DL Cam Jackson Announces Return to Florida for Senior Campaign

Gators interior defensive lineman Cam Jackson will return the University of Florida for his senior campaign, he announced.

Despite the release of assistant Sean Spencer from the Gators on Monday, Florida received positive news regarding its defensive trenches on Wednesday. 

Incumbent starting nose tackle Cam Jackson will return to the program for his final season of eligibility as a fifth-year senior, he shared.

I’ve Made My Decision… Gator Nation Did Y’all really Think I was leaving let’s run It Back my Last Year 💙🧡@GatorsFB pic.twitter.com/79ClbNhHPB

— Cam Jackson (@CamJackson72) November 29, 2023

The 6-foot-6, 360-pound nose is freshly removed from his first year in the SEC, in which he totaled 32 tackles and two batted passes.

Transferring to Florida from Memphis during the 2022 offseason, Jackson became one of two interior defensive line additions expected to immediately bolster the unit, alongside Louisville transfer Caleb Banks. 

The former immediately took over as the starter at nose along the Florida front. The acquisition proved fruitful early in the campaign as the Gators held one of the best rush defenses in the country through four weeks, highlighted by their ability to hold the Volunteers’ top 15 rushing offense to just 3.3 yards per carry and 100 total yards in a 29-16 upset win.

Jackson’s six tackles and pass breakup against Josh Heupel’s attack catalyzed the success of Austin Armstrong’s group. It led to SEC Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week honors for the Haynesville, La., native.

Despite the defense’s continual regression as the year progressed, Jackson remained a productive piece in the middle. His performance earned him invites to the Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Bowl upon the year’s conclusion on Saturday.

It forced him to mull over his options regarding the next step in his career.

However, instead of testing his luck in the NFL Draft pool, Jackson elected to return for one more year at UF in an attempt to boost his stock in the eyes of professional evaluators. He officially announced his conclusion via Twitter on Wednesday, expediting the timeline after originally planning to release his statement on Friday.

As a result, Jackson will provide a building block for Florida’s yet-to-be-named defensive line coach replacement.

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