If Josh Jackson wasn’t on your radar before the Ohio State game, he definitely is now.
His 3-interception performance on Nov. 4 tied a school record held by Tyler Sash and Grant Steen, and earned him the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week.
Heading into the game, Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett had only thrown 1 interception all season, but Jackson and the rest of Iowa’s secondary put the quarterback to the test and bumped that number up to 5 by the end of Iowa’s 55-24 rout of the Buckeyes.
Jackson also added 3 tackles and his touchdown saving, Odell Beckham-esque interception in the fourth quarter was named ESPN’s Saturday Play of the Day for college football.
At that turnover, Iowa was already up 48-17. Though Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz enjoyed the interception, it was Jackson’s second of the game that really stood out to him.
“The one in the middle where he fought for that ball and took it out,” Ferentz said. “You know, probably represented the kind of effort we’re going to need to win this game tonight. We knew we had to compete, and it was a great effort by him.”
Jackson’s leadership and steady demeanor have been evident so far, not only his play but also the way his teammates talk about him.
Defensive captain Josey Jewell praised Jackson’s work during the game, saying he was a large reason Iowa toppled the Buckeyes.
“I don’t know if you can do much better than that,” Jewell said. “He had a great game, and I think he is one of the main guys who helped us out to win this game and did his job to the best of his ability.”
Fellow defensive back Amani Hooker also gave credit to Jackson for his performance.
Hooker had an interception of his own against Ohio State — the true sophomore picked off Barrett on the very first play from scrimmage and took it back 30 yards for Iowa’s first 7 points of the day.
He was not surprised with the way Jackson played, because, he said, his teammate is impressive all the time in practice as well.
“He’s a good player. In practice, he makes plays like that all the time, now he just made it in the game. He could have had way more if he’d been catching the ball earlier in the year, but it’s fine,” Hooker joked.
Heading into the season, Jackson wasn’t necessarily on anyone’s radar as far as draft stock goes. In his first two seasons with the Hawkeyes, the Corinth, Texas, native tallied just 18 tackles and defended 6 passes.
Through nine games in 2017, though, Jackson already has 36 tackles, has 20 pass breakups, a blocked kick, and 5 interceptions. He is the NCAA leader in passes defended and is No. 2 in the nation for interceptions per game.
His performance so far has propelled him into the spotlight as the leader of the secondary and a major prospect for the 2018 NFL draft.
After the game, Jackson could not recall having a performance quite like the one against the Buckeyes.