BYU football wide receiver Chris Jackson focused on improvement
Brigham Young Cougars head football coach Kalani Sitake signs memorabilia during Alumni Day on Friday, April 1, 2016 at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo. DOMINIC VALENTE, Daily Herald
BYU wide receiver Chris Jackson catches a pass during 2020 fall camp in Provo.
BYU wide receiver Chris Jackson catches a pass during 2021 spring camp in Provo.
BYU junior wide receiver Chris Jackson saw limited action in 2020, although he did have receptions in six different games. Five of them went for nice gains, totaling 38 yards.
The sixth was one that Jackson would probably love to have back. That was when he tried a little too hard to make a big play at Coastal Carolina and ended up being tagged with a 16-yard loss.
But that was in the past, when he was trying to get acclimated to playing Division I college football after transferring from Mount San Antonio College in the midst of pandemic adaptations.
Now he feels like he is in a better position to contribute.
“Last year I didn’t get a chance to do spring ball,” Jackson said during Monday’s press conference. “This year I do so I have more time to just learn the system and learn how the coaches want me to do things. Last year we had to learn quick because everything was just moving really fast. We had to wear those masks on the helmets and couldn’t breathe. It’s way better this year.”
With BYU’s top receiver from 2020 — Dax Milne — deciding to head to the NFL, Jackson knows there are opportunities to other players to step up.
“There are opportunities to move up the depth chart and I’ve been working pretty hard,” Jackson said. “I know I still need a lot more improvement and I’m just going to continue to control what I can control, just perfect my craft. Then everything should fall in place.”
Like many Cougar players (as well as other major college football programs throughout the country), Jackson has dreams of eventually following in Milne’s footsteps and getting a chance to play pro football.
But he was quick to point out that he doesn’t want that to be his sole barometer for success in his life.
“From a personal standpoint, the goal is to make it to the NFL,” Jackson said. “But honestly I’m not committed to the product. I’m committed to the process. That means that if I wasn’t to make the NFL, it wouldn’t change my work ethic. Football has taught me work ethic so even if God has a different plan for me, I’m gonna continue to work for whatever God wants me to do here. But the goal is to get to the NFL.”
He feels like one of the most lessons he has learned from football is the importance of being reliable.
“That leads over into the real world as well,” he said. “If you’re not reliable, you can’t do business with people. The main thing is being reliable so the coaches can trust you.”
Weather forecast cancels Friday’s scheduled BYU footballs public practice
Due to forecasted weather and related player safety concerns, BYU football’s final practice of spring camp on Friday has been moved to the Indoor Practice Facility instead of LaVell Edwards Stadium, as originally planned. Given the change in venue, the previously announced plan for a final practice open to the public cannot be accommodated.
Fans who have purchased tickets to attend the practice at LaVell Edwards Stadium will receive a full refund. The refund will be processed automatically and no action is required.
Friday’s practice will be the team’s 15th and final session of spring preparations for the upcoming 2021 season.