Growth Off Field Has Jackson Poised to Realize Potential on It
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – When Arkansas wide receiver Ketron Jackon signed with the Razorbacks just over a year ago, it was with all the fanfare that comes with being an explosive high 4-star receiver with great hands and powerful leaping ability.
He even arrived carrying a projection as a future NFL draft pick by evaluators.
Unfortunately for Jackson, the reality of being a college athlete is the room, especially the receiver room, is filled with tremendous athletes with speed, jumping ability and great hands. It takes an entirely different aspect of the game to get the edge on the competition, and a lot of players had the jump on him.
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Jackson, rarely, if ever, watched film, and definitely didn't know how to evaluate what he was seeing to know how to make himself better. As a result, he spent most of the season trying to learn this often overlooked skill while others racked up playing time and stats.
Wide receivers coach Kenny Guiton, who was in his first year as a receivers coach, began teaching Jackson how to not only view film through a receivers' eyes, but provided the added perspective of how a quarterback views what he was seeing. As he grew during receiver meetings, it translated on the field.
"The biggest improvement to me is watching more film," Jackson said. "I never really watched film when I was younger like in high school. Knowing the game more, the game slowed all the way down so that’s making me play better."
Jackson got a chance to stretch his legs in a blowout win against UAPB in late October where he hauled in a 29-yard touchdown catch, and finally earned his way into a competitive game against Missouri late in the season.
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There he closed out a Tigers team that had vexed the Razorbacks over the past several years with a pair of catches for 51 yards, including one play that showed his potential as a big, powerful receiver.
With quarterback K.J. Jefferson scrambling, Jackson made his cut, ripped his way free from a hold by the defensive back and created space as he raced toward the sideline. Jefferson found him in stride as soon as the separation happened, turning a potential sack on 3rd and 8 with the game still in question into a 39-yard reception for a first down at the Missouri 38-yard line.
It's a play he physically might not have been able to make earlier in the season.
"Last year I didn’t feel comfortable playing on the field," Jackson said. "I was getting used to my body. I just came off an injury. I just wanted to get more comfortable and get used to it because I know what role I have to fill."
That role this year is trying to make up for the production of Treylon Burks.
"That’s a huge load to pick up," Jackson said. "Coach came in after [Burks left to prepare for the NFL draft] and is like ‘He’s gone. Who’s gonna step up?’ We’ve got the talent to do it. It’s just a matter of who’s going to step up. "
For Jackson, the key has been learning how to learn. Guiton continues to help him develop his ability to see minor things that need adjustments on film so he can deliver a repeatable performance with every repetition.
"Every day at practice they keep saying Consistency, consistency, consistency," Jackson said. "Coach Guiton always stresses the smaller details that I have to get from when I was a freshman to now and I am applying them and it’s looking good."
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