While there may be some athletes who are constantly worried about statistics and what their numbers are, others just do whatever is needed to get the win for the team. And that type of attitude is what one would realize when speaking with Spring (TX) Westfield defensive tackle Desmond Jackson.
As he heads into his junior season, there are coaches lined out of the door to check out him and many of his teammates. But with Jackson and the other Mustang players, team is the No. 1 priority.
“I feel good about myself and what I can do as a player, but it’s not about me it’s about the team. Team comes first,” Jackson said of his spring performance and how he feels about the Mustang squad. “The 2009 off season has been a remarkable success for us because we have gotten better over the last couple of weeks and have shown a lot of maturity.”
Jackson was playing on the black team that ultimately ended up with a 14-7 win in Wednesday nights inter squad game. On many plays, the 6-foot-1, 270-pound Jackson made his way into the backfield and had a couple sacks against his highly recruited quarterback in Jacoby Walker.
But it’s obvious that humility is something that is preached day in and day out in the Westfield program.
“I could have done a little bit better, but overall I feel I had a good game,” Jackson said. Last year I ended my sophomore season with 64 tackles (21 for loss) and a sack. I think that next year I will do much better.”
And even though Jackson is reaching for much higher goals in improvement, there are still quite a few college coaches who have dropped by and inquired about his talents.
“No doubt I want to play college ball, but I’m not worried about that right now,” Jackson said. “This off season, Texas, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Tennessee, LSU, and Alabama are just some of the schools that have come by. But right now, it’s all about the team. All of that (recruiting) will come together when it needs to.”
This summer, Jackson said that he plans to camp at two Big 12 powers in Texas and Oklahoma. There are a few things he would like to improve before coming back to Spring for his junior season.
“I’m trying to get faster and get better with my technique,” Jackson said. “I also want to be more powerful in my stance. I want to use all that I learn at camps to bring back here and have a successful year.”