Why Georgia was the right move for Jackson Muschamp
While he is following in his father's footsteps, Jackson Muschamp maintains that the move was about forging his own path.
The Hammond High standout spoke on National Signing Day about his decision to become a preferred walk-on at the University of Georgia, something his father did nearly two decades ago.
But the younger Muschamp said he didn't want to be under his father for four years and Georgia allows him the opportunity to make a name for himself at the quarterback position while still being close to home.
Will Muschamp spoke on his son's decision during his National Signing Day press conference and joked that while he didn't like the hat his son put on, he was still proud of him. He spoke in detail on what made the Bulldogs the right team and what the journey was like for both of them.
"-l I didn't like the hat. I didn't like the hat at all. But, nah. You know, Jackson... We had a discussion probably five or six years ago, you know, and that's young. He said, 'dad, I want to play Division I college football.' And I said, 'well it's gon' be really hard. You're going to have really work hard. Take advantage of the opportunities you have, but you got to really put in the time.' And at that time he really started, kind of, going into eighth/ninth grade, really put in the time. We weren't even here at that time. Really started working toward wanting to be a Division I quarterback. So, obviously had some offers from Division I programs. The BC offer was with Coach Addazio whose now at Colorado State. Went out to Colorado State and it was beautiful, and the staff was outstanding, the facilitates were phenomenal. It's an outstanding school, it's a beautiful scene. We got caught up in the moment a little bit and committed. I wish we had waited a day and he got home and realized that was a long way away from home and we have a very close-knit family. So, he called me and my wife Carol on Monday on a conference call and said, 'I think I've made a huge mistake. I don't know if I can go this far away from home.' Ya know, I said, 'That's the way you feel, you need to call these coaches immediately.' So, it wasn't a flip like the article said. I mean, this was, made a mistake and we owned it, and we called the coaches immediately and let them know exactly what was going on in the process. Georgia's been recruiting Jackson since summer. He went over there to summer camp. He had a really good camp, and they were very impressed with him. They felt like in a walk-on situation they'd love to have him on their roster. Ya know, Coach [Kirby] Smart's known Jackson since he was born. So, obviously there's a relationship there. So, I felt like it was a good fit for him. It's what he wanted to do. He also in that conversation that we had a long time ago is, 'Dad, I don't want to be where you are. Whether it's at Texas, if it's South Carolina, if it's at Florida, or wherever it is, Auburn, I want to blaze my own path, and be my own man.' And I totally respect that. That's a unique position because it's a quarterback position and it's not a receiver, it's not a DB where you've got an opportunity to maybe get on special teams, to maybe play, to maybe get on the bus to be on the kickoff team or the punt. Well that's not happening at that position. And then he made a statement for a very young man at that time. I believe he was in eighth grade when he said that, 'If I go where you are, the reason why I'm playing is because of you, and the reason why I'm not playing is because of you, and I don't want to get into that.' And you know what? He's right. So, I'm proud of him and the opportunity that he's going to get and look forward to competing against him."