Meet The 2026 UCF Knights: Countdown To Kickoff - No. 95 RJ Jackson Jr.
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Welcome to UCF Knights on SI's countdown to kickoff!
In this series, we are going to introduce you to every single player on the 2026 UCF football roster so that you can know what to expect from them or even pinpoint the ones you want to follow throughout the coming season. We are going to go through the Knights' roster in reverse jersey-number order, with the day each player's entry is published corresponding to the number of days remaining until UCF's season-opener on Sep. 3 at 7 p.m. against Bethune-Cookman.
So, with 95 days to go, let's meet UCF defensive tackle RJ Jackson Jr.:
1. Who is RJ Jackson Jr.?
Run it back🖤 #ChargeOn pic.twitter.com/5ong6BTlkn
— RJ Jackson (@RJJackson1501) January 4, 2026
Position: Defensive Tackle
Class: Senior
Height/Weight: 6-foot-3 / 310 pounds
Hometown: Choctaw, Oklahoma
High School: Choctaw High School
Originally signing with Tulsa out of high school, staying in his home state ok Oklahoma, Jackson Jr. played in 10 games off the bench as a freshman, but only recorded four tackles. However, he ended up having a breakout sophomore campaign in 2024, tallying 35 total tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks and two pass breakups. He transferred to UCF ahead of last season.
Jackson Jr. is not the only college athlete in his family. His sister, Richa, played basketball for four years at Duke from 2010 to 2014. She mostly came off the bench, but still started in 47 games over her career, helping the Blue Devils reach the Elite Eight three times. She married a fellow Blue Devil basketball player, Rodney Hood, in 2016. He went on to be drafted 23rd overall in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz. He played in the NBA for 12 seasons before officially retiring in 2024.
2. What did he do last season?
Jackson Jr. earned an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honor after starting in 11 of the Knights' 12 games. He recorded 33 total tackles, 13 of them solo, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and broke up two passes.
One of his sacks came in UCF's win over West Virginia, 45-13, a game in which the Knights' defensive line earned the Big 12's Defensive Lineman of the Week honor.
3. What role is he going to have in 2026?
Jackson Jr. is the only returning player in the defensive tackle group who played the entire 2025 season. What's more, he started in all but one of them. Given that experience, it is most likely that he is going to continue as a starter in 2026 and help a position group that is mostly made up of new players integrate into the program.
Defensive tackles coach Kenny Martin said Jackson Jr. is doing "phenomenal" and took "a huge step forward" at the end of the 2025 season.
"He took the next step, man," Martin said following spring practice on April 30. "He's running hard, practicing his tail off, and he's doing everything right."
Catch up on the rest of the list below:
No. 97 Josh Schell and Mason Denaberg
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Bryson Turner is a sports journalist who covers UCF Athletics. Turner has contributed to the Black and Gold Banneret, the home for UCF Athletics on SB Nation. He has called the Orlando area home since the age of 8 and received his bachelor's and master's degrees from UCF.
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