2012 Spartan Nation Football Profile: #63 C Travis Jackson
Expectation:Â All Big Ten Center
Height:  6’3â€
Weight:Â #286
2012 Eligibility:Â Red Shirt Sophomore
EXP:Â 1 Letter
Status:Â Starting Center
Strengths: Travis isn’t a good player, he is a star. He will play on Sunday’s and plays on the OL like a maestro. Let’s head to the UM game for an example of his great athleticism and talent.
In the 2nd quarter the Spartans had a 2nd and six at their own 33. With 10:10 on the clock the Spartans were lined up in the I formation. Jackson “slips†a DT, meaning he chips him to
make him irrelevant to the play, goes upfield fast and engages the defender at the 2nd level.
The play only gained four yards, so your first impression would be how was that a great play? If you asked that you may not be in tune with the finer parts of the offensive
line. Jackson’s talent is that he is all about winning. He could have pancaked the original DT, but that is NOT how he plays. He is selfless. All he wants to do is win. He does the things that aren’t sexy, they don’t make Sportscenter, but unless you have the big uglies making those plays, you don’t win.
With his drive and athleticism he affords the Spartans the chance to have essentially an additional OL because of his drive, condition and shape. He extends so many plays. They saw this from him early, but he is there now and without any hesitation I call him the BEST C in the Big Ten.
Weakness: Against the Buckeyes in the first quarter the Spartans had a 1st and 10 with 13:28 on the clock at their own 41. He snapped a wet ball that never got to Kirk. First reaction may be that, “It was weather, how is that his fault.â€Â Guess what? You’d be right. He is so young that there are some things, like playing in the rain, he will only learn with experience. Most OL don’t play until their RS Junior year. He was a star that couldn’t stay off the field and that translates into the simple fact that there will be a learning curve.
He can’t control that and everyone faces it. You don’t want inexperience, but you can’t get experience without reps. He is the real deal and at the end of the year he will be the Big Ten 1st  team C!
Final Analysis: I can tell you this; the staff wouldn’t trade him for any other C in the Big Ten. A great player and a better person he is loved by his teammates and coaches. He has great feet on the football field, not so good on the dance floor. (Sorry Travis, I had to add that.) He is yet again another high character young man that you can build around and win championships.
Jackson hits it hard in the class room and the field and is a super person. With each play on the field he gets better. He doesn’t make the same mistake twice and he listens and can take coaching. He is what they look for in every OL they recruit. He cut his long locks, the good news is that he grew his hair for locks of love and when I was with him recently I didn’t even recognize him.
Next up:Â #31 Darqueze Dennard
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