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| Lake Forest athletics photo |
By Joe Sager
D3sports.com
A.J. Jackson has built an All-American career as a wide receiver and special teams return ace.
This fall, he’s added another title to his resume – running back.
The Lake Forest graduate student has found some new ways to impact games out of the backfield. Already, he’s rushed for a Midwest Conference-best nine touchdowns for the 4-0 Foresters.
“Playing running back was really about me doing whatever the team needs. Our coaches do a great job of putting guys in the best positions to make us successful on the field. So, whether I am at receiver or in the backfield, I don’t have a preference,” he said. “It’s definitely all about putting the team first. If I am back there blocking in pass protection, I will do it. Whatever I can do to help the team.”
Jackson, a dynamic athlete, burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2019 when he had 45 catches for 805 yards and eight touchdowns. He returned three punts and one kickoff to the house as well. In a COVID-shortened sophomore season, he added one more punt return for a score. He followed that up with another All-American campaign in 2021 with 52 catches for 849 yards and 16 TDs. He returned four punts for a touchdown to set the NCAA Division III career record.
A foot injury limited him to one game in 2022 and he played in seven games last fall for Lake Forest after tearing a meniscus the first day of training camp. He returned to the field and finished with 32 catches for 396 yards in a score. He returned another punt for a touchdown to push his career mark to nine.
Jackson wasn’t sure if he’d come back for his last season of eligibility this fall, but full health and a sense of unfinished business drew him back to the Foresters. Though they started 2023 with a 6-0 mark, they dropped three of their last four and finished 7-3.
“Being 100 percent healthy played a big role in me playing this fall,” he said. “I felt like this year was an opportunity to give back to the team and do whatever I could to help get us in a different spot than last year.”
That was on display in the Foresters’ second game this season. With starting quarterback Joshua Gasca sidelined with an injury, the team wanted to help sophomore Michael Kasemervisz ease into the starting role. So, Jackson saw plenty of time lined up in the backfield.
“The idea was, let’s not put the pressure on (Kasemervisz) to have to throw the ball to get the ball in the hands of our playmakers,” Lake Forest coach Jim Catanzaro said. “We still have great wideouts out there, but let’s make sure we get the ball in A.J.’s hands against the team that won the conference and do what we need to do to win the game and then use our talents in different places after that.”
The move paid off for all involved. Jackson finished with 55 yards rushing and five touchdowns on 12 carries in the 42-35 win. Kasemervisz completed 14 of 25 passes for 271 yards. Jackson caught two of those passes and racked up 66 yards.
With Gasca back under center the past two weeks, Jackson has continued to carry the ball. He had a team-high nine totes for 92 yards and a score in a 28-19 win over Cornell. He added three catches for 37 yards. Last week, Jackson finished with three carries for 15 yards and two scores and three catches for 33 yards in last week’s 42-0 win over Knox.
“For him, it’s all about doing whatever it takes to win the game. He doesn’t worry about stats and accolades,” Catanzaro said. “That’s something that has always made him special. He was a gunner on our kickoff team as a freshman. He is still probably the best wing on the punt team we’ve ever had. He’s led our conference in receptions before. Now, he’s leading our conference in rushing touchdowns. He’s done everything and is still probably one of the hardest workers in the weight room. When your best players are your hardest workers, it sets the tone. It’s been that way since he’s been here. It’s great to have guys like that. He really sets a great example for our younger players, too.”
Jackson remains a major threat in the punt and kick return game, too. Though he’s had limited touches there – four punt returns and two kickoff returns – he’s still impacting the game because teams scheme to kick the ball away from him.
“He is a field position advantage because people don’t want to kick to him,” Catanzaro said. “A lot of teams won’t kick it to him. They’ll kick it short instead. If that gives us 20-25 yards of field position, we’ll take advantage of that.”
Either way, Jackson looks forward to getting the ball in his hands, especially in the backfield.
“Running back is fun; I am not going to lie,” he said with a laugh. “The O-linemen work super hard. Those guys are studying film all week and working with the coaches just to get that one crease for me. When it hits, it’s nice.
“Also, since I’ve been here for a while, I am able to utilize the knowledge I have. It is allowing me to affect more people as well. Instead of just working with the other receivers, I am starting to make my way to the linemen and freshmen running back crew and starting to impact those guys as well.”
Now, the Foresters’ task is to continue their strong start and remain consistent as they hit the road for their next two conference games at Lawrence and Grinnell.
“We know the job is not finished. We say that every week,” Jackson said. “We’re not thinking about a conference championship; we’re thinking about our next opponent. Not getting too ahead of ourselves is the goal around here.”
“Our purpose is to go 1-0 this week. If we lose sight of that, that’s where problems can compound,” Catanzaro said. “We’re in a situation now where want to be. We just need to not duplicate last year’s faltering down the stretch. We weren’t healthy at all last year, so we have to make sure we protect our bodies and guys are doing a good job of that.”
