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Get to Know Utah State Football’s Miguel Jackson
Name: Michael “Miguel” Jackson Jr.
Hometown: Penn Hills, Pennsylvania, though he moved to Gibsonia, Pennsylvania in middle school
High School: Pine-Richland High School
Sport: Football
Position: Defensive Tackle
High School Accolades: All-section ,all-WPIAL, all-state three times each, three-year starter and letter winner, Bill Fralic Memorial Lineman of the Year Award for best two-way lineman in the district, two-time Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Fabulous 22 honoree, two-time WPIAL champion, PIAA state champion, helped the Pine-Richland Rams go undefeated as a senior in 2020, recorded 54 tackles, 12-and-half sacks, and 19-and-half, tackles-for-loss in his senior season of 2020, and recorded 36 career sacks on way to setting the Rams program record for a career
College: Utah State University. Utah State is a public university located in Logan, Utah. The institution is home to more than 28,000 students and are nicknamed the Aggies in varsity athletics. The Aggies compete in the Mountain West Conference (MWC) in college football at the NCAA Division I level.
Previous School: University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Charlotte). Jackson spent his first three seasons of college football with the 49ers before transferring to Utah State.
Why He Chose Utah State: “I didn’t have many schools contact me in the portal, but Utah State was one who did. I fell in love with the campus, the coaching staff showed nothing but love, everyone treated me well, and it felt like home to me. It’s a winning program and I wanted to make the most of the opportunities in my last year of college football.”
Accolades At Charlotte: Played in 27 games, made 10 starts on the defensive line, 58 tackles, three-and-half sacks, eight tackles-for-loss, and a blocked kick, and was named to the Athletic Director’s Academics List
Accolades At Utah State: Has played in the first three games of the 2024 season, recorded nine tackles, half a sack, and half a tackle-for-loss
Major and Future Plans: Health education. Jackson hopes to use this degree to get into coaching after his playing career wraps up. He hopes to play professional football after completing his senior year with the Aggies program. Additionally, he’s hopeful to give back to home home area and communities in different ways in the future.
Favorite Football Memories: Winning the 2020 WPIAL and state championships, becoming Pine Richland’s all-time sack leader, signing his National Letter of Intent, and thinking back to the beginning of his football journey as a flag football player in the Homewood Brushton YMCA league in the Penn Hills of Pittsburgh. “It’s a blessing to be here right now. Not everyone can say they’re doing what I get to do right now. I love looking back at all the memories from a six-year-old playing flag football for the first time to now and take it all in one moment at the time.”
His Support System: His father Michael Jackson Jr. and mother Kelly Cain Jackson helped to start his love for football. They’ve supported his development in the game by taking him to camps, showcases, and 7-on-7’s. They’ve also missed few games despite their son moving many hours away from home these last four years. “They’ve been with me through everything. I’ll always be thankful for all the time they took to support me at every game and function I’ve been a part of.”
What Representing Western PA Means To Him: “I grew up and had to find myself fast since leaving for college. Charlotte was around eight hours from home to start my career. It’s pretty cool to have ventured out here to Logan (Utah). Hopefully I’m making people back home proud. I definitely miss my parents and my dog while away from home. I can’t wait to see them all and some of my extended family and friends when I make it back home.”
What His Senior Season Means To Him: It will always mean a lot to me. We overcome a lot with COVID-19 and discrepancies within the school and program. We always found a way every game. I miss those boys I played with and we still stay in contact and keep each other in line. We have some great players continuing to play at the college level and we hold each other accountable and in good spirits even from afar.”
Advice For Future D1 Football Players: “Stay away from the directions and keep the main thing the main thing. I try to keep a clear face and a clear path going forward. There’s a saying that ‘how you do one thing is how you do everything’. I try to do everything to stay consistent; whether it be school work, football, and everyday life. My goal is to play in the NFL and has been every since I started.”
A Look Ahead At Temple: I’m excited to ball out in my home state again. I have a lot of family and friends coming to the game. Temple has a solid offensive line and overall team, but I’m excited to try to get back on track as a team and get some solid film out there both individually and as a program.”
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