UW Hopes to Put More Miles on Giles, Who's Been a Spring Standout

In each of the first two Husky scrimmages, coach Kalen DeBoer singled out Jackson for his play.

Dan Raley | Apr 17, 2023

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Washington Huskies

Rome Odunze is a preseason first-team All-America wide receiver. Jalen McMillan shows up on a list of the nation's top 10 pass-catchers.

Ja'Lynn Polk last season blew up Michigan State's secondary. Taj Davis had the reception of the year against Oregon.

There's more. Germie Bernard returned to the University of Washington football program this winter amid great fanfare. Redshirt freshman Denzel Boston has drawn an inordinate amount of attention as a Husky player of the future.

So where does all of this intense Husky receiver give- and-take leave little Giles Jackson?

At first glance, one might surmise this 5-foot-9, 176-pound speedster from Antioch, California, by way of the University of Michigan is the odd man out, that he would be better off simply focusing his attention on kick returns this coming season.

Jackson has much different ideas. Not to be upstaged, he was singled out by coach Kalen DeBoer for his performances in each of the Huskies' first two scrimmages — the only player to receive repeat plaudits from the head man. He'll try to add to his spring production in the final scrimmage on Saturday in Husky Stadium.

"Giles has just been really tough to tackle right now, especially in tight confines," DeBoer said.

Giles Jackson has the ability to go the distance at any time. At Michigan, he had 95- and 97-yard kickoff returns for scores.

In two seasons at the UW, Giles Jackson has appeared in all 25 games with a multitude of responsibilities, receiving, running and returning the ball.

PUSH COMES TO SHOVE / Skylar Lin Visuals

Giles Jackson extends himself in a spring drill in Dempsey Indoor, working with Rome Odunze.

Giles Jackson (0) stands among Husky teammates Jalen McMillan (11), Ja'Lynn Polk (2) and Rome Odunze (0), all guys with big reputations.

In two seasons, Giles Jackson has 36 receptions for 415 yards and a touchdown on a 21-yard catch against Stanford last fall.

In his two Husky seasons, Giles Jackson has run the ball 17 times for 93 yards, averaging 5.5 yards per carry, with a long rush of 18 yards.

The Huskies hope to get Giles Jackson in the end zone more frequently. He caught a 21-yard TD pass against Stanford last season and a two-point conversion toss against the Cardinal in 2021.

Kalen DeBoer says the best attribute for Giles Jackson is his ability to make tacklers miss, especially in confined spaces.

When Jimmy Lake was coach, Jackson came to the UW with a big reputation as a kick returner after scoring on 95- and 97-yard runbacks in the Big Ten.

However, DeBoer has been equally intent on using him in shorter developing plays with the possibility of picking up big chunks of yards, whether it be on a flat pass or end-around.

"To me, he's stop and go, get the screen to him and makes some guys miss," the coach said.

In 25 games with the Huskies, the swift-footed Jackson has a long rush of 18 yards, a long punt return of 21 yards, a long reception of 33 yards and a long kick return of 43 yards, looking to double all of those numbers.

The go-the-distance kickoff return, his specialty, always remains a possibility.

"I'm sure he's going to hit one for us, sooner or later," DeBoer said.

Meantime, Jackson will blend in with the Odunzes, the McMillans and the Polks, and show he belongs with his fellow Huskies who possess the hefty stats and widespread reputations.

Over the past month, he's played like man on a crusade. Rather than slink away from the competition, he's embraced it.

"It's tough," DeBoer said. "But that's what competition does — it brings out the best in you."

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Published Apr 17, 2023

DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.