Husky Roster Review: Elijah Jackson Is Back For An Encore

On the dramatic last play, the Sugar Bowl came down to Washington cornerback Elijah Jackson and Texas wide receiver Adonai Mitchell leaping high in the end zone, both reaching for a well-thrown pass, and who wanted it the most.

If he never did anything more in the college game or the NFL, Jackson could walk away satisfied, walk away proud, because he jumped out of his shoes in the biggest moment possible, with everyone watching from coast to coast, and he made a perfectly timed deflection with an emphatic sweeping motion to preserve a 37-31 victory.

Jackson landed on his feet, with a finger pointed skyward in the Superdome in New Orleans, while Mitchell ended up on the ground, calling for a flag that wouldn't come.

In a season full of game-deciding, overly athletic and exceedingly clutch plays for this UW football team, this might have been the best one because it came in the College Football Playoff semifinals, sent Texas home again with a postseason loss to the Huskies and stamped Jackson as a big-play guy.

Five months later, Mitchell has moved on to pro football, as a second-round draft selection for the Indianapolis Colts, while the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Jackson is back for a Montlake encore as a fifth-year junior and just one of two returning starters for the Huskies' national runner-up team.

"I'm definitely a lot more confident," Jackson said during spring football. "You know, you can be prepared for those moments."

This is one in a series of articles -- going from 0 to 99 on the Husky roster -- examining what each scholarship player and leading walk-on did this past spring and what to expect from them going forward.

Elijah Jackson times his leap perfectly to knock away a Texas end zone pass to close out the Sugar Bowl. | Skylar Lin Visuals

For Jackson, he's reason enough for people to be patient with the development process and the setbacks that come before the rewards are realized in college football.

Yes, he got picked on two years ago as a redshirt freshman and gave up a few touchdown passes. Last season, he became a 15-game starter and a CFP hero. This year, Jackson has a chance to be someone special.

In his first meeting with the Seattle media during spring ball, new Husky cornerbacks coach John Richardson couldn't say enough about Jackson's physical gifts.

"His vertical jump is ridiculous -- the guy jumps like 40 inches," he said. " I've never seen anything like that live, except on the basketball court."

Richardson finds himself entering the upcoming season with a cornerback tandem that's as intriguing as any in the Big Ten. He'll pair Jackson with 6-foot-4, 190-pound junior Ephesians Prysock, the Arizona transfer who's coming off an All-Pac-12 honorable-mention season capped by a strong showing in the Alamo Bowl against Oklahoma.

Elijah and Ephesians, sounds like a religious experience, if not cornerback heaven.

For sure at the Sugar Bowl, Jackson answered a lot of people's prayers as that final play unfolded with everything on the line.

"Aggressive player," Richardson said. "He doesn't back down from anything as we saw in the playoff game."

Elijah Jackson works on his break on the ball. | Skylar Lin Visuals

ELIJAH JACKSON FILE

What he's done: Over the past two seasons, Jackson has started 17 times, so he knows what he's doing out there. He has 71 tackles, 5 pass deflections, 3 forced fumbles and a kick block. However, he remains way overdue for his first career UW interception. Playing opposite the departed Jabbar Muhammad last season, Jackson was the Husky cornerback opponents went after and he should be a better defender because of it.

Starter or not: As one of two returning UW starters on the team, Jackson has the inside track to a first-team assignment at corner this coming season. Yet he's facing stern competition from senior Thaddeus Dixon, who often ran with the No. 1 defense while Jackson dealt with minor health issues and class scheduling.

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