All Sooners

Oklahoma Linebacker Mark Jackson Transfers to TCU

After sliding down the depth chart and finding himself in Lincoln Riley's "doghouse," Jackson is now a graduate transfer for Gary Patterson
John E. Hoover|
Oklahoma Linebacker Mark Jackson Transfers to TCU
Oklahoma Linebacker Mark Jackson Transfers to TCU

Oklahoma linebacker Mark Jackson found himself in the doghouse last season.

Now he’ll be playing in the Frogs’ house.

Jackson, a senior from Cibolo, Texas, transferred to TCU this week, Horned Frog Blitz’s Jeremy Clark reported.

The 6-foot-1, 238-pound Jackson played in five games as a true freshman in 2016. He was emerging as a regular contributor on Mike Stoops’ defense, playing in 10 games and making seven starts at outside linebacker in 2018, after playing in 13 games as a sophomore in 2017. But in Alex Grinch’s system last season, he slid down the depth chart and played in just four games, retaining redshirt status and allowing him to leave as a graduate transfer.

Last October, after a practice ahead of the Sooners’ game with Texas, head coach Lincoln Riley described Jackson’s situation.

“Yeah, he’s done a good job for us,” Riley said. “He found – how would I say this? He – I don’t want to say lost his way, but he kind of got in the doghouse a little bit here. Nothing egregious, just a couple small things, things that we expected, and he’s done a great job fighting his way back. We would have no issue playing him right now. We just had some other guys in the meantime that have stepped up and taken that and haven’t given us a reason to take it away from them now.”

Jackson chose OU over Texas, Notre Dame, Texas A&M and others.

Now he’ll get a chance to reboot his career under Gary Patterson at TCU, whose team collected just TCU had just 22 quarterback sacks last season, the lowest single-season total in the Patterson era. The Horned Frogs have an immediate need for an impact pass rusher – a role Jackson seemed trending toward before last season.

To get the latest OU posts as they happen, join the SI Sooners Community by clicking “Follow” at the top right corner of the page (mobile users can click the notifications bell icon), and follow SI Sooners on Twitter @All_Sooners.

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

Share on XFollow johnehoover
Home/Football