Oklahoma DL Jayden Jackson Lands National Player of the Week Award

Oklahoma’s Jayden Jackson came to OU last year as the Defensive MVP of his team at IMG Academy and possibly the most underrated defensive line recruit in the country.

After a fabulous freshman season, Jackson is showing why he deserves all that hype.

Jackson was named the Outland Trophy National Player of the Week on Tuesday after his performance in OU’s 24-17 win over No. 22 Auburn on Saturday in Norman.

The weekly award is voted on by the Football Writers Association of America.

Jackson logged a career-high 2 1/2 quarterback sacks and tied his career high with five total tackles in the Sooners’ win over the Tigers in their Southeastern Conference opener.

His first sack came on a first-down play in the second quarter, and his next two sacks came on consecutive second- and third-down plays on Auburn's following possession, forcing a punt.

Jackson also made a third-quarter tackle on a pass play that resulted in no gain. His 2 1/2 sacks were the most among the seven Sooners who recorded a sack in the game.

Jackson was teammates and became best friends with Del City’s David Stone, who blossomed into a 5-star prospect and the No. 1 defensive lineman in the country during his time at IMG.

Meanwhile, Jackson — originally from Utah, he later moved to Indianapolis — flew under the radar until IMG coach Billy Miller and teammates proclaimed him as the Ascenders’ best defensive player in 2023.

While Stone is enjoying a breakout season, Jackson continues to flash his relentless consistency at the positon. He played 382 total snaps for the Sooners as a true freshman, according to Pro Football Focus. He also graded out as one of OU’s most consistent defenders up front with a 69.6 PFF grade. Through four games so far this season, he’s grading out at 75.1.

Jackson doubled his career sack output against the Tigers, entering the game with 2 1/2 career sacks and only a half-sack this season. He now has five career sacks, six career tackles for loss and now 10 career tackles.

Jackson’s effort contributed to an OU defensive performance that resulted in a school-record-tying nine sacks (the statistical total was corrected from 10 due to an OU defensive penalty) and 13 tackles for loss (the program’s most since the 2023 season), and limited Auburn to just 67 rushing yards, 175 below its season average entering the weekend.

As the Outland Trophy National Player of the Week, Jackson has automatically been added to the Outland Trophy Watch List.

The Outland Trophy, celebrating its 80th year, was established in 1946 to recognize the best interior lineman in college football. Only interior offensive or defensive linemen are eligible for the award.

Five Sooners have won the Outland Trophy: tackle Jim Weatherall (1951), guard J.D. Roberts (1953), defensive tackle Lee Roy Selmon (1975), guard Greg Roberts (1978) and offensive tackle Jammal Brown (2004).

No. 7-ranked Oklahoma (4-0, 1-0) is off this week before hosting Kent State (1-3, 0-1 MAC) on Saturday, Oct. 4 at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. on SEC Network.

The Sooners return to SEC play on Oct. 11 when they take on Texas in a 2:30 p.m. tilt in Dallas.