Freaky Florida State Defensive Tackle Expected To Have National Impact On College Football Playoff Race

The Seminoles have multiple defenders who could become national names by the end of the season but this defensive tackle is one to watch out for.

Florida State's roster is filled with players who could potentially develop into breakout stars by the end of the season. However, there might not be a Seminole who the fanbase is more intrigued to see take the field on Saturday than redshirt junior defensive tackle Darrell Jackson.

Loaded with potential, Jackson has a chip on his shoulder entering week 0 after an outdated NCAA transfer rule prevented him from suiting up for FSU's first 13 games in 2023. He finally got a chance to play in the Orange Bowl but wasn't exactly on an even playing field considering the circumstances.

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Jackson is already earning national attention after being named to Bruce Feldman's annual 'Freak' list earlier this month alongside running mate Joshua Farmer. The Athletic reporter recently highlighted the 6-foot-5, 330-pound defensive tackle as one of ten non-quarterbacks who may help decide the College Football Playoff Race, and for good reason. Jackson was the only player from the ACC on the list.

"The Noles had a ferocious defense in 2023 but lost Braden Fiske and Jared Verse to the NFL. They were incredibly disruptive, combining for 21.5 TFLs and 15 sacks," Feldman wrote. "Jackson is a different kind of player. He’s massive at 6-5, 328 pounds with 11-inch hands and 36-inch arms. The Miami transfer started 12 games for the Canes in 2022 (4.5 TFLs and three sacks) before sitting out last season. He’s looked awesome at FSU and has coaches gushing. He’s run 20.6 mph in pads and can team with fellow Freak Joshua Farmer to give opposing QBs nightmares about collapsing pockets."

It's understandable why Jackson is becoming a popular pick to light college football on fire in 2024. His physical characteristics and athletic capabilities are simply tantalizing. Jackson has 36-inch arms and 11-inch hands. He squats over 600 pounds, benches over 400 pounds, and has been timed at 20.6 MPH in full pads. That's freaky stuff, literally.

Jackson's consistency from play-to-play has been a work in progress dating back to his arrival at Florida State. He seems to be growing in the right direction this preseason and head coach Mike Norvell even pointed out Jackson's response to an unforeseen circumstance to the rest of the team as a reminder to fight through adversity.

"I know he's very excited. Darrell has put in a lot of work and used him as an example in front of the team there a couple of weeks ago. Sometimes life throws curveballs at you," Norvell said after practice on Wednesday. "He was fully expecting and we were fully expecting just with his situation that he would play last year but when that did not become the reality, his approach to having to sit out and still working on getting better and being ready for the opportunity. You got the last game of the year a season ago but there's still so many different dynamics of that of when you kind of just get thrown in there for one game. But he's had this entire offseason, the communication, obviously who he's playing side-by-side with, and what that needs to be. I think he's really done a great job, he's playing fast, and trusting the technique, the fundamentals that he's asked to do."

The Florida native signed with Maryland as a three-star prospect in the 2021 class. He spent one season as a rotational player with the Terrapins before transferring to Miami. Jackson started all 12 games for the Hurricanes in 2022 and even recorded two tackles and a tackle for loss in the matchup against Florida State. In total, he's appeared in 26 games, with 14 starts, and totaled 52 tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks, and one pass breakup.

Jackson's revenge tour will start on Saturday when Florida State kicks off against Georgia Tech at noon EST. The contest will be nationally televised on ESPN.

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