Coming off of a career game against Mississippi State, one of the Georgia Bulldogs most unselfish players, wide receiver Kearis Jackson, still isn’t “tripping” over his lack of targets.
“I never was the one that asked for targets,”
Jackson said in an interview on Monday.
In the world of NIL and the transfer portal, seeing a player of Jackson’s caliber stay on the same team and continue to be underused is a spectacle to say the least. He said, “I’m not here to have a thousand yards [or] 20 touchdowns. I know if I wanted to come for that, I probably would have went somewhere else.”
Jackson isn’t wrong though. Since his career year in the 2020 season where the Fort Valley receiver put up 36 catches for 514 yards and three touchdowns, things haven’t really been the same since, numbers wise. Albeit there was an injury in between then and now, and some attribute that to a change in his play that has prevented him from seeing the success he has had in the past, but that didn’t stop him in Starkville.
His name was called, and he definitely answered. The fifth-year wide receiver was nothing short of clutch last Saturday against Mike Leach and his fraudulent cow bell ringing bulldogs catching 4 for 69 yards. One of his receptions went for 30-yards on a third down and set up a Ladd McConkey receiving touchdown a couple plays later.
For as long as I can remember, Jackson has always gone on about how happy he is to be on this team regardless of his role. He’s a guy that genuinely exemplifies the phrase “trust the process” because he did. And look at the results. Good numbers against a team that had a reputation of having a “unique” defense in a hostile away environment.
Now who knows what this game means for Kearis moving forwards. Quite frankly it probably doesn’t mean much. The Dawgs know what they have in him, and that’s why they play him. But, it is such a feel-good moment to see a guy like Kearis Jackson have the game he had at this point in his career.
Jackson’s numbers may not indicate that he’s the best player on this team, but he is 100% one of the best people on this team. A good day for him is a good day for all Georgia fans. If he continues to prove himself as a weapon in this postseason run, it’ll be all the more meaningful for the Dawgs.