Father First: Jackson Raising his Son and his Game
By David Villavicencio
HurricaneSports.com
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Michael Jackson had a breakout season in 2017, earning All-ACC honors after emerging as one of the top defensive backs in the conference, but the standout corner’s biggest accomplishment had nothing to do with football.
Jackson and his girlfriend became parents to Michael Jackson, Jr., in April. Since then, Jackson has spent every day of his life determined to be the best father, boyfriend and student-athlete he can be.
“Camp has been totally different this year because it’s like I’m fighting for more,” Jackson said. “Last year during camp is when I found out I was having a child, but I didn’t know what I was having yet. I matured and told myself, ‘Fight even more.’ But in those days the baby wasn’t here. Now I go home every night and see my son and that is a reminder to me on all of those days when it’s hot and I’m tired that I need to keep pushing through it.”
Just days before his senior season, Jackson reflected on the previous year and how much his life has changed. A year ago, he had learned he would be a father and today he credits his son for helping him elevate his play on the field.
“Knowing I was going to be a father has been pushing me since last season,” Jackson said. “In fact, the Monday before the Syracuse game last year was when I found out it was a boy. My son is the ultimate reason I had a great season last year.”
And what a season it was.
Jackson enjoyed a breakout year in his first season as a starting cornerback in 2017, making 10 starts and seeing action in all 13 games. The Birmingham, Ala., native, who finished with 43 total tackles, was selected to the All-ACC Second Team and was tied for the team lead with four interceptions on the season. Jackson, who finished with five pass breakups, recorded the first interception of his career in a win at Florida State and had a two-interception performance in a win over Syracuse just days after learning he and his girlfriend were having a son.
After such an outstanding junior campaign, Jackson was eligible to forego his senior season and enter the NFL Draft. The soon-to-be father could have chased his NFL dreams and a pro football paycheck, but Jackson chose to return for his senior season at Miami for several reasons.
“My thought process was the fact that I want to elevate my draft stock and get my degree,” Jackson said. “I also want to show my child that it’s okay to be in college for four years. Everybody wants to rush to the NFL. We play football. It’s not like basketball, where you’re draft-eligible after one year. I already had to wait three years. Waiting one more year isn’t going to hurt me. That’s how I looked at it and it would’ve felt rushed. Going into last season, I wasn’t thinking about the NFL. I only started thinking about the NFL after other people started saying stuff. It wouldn’t have been a decision based off of me. It would have been based off of what other people are saying.”
Jackson was back at Miami in the spring semester and participated in spring football. But his life changed forever the day before Miami’s annual spring game.
“My baby came April 13 and the spring game was April 14, so the very next day,” Jackson said. “I remember just being in the hospital and being with him all day and my girlfriend was like, ‘Go to the spring game and have fun.’ She had all of her family there and my family was there. I remember scrambling trying to find my gloves and anything I might need and then trying to make it to the pregame dinner on time. When I got there, all the coaches and teammates clapped and congratulated me. They had told me before that I didn’t need to go because of the birth of my son, but walking in there that day I knew I had a family in this football team. They could have easily turned their back on me and focused on the spring game, but they showed their appreciation instead.”
Following the spring game, Jackson’s focus turned primarily to fatherhood and being a student. Once his classes finished for the day, he would go home and be with Michael Jr. He is active in his son’s life and excited about helping raise Michael Jr.
“A lot of times, athletes don’t really try to involve their kids in their career,” Jackson said. “They try to keep that separated. In my opinion, you should bring those two together. It will show him that you can have a family and still have a successful career. You don’t have to split the two.”
Time management and organization have been especially important for Jackson as he balances being a student-athlete and father. His girlfriend’s family helps take care of Michael Jr. to give the young parents a break from time to time, but Jackson and his girlfriend have both adjusted their lives to focus on raising their son.
“I’ve grown a lot, especially with small things that the outside world may not see,” Jackson said. “Whether it’s not playing a video game as much or watching a little bit more film and doing assignments before games so I don’t need to worry about it after. I am also helping my girlfriend out. It would be easy to say, ‘You’ve got it. You’re fine.’ But I spend time with her and my son to make sure they have everything they need to be okay.”
Jackson’s fatherly instincts have carried over to the cornerbacks room, where he is helping freshmen Nigel Bethel, Jr., Al Blades, Jr., Gilbert Frierson and DJ Ivey as they adjust to college football.
“I’ve been in all their shoes,” Jackson said. “When someone doesn’t play well, I can tell them it’s going to be okay. Just because you don’t play well in a scrimmage as a freshman doesn’t mean you can’t one day make it to the NFL. Your dreams are still in front of you.”
In addition to teaching them technique and helping them learn Miami’s defense, Jackson has sage advice for the young cornerbacks that are entering their first collegiate season.
“I tell them, ‘You’re in the dungeon right now,'” Jackson said. “‘Nobody is paying any attention to you and no one cares. But once you start making plays, everybody is going to want to be your friend and tell you how great you are. But don’t forget those dungeon days. Right now, you’re in dark days. But a year from now, it can be totally different.’ I use myself as an example. Nobody knew who I was before last year. Now people are giving me a lot of attention because I had a good year. I just tell everyone to remember who you are and stay true to who you are.”
Jackson and the Hurricanes open their season on Sept. 2 against LSU in Dallas. The expectations are high for both the Canes and Jackson, who was named Preseason All-ACC and to the Thorpe Award and Nagurski Trophy watch lists.
“I feel anticipation, anxiety, excitement, just a little bit of everything,” Jackson said. “It’s my last season and I’m just going to try to give it all I can.”
As excited as Jackson is for the marquee matchup to open the season, the senior standout is most excited about having the opportunity to play in front of his son during his final season as a Hurricane.
“I’ve pictured it a bunch of times,” Jackson said. “He’s really observant. He pays attention to everything, so we’ll see if he knows that it’s me on the field. I don’t know how I’m going to react or how he is going to react, but I know it’s going to be a great feeling and one I’ll remember.”
