NC State DT DJ Jackson Played for the 1st Time in 3 Years Against WCU

NC State Redshirt Sophomore DJ Jackson played 32 snaps last Thursday night in the Wolfpack’s 38-21 win over Western Carolina in the season opener. 22 of the snaps were at Defensive Tackle, and 10 were on Special Teams.

Jackson’s performance was monumental, despite the fact that he didn’t record any stats.

It had been 3 years since Jackson had played in a football game.

After his Junior season at Sumter High School (Sumter, SC), Jackson tore his ACL the following Summer. Then, in 2022, Jackson tore his achilles in his first run of Spring Practice, leading him to miss the entire season. In 2023, halfway through Spring Practice, he ended up tearing his other ACL, leading him to miss the entire season.

Jackson might not have recorded any stats last Thursday, but he had the 10th best PFF grade on the Wolfpack defense (66.4).

Here’s what NC State Head Coach Dave Doeren had to say about Jackson at his weekly press conference this Monday:

You know, first of all, I’m really happy for him.

It’s been a tough three years, you know. He got hurt his senior year of high school before he got here, and then he was hurt two consecutive years for us. And so it’s been a long time since DJ could be himself on that football field.

I’m really happy for him. And he’s playing well. He’s straining.

You know, he brings a different type of guy into the game than B. Cleave. And the thing about him, he is really strong. And so you see him, he’s a little smaller, obviously, than Brandon.

But, man, he’s strong, and he’s quick. And so there’s some things there, if you’re a center, where you got different types of players coming in the game at you, and they bring different skill sets. And just from a personal side, it’s been… I’m proud of him, man.

He’s been through a lot. It’s hard. It’s hard being hurt once, you know, three times.

And so he’s been through a lot mentally, emotionally, spiritually through this journey, and I’m happy for him and looking forward to seeing him continue to get better.

Here’s what Wolfpack Defensive Coordinator had to say about Jackson yesterday after practice:

Yeah, that was a great feeling for that young man. You know, he’s missed three years to get his first snaps and play a lot. I think he ended up getting 20 snaps, but very happy for him.

And, again, he’ll get better as we keep going on.

It’s truly an incredible story of grit and perseverance. You have to be so proud of Jackson, and happy for the young man. Every Wolfpack fan should be pulling for #99 this year.