‘It’s an anchoring force.’ Kentucky’s D’Eryk Jackson flying under the radar no more.
Early in D’Eryk Jackson’s Kentucky football career, learning the Wildcats’ defensive scheme was not the only task assigned to him by coaches.
Then-UK inside linebackers coach Jon Sumrall, now the head coach at Troy, instructed the introverted Jackson to stop to talk with each coach in his office in UK’s practice facility.
“He had to go down the hallway and say hi to every coach on the hallway, whether he knew them or not, whether he was comfortable with them or not,” defensive coordinator Brad White said. “It’s just getting used to being uncomfortable, having a conversation with somebody that you don’t (know). You start drawing it out from there.”
Much of Jackson’s time at Kentucky has been characterized by flying under the radar.
But like when Sumrall forced Jackson to make himself noticed, it is becoming harder to ignore his importance to Kentucky’s defense.
In a much-hyped 2020 recruiting class that featured nine players rated as four- or five-star prospects by Rivals, Jackson received little attention as a three-star linebacker from Georgia. Three years later five of those nine blue chip prospects have left the program via the transfer portal, but Jackson wasted little time making an impact, playing in nine games as a freshman in the coronavirus-altered 2020 season.
When Jackson tore an Achilles tendon during spring practice the following April he was expected to miss the entire 2021 season, but he returned in time to play the final four games, totaling 18 tackles with an interception in the Citrus Bowl win over Iowa. Jackson was expected to serve in a backup role in 2022, but when middle linebacker Jacquez Jones was sidelined by injury, he was thrust into the spotlight again. He finished the season as UK’s leading tackler.
Through nine games this season, Jackson leads Kentucky in tackles again.
“You don’t take him for granted, but it’s like he’s always there, he’s always steady,” UK coach Mark Stoops said. “That’s kind of been my answer all the way back to summer. He’s just a steady guy. And he does his job. He does it well. He leads others. He’s finding that voice with being a stronger presence of communicating the leadership, but he’s always there and people respect him because of the way he plays and the way he prepares.”
When discussing the turnover at UK’s inside linebacker positions following the departures of Jones and fellow team captain DeAndre Square, much of the focus was pointed at weakside linebacker Trevin Wallace.
A former four-star recruit, Wallace quickly backed up that hype with 24 tackles, five tackles for loss and 3 1/2 sacks in UK’s first three games. Still, a theme emerged whenever a reporter would ask White or Stoops about Wallace’s strong play.
Jackson’s steadying presence almost always got a mention as being key in that breakout.
“I can say me and him have got great chemistry,” Wallace said. “There will be sometimes he just tells me stuff and I just go play. I like that with him.”
While Jackson is a natural introvert, Wallace is more outgoing. It would be fair to call Wallace the flashier player on the field too, but despite their differing personalities the two linebackers have become close friends.
That chemistry has helped both thrive in their first season as full-time starters.
“I’m just trying to keep right, make sure everybody is in the right spot and just keep doing my job,” Jackson said.
It’s that attention to detail that might make Jackson most valuable to Kentucky.
“I think a lot of times if you don’t necessarily make some splash plays, if you’re just Steady Eddie, that’s not cool or that’s not hip,” White said earlier this season. “Trust me, for a guy that’s calling the plays, you rely on that. That’s an anchoring force, it’s a calming force within the middle of our defense. That’s why he’s there.”
This season Jackson has begun to add those highlight-worthy plays to his game as well.
In the win at Vanderbilt, Jackson helped secure the victory when he was aware enough to lateral the ball to defensive back Andru Phillips after grabbing an interception. Phillips returned the interception 50 yards to set up another UK touchdown. Jackson’s interception came at a moment when Vanderbilt was threatening to flip the momentum in its favor.
At Mississippi State on Saturday, Jackson grabbed another momentum-swinging interception as the Bulldogs looked on the verge of climbing back into the game. Unlike at Vanderbilt, Jackson kept this one himself and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown.
“I wasn’t looking to lateral this one,” Jackson said with a smile.
Jackson credits Sumrall’s unorthodox assignment during his freshman season as being important in his maturation on the field too. As his confidence grew off the field, Jackson felt more comfortable speaking up on it.
While Jackson is unlikely to ever duplicate Wallace’s freakish athletic ability, it is difficult to poke holes in his production. He is not a perfect player, but he might be perfect for Kentucky.
“There’s some plays that don’t ever get seen,” White said. “How he moves the coverage in minor little details where a quarterback wants to come off and he has to look elsewhere. It forces a sack. Everybody sees the sack. Nobody sees the subtle movement at the second level that took him off the (route). That’s what he does.
“He’s so smart and savvy, how he sets up blockers, how he takes on blockers. His run fits are clean. And then when he does make a mistake, he can come to the sideline and be the first one to tell you, ‘Hey, that was my fault.’”
Next game
No. 8 Alabama at Kentucky
When: Noon Saturday
TV: ESPN
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1
Records: Alabama 8-1 (6-0 SEC), Kentucky 6-3 (3-3)
Series: Alabama leads 38-2-1
Last meeting: Alabama won 63-3 on Nov. 21, 2020, in Tuscaloosa
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