auburn.
“I just heard rumors that after I committed there, he just walked around the facility, wasn't talking to nobody, moping around and stuff,” Jackson said. “So when I was at Auburn, I just felt like I needed to be here."
After the 2016 season, Jackson decided that he wanted to transfer to Ohio State to play under Johnson with the defensive line. However, there was one problem. Auburn blocked his transfer request to play for the Buckeyes in 2017.
"I was just thinking like, 'Why? What's the reason for that?'" Jackson said. “I just wanted another opportunity to play somewhere else so I was kind of a little frustrated with the decision they made, but just had to keep pushing.”
With a goal to get to Columbus, Jackson followed in the footsteps of Ohio State cornerback Kendall Sheffield, spending the 2017 season in Brenham, Texas at Blinn College. In his one season as a member of the Buccaneers, Jackson had 70 tackles, leading the team with nine sacks and three forced fumbles.
Jackson said that, in his one season in junior college; he had to do the same amount and same quality of work he put in at Auburn, gaining confidence in his playing ability. However, his goal was, not only to make himself better, but also to make his teammates at Blinn better as well in his short time there.
“Just try to be better and try to make the guys around there better,” Jackson said. “Try to keep them up also, because being in junior college is definitely not easy. Just trying to tell them guys just to stay up and keep praying. Actually, I kind of miss it, just being around them because you build, like, a brotherhood there.”
As he played for the Buccaneers, Jackson was also going through his second go-around in the recruiting process. Despite talking to coaches, such as Nick Saban from Alabama, the defensive tackle still had one school in mind. Jackson ended his commitment early on in the 2017 season, committing to Ohio State in September.
"They basically gave me a second chance at life to play the sport I really want to play and get to the next level,” Jackson said. “So, they just came out of their heart and just they believed in me and gave me a second chance to come here, so I just can't thank them enough for."
Before becoming fully involved in the inner workings of the Ohio State football program, Jackson has one more thing left to do: heal. Before he went to his bowl game with Blinn, the defensive tackle sprained his ankle, later learning that he had fractured a bone in his left foot. He had surgery on the foot on February 6th and is set to have four to six weeks on crutches.
Even with another obstacle for Jackson to overcome before taking the field with the Buckeyes, he still has very high expectations for himself in his first season with Ohio State.
“I want to be one of the top players just how Joey, just how Nick is and trying to be out there and gain respect for my teammates and coaches,” Jackson said. “As soon as I get off these crutches, I just want to gain respect and gain their trust. That's the No. 1 thing with the sport and with the coaches and with the players, you've got to gain trust.”
With a pathway that brought him from Auburn to Texas before settling into Columbus, Jackson said that this was the path he was meant to take to get to Ohio State.
“I don't regret making my life my first decision and stuff,” Jackson said. “I just believe in like God just gave me the chances to come here and play for Coach Johnson and Coach Meyer."