FAYETTEVILLE — There is plenty of hype surrounding Arkansas football’s Landon Jackson as he enters his senior season, and much of it stems from his signature performance in 2023.
The 6-foot-7 defensive end posted career-highs with 11 tackles and 3.5 sacks in the Razorbacks mid-October loss to Alabama. His stats that day accounted for 25% of his total tackles and more than 50% of his total sacks on the season.
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He came back to Arkansas for the upcoming season to try and boost his draft stock and leave the program in a better place than coming off a 4-8 campaign.
For those ambitions to come to fruition, Jackson knows more consistency is needed in 2024.
“I think I had a good game, but I got to make that into multiple games throughout the year and put up more games like that to be who I think I should be,” he said at 2024 SEC Media Days.
Jul 18, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Arkansas defensive end Landon Jackson speaking at Omni Dallas Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports
In 2023, the Alabama performance represented Jackson’s only SEC game with a sack, and he ranked 12th in the conference by getting to the quarterback 6.5 times on the year. He also went three conference games without a tackle for loss.
Jackson did enough to demand the respect of rival coaches and was voted First-Team All-SEC. NFL prospect evaluators consider Jackson a consensus top-40 prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Jackson has all of the tools. He was rated as the No. 7 defensive linemen in the country by 247sports when he signed with LSU in 2021. He transferred to Arkansas after one season with the Tigers, and he is the prototypical defensive end in the SEC. With a big frame and explosive athleticism, Jackson sheds blocks in a variety of ways and uses his hands effectively in the pass rush. To top it all of, he’s a respected team leader.
Oct 7, 2023; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks defensive linemen Landon Jackson (40) reacts after a made field goal during the first half against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
There are times when his impact stretches well beyond his individual stats, but Arkansas needs his numbers to match the talent.
And in truth, Jackson knows that mindset applies to the entire roster.
“It’s not just on one person, it’s not just on Coach Pittman, the offense, the defense. It’s the whole thing,” Jackson said.
“I mean, there are ways all of us could have been better last year. I feel like a lot of guys on our team understood that and kind of accepted that and were, like, yeah, we’ve got to be better.”
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Can Landon Jackson be more consistent for Arkansas football in 2024?
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/arkansas-football-landon-jackson-knows-090415908.html
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Publish date : 2024-07-23 11:54:30
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