Everyone always loves to hear about prospects with bloodlines that run through the NFL. Whether it be their brother, cousin or father, it always draws the interest of fans and in the case of Jackson Jeffcoat, here is another player who can learn from a family member about the NFL.
After all his father was a legend for one of the best team's in the history of the NFL and also played defensive end. But there is more to Jackson Jeffcoat than just his father, his life isn't just about athletics, but even more off the field and here is what you must know about him.
Full Name: Jackson Jeffcoat
Date of Birth: December 26, 1991
Hometown: Plano, Texas
High School: Plano West High School
Class: Senior
Twitter: @elJEFEcoat44
via TexasSports.com
Background
Sports have always been a part of Jackson Jeffcoat's background. From the minute he was born in Dallas, Texas; football was immediately a part of his life.
His father, Jim , was a legendary defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys from 1983-1994 and is a member of the 100-sack club.
His twin sister, Jacqueline Jackson, plays basketball for Texas State and his brother Jaren played basketball for Norwich University.
He was born to be an athlete and now he follows in his father's footsteps as a menacing defensive end headed for the NFL.
Jackson had high expectations immediately when he stepped on to the field at Plano West High School. He was the son of an NFL great; the pressure would be on him to deliver in Texas where football is all that matters. Jackson was a star on defense for the Wolves, even with the team around him struggling.
While Jeffcoat was a three-year varsity starter in high school, the Wolves won just 16 games in three seasons, with the most successful season coming when Jeffcoat was a sophomore and the team went 6-5. But despite the team's struggles in the standings, Jeffcoat made sure his presence was felt every game and he shined every Friday night.
Jackson's most productive season came in his senior year and schools took notice. The senior defensive end racked up 62 solo tackles, with 7.5 sacks, two interceptions and two forced fumbles. His best performance came in an 84-40 win against Boyd High School when he picked up eight solo tackles, 1.5 sacks and an interception. Even on a mediocre team, Jeffcoat drew plenty of attention from scouts and the media as well. He was named to PARADE's All-America High School Football team, first-team All-USA honors by USA Today, EA Sports All-American first-team selection and was invited to play in the 2010 Army All-American Bowl, along with numerous regional and state honors.
Jeffcoat was a highly sought after recruit coming out of Plano West as a strong-side defensive end, he was a five-star recruit by Scout.com, ranked the best player at his position and the best overall recruit in Texas, while also being ranked as the 12th best player in the entire country.
It was a strong 2010 class with names like Dominique Easley, Sharrif Floyd, Keenan Allen, Robert Woods and Da'Rick Rogers also amongst the top-15 in the country.
Jeffcoat had offers from USC, Texas A&M, Stanford, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Florida, Georgia and Houston but ultimately decided to stay home and play for the Texas Longhorns.
The Houston Cougars had a unique advantage when they were recruiting Jeffcoat, with Jeffcoat's father serving as the defensive line coach and recruiting his son to play for the Cougars.
The Cougars actually made it to the final three, but Jeffcoat ultimately went with Texas.
Statistics
2010 (Freshman): Eight games, 15 tackles, eight solo tackles, six tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, seven quarterback pressures, and one fumble recovery
2011 (Sophomore): 13 games, 71 tackles, 35 solo tackles, 21 tackles for loss, eight sacks, nine quarterback pressures and three pass breakups
2012 (Junior): Six games, 31 tackles, 16 solo tackles, 11 tackles for loss, four sacks, six quarterback pressures, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery
2013 (Senior): 12 games, 80 tackles, 38 solo tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, 18 quarterback pressures, one forced fumbled and two fumble recoveries.
Jeffcoat didn't have to wait long before the Longhorns' threw him into the fire and let him grow, though he was only put in limited situations early as a freshman. Jeffcoat appeared in eight games in 2010, but managed to record his first career sack in his first college action against Rice. He finished the game with three tackles, two of them solo and the Longhorns won 34-17.
Jeffcoat earned the starting job the following week against Wyoming and started again the following week on the road against Texas Tech, but had just three tackles in his two starts.
Jeffcoat missed four games against Iowa State, Baylor, Kansas State and Oklahoma State, but still was an honorable mention for Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year.
Jeffcoat was well prepared for his sophomore year in 2011 and with more experience, he immediately became the Longhorns' starter.
Jackson started 12 games as a sophomore but served in a bench role while dealing with an injury. He made his presence felt as a starter, dishing out punishment on opposing quarterbacks.
He posted eight sacks in 2011 with 21 tackles for loss and nine quarterback pressures. He started the season off slow, failing to record a sack in the team's first six games before he got hot recording a sack in six of the Longhorns' last seven games.
He saved his best stuff for just the right time in a Bridgeport Education Holiday Bowl match up against California; he finished the game with two sacks and three solo tackles, picking up his second multi-sack game of the year.
People started to notice Jeffcoat's play more as a sophomore, he was named second team All-Big 12 selection by the coaches and Associated Press as he helped Texas rank sixth in the country in rushing defense allowing just 96.23 yards per game.
After a strong sophomore season, the Longhorns were ready for a dominating junior year and Jeffcoat was potentially hoping that a great year could potentially put him in the draft discussion. He was named to Phil Steele's third-team All-American and was on the watch list for the Nagurski Trophy, Bednarik Award and Lombardi Award. Things were going as good as everyone could have hoped for through the team's first six games.
Jeffcoat already had four sacks on the season, 11 tackles for loss and six quarterback pressures. Then it all went south in a 63-21 loss to the rival Sooners when Jeffcoat went down with a ruptured pectoral muscle and was finished for the year.
Despite missing the team's final seven games, he still managed to finish second on the team in tackles for a loss, sacks and forced fumbles (four).
Jeffcoat was on a mission in his senior year to prove himself again and bounce back stronger than ever from the ruptured pectoral muscle.
He immediately earned back his job as a starter on the defensive line. He started all 12 games this past year and had by far the best year of his career.
While he disappeared at times, having five games without a sack including the first three to begin the season, he started to get things rolling against Kansas State. Jeffcoat recorded his first sack since the injury that ended his season, just eight days short of a year and finished the game with two sacks and five tackles. He would go on to record four sacks in the team's next three games, but really caught fire toward the end of the season.
Jackson's best performance came against Texas Tech when he was constantly in the backfield terrorizing the quarterback; he finished the game with three sacks and earning Big-12 Defensive Player of the Week honors. Jeffcoat would go on to finish the year with a career high 12 sacks and 21 tackles for loss and played a big role in the Longhorns' turnaround in the second half of the year. Jeffcoat was named AP Big-12 Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-American by the AP and the Football Writers Association of America.
Extra Facts
Jeffcoat plays for one of the most recognizable programs in the country in a state that values football more than anything. He has been known as Jim Jeffcoat's son but there is even more to Jackson than just a football background. While he loves playing the game of football he also has become well known off the field for the time he commits to the community and helping kids.
He works with other Longhorns' athletes by visiting the Dell Children's Medical Center on a regular basis every year with his teammates.
Jeffcoat also participated in the Southern Methodist University Hard Global Leaders Forum and has served as a speaker numerous times for middle schools and elementary schools in Texas for drug free week.
Jeffcoat doesn't just help kids either as he has played a big role in the community helping hungry families, meeting wounded soldiers. He has done it even when he was in high school, meeting with veterans returning from Iraq and talking about how much he has enjoyed spending time with veterans.
Jackson also was a force on the basketball court for a Wolves' team that went a combined 82-19 during his three years with the team, including a 25-9 record in 2010 and being ranked the 21st team in Texas by MaxPreps. Jeffcoat used his athleticism and strength on the court to dominate around the rim, posting nightly averages of 13.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per game during his senior year.
His best game in high school came as a senior in a loss against Dallas Jesuit when he posted 25 points, 14 rebounds and two steals. Jeffcoat even earned honors in basketball; he was a four-year letterman, and also named district Defensive Player of the Year and named to the all-district team as a senior.
Draft Outlook
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 250
40-Time: 4.78
Jeffcoat was filled with talent coming out of high school earning a five-star rating and while that talent is still there, he won't her his name called until likely the third round of the NFL Draft. While everyone loves NFL bloodlines and can go back and look at some of his big performances, there are a lot of factors that will be considered as well.
There is simply no denying Jackson's physical talent with a mix of size, strength and athleticism. He is what you look for in a defensive end, he gets out of his stance quickly bursting off the edge and getting around the tackle. He does a nice job shutting down running lanes to the outside and also getting after the quarterback, bringing pressure and picking up sacks.
When things are going right for him he is unstoppable, you see what he can do against Texas Tech, Cal and the talent is clearly there to be a great player.
He does an excellent job driving his feet and establishing pad level to either drive the tackle back into the quarterback or get around him. If he could show off his skill with more consistency, there is no doubt he would be a first-round pick this year.
But of course the issue with Jeffcoat comes down to inconsistency and how often he will vanish from the game. He is still on the field but he seems to just be out of it and not contributing in even the smallest way on defense.
He loses leverage with his pad level and gets pushed out of the play wherever the tackle wants him to go, and the burst off the snap seems to disappear.
At times you will watch him and fall in love with the player he can be and the physical talent that is there, but you will also run into stretches where you question if he should even be drafted. The biggest question facing Jeffcoat in the draft process will be his durability.
He has missed time a chunk of time as a freshman and most of the season as a junior, and even when he has played has dealt with shoulder and knee problems. Because of injuries and inconsistency it will be hard for Jeffcoat to push his way into the second round and he will likely end up as a third-round selection.