Arkansas Freshman Track Star Shawnti Jackson Eyes Paris Olympics

Razorbacks' sensation talks NIL deal with Brooks, upcoming Olympic Trials

Jul 9, 2023; Eugene, OR, USA; Shawnti Jackson poses after winning the U20 women's 200m in a meet / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Ahead of her No. 2-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks hosting the NCAA West First Round competition - and while rehabbing an injury - freshman sensation Shawnti Jackson reflected on her first year in Fayetteville and her incredible success on the track and through NIL.

The 2023 USA Track & Field Youth Athlete of the Year as a high school senior - after setting three high school records in the 60m, 100m and 300m - Jackson burst onto the scene for the Razorbacks in January, winning the 400m at the Arkansas Invitational in a career best 52.10 to register the U.S. and collegiate leader for the 2024 season, while coming in at second on the world list. She earned SEC Freshman of the Week for her debut, all while recovering from COVID.

Outside of her Arkansas season, the Olympic Trials are a month away and at only 19-years-old, Jackson has her eyes on the Paris Games in late July. It has been a year of change for her, but as her freshman season is winding down down, she's thankful for the experience so far.

"People say college is super hard, but I felt like it was just an exaggerated version of high school," Jackson shared. "Like the work is the same to me personally. You're just on your own and that was quite an adjustment because I'm so used to having my Dad and my Mom. The training part - it didn't go as I would like it to go- the form I've been running this season, but it's just an adjustment. I've been coached my Dad for like 18 years, so now going out of my comfort zone just takes a little adjusting. On top of getting injured - I'm still trying to recover from that - but other than that, I'm glad I was able to have a nice freshman year."

Track is the family business for Jackson, whose Dad Bershawn won bronze in the 400m hurdles at the 2008 Olympics and has four World Championship medals to his name. This family mentality on and off the track is what drove Jackson to her first NIL partnership in September.

As the fastest American high schooler of all-time, Jackson presumably had her pick of which shoe brand to sign with and made some major NIL news in her freshman year, becoming Brooks' first college athlete partner. Known traditionally as a distance brand, signing the record-breaking sprinter - and future of the sport - made waves across the industry. It was the sense of family with Brooks though that separated them from the pack and made for an easy decision.

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"Before signing the NIL deal, I had already trained in some of Brooks' shoes, so I already liked the brand," Jackson said. "During the whole process, they showed how much they cared about me and would support me as a person outside of just track. You want to go with somebody that cares about you as a human being and we have so many conversations outside of track. I just feel, even though I'm a NIL athlete, I feel like I'm a part of a bigger team."

But unlike some brands in the space who view NIL deals as simple transactions, Brooks is investing in Jackson as a person and a track athlete. As part of her brand onboarding, Brooks brought Jackson to their global headquarters in Seattle to meet the larger team, get a sense of brand culture and start to expand her Brooks family. A rarity for any athlete to have this type of brand immersion - let alone a college freshman - Jackson reveled in the experience.

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"I loved it," added Jackson. "I loved to see everybody there (at Brooks), see everybody that I'm working with and even if I don't get to work with that team, I get to see them, meet them, be around them, see all the pro athletes and how they get along, It's just like a real family there. It's a real family atmosphere."

So while Jackson hopes to return to form as soon as possible, her family - both blood and brand - is behind her, supporting her ahead of the Trials with a shot at Olympic glory this Summer in Paris.