University of North Carolina Athletics
Turner's Take: Sneaky Speed
October 7, 2016 | Football, Featured Writers, Turner Walston
By Turner Walston
Two minutes and forty seconds remaining. On the road at Florida State. The Tar Heels and Seminoles are tied at 28. Until now, Carolina has led for the duration of the game. With momentum swinging back toward the home side of the field, it is vital that the Tar Heels put points on the board. And so, of course, they turn the ball over to one of their quicker receivers, a man who can put a move on a defender to find space, then make his way upfield. Quarterback Mitch Trubisky tosses a screen pass to his left, to the sub-six-foot wideout, delivering the ball into the sure hands of . . . Thomas Jackson!?
Believe it. Jackson took a single step back toward the ball, secured it, dismissed Florida State's Tarvarus McFadden with a swipe of the arm, then evaded a tackle attempt from Trey Marshall. With Hollins way-laying Nate Andrews, Jackson scored his first career touchdown, taking a pass caught at the line of scrimmage 34 yards for a go-ahead score.
But for Jackson, the journey to the end zone was a lot longer than 34 yards. He'd been a standout three-sport athlete at Charlotte Country Day School, but not recruited heavily like many of his future Tar Heel teammates. When the Buccaneers faced off with Charlotte Catholic one year, all eyes were on Elijah Hood on the far sideline. Jackson had two receiving touchdowns and 192 all-purpose yards. Hood and the Cougars won by a single point. "I was like, 'Dang, Elijah Hood's over there doing stuff. Maybe I can do it too. And Coach (Gunter) Brewer started talking to me, and that's when I felt like I could come and play."
Jackson is a legacy at Carolina: his father David was a co-captain on the football team in the late 1960s. Thomas arrived in 2014 as a preferred walk-on, working his way up from scout team to special teams to now a trusted role on the offense. "The guy's worked extremely hard," Tar Heel head coach Larry Fedora said. "One, he's worked hard at building a reputation on this team and building a trust amongst his teammates. You come in as a walk-on, and people don't look at you the same way, and so you have to prove yourself. And so it starts out, a lot of it, on scout team, and then he moves into a position on some special teams and he makes plays there, and then all of a sudden people start recognizing who he is and getting confidence in him."
For some time, it was Jackson's job to know the playbook –the opponent's playbook– on scout team. Every week, he and his fellow scout-teamers would try to give the Tar Heel defense their best look at that Saturday's upcoming opponent. That means doing one's best imitation of the team across the field that weekend. It's not glamorous, but work ethic, dedication and a good attitude might get you noticed, might get you moved up a tier. "Scout team took about a year," Jackson said, "and then I got my shot in spring ball. That next fall, they gave me some shots in camp, and I did alright." He goes through seasons in sentences, but make no mistake, each step along the way takes months. A hip injury took a toll on his confidence last season, but smarter body management has put him in a position to contribute this year. "I was able to take that next step up, to actually get some playing time," he said.
It's no secret that the players that make plays in practice will get the opportunity to do so on Saturdays, and that was true of Jackson. "Coach Brewer puts him in situations in practice, and he makes those plays, and so, put him in the game, and he's been doing it," Fedora said.
On a team deep with talented receivers, a 5'11, 195-pound former walk-on has found a way to contribute. "You've just got to figure out what works best for you. I have some speed, and then I feel like I use my body well sometimes. People call that 'sneaky speed,' because looking at me., I don't look that fast, but I can make separation. That' just something I use. That's my skill that I use to get open and then just being able to catch the ball. Every receivers has their different little niche that they have, but you've just got to figure out what that is and use it."
Which brings us to last weekend. The Tar Heels needed to recapture some of that momentum, needed to make a statement. Ryan Switzer, workhorse that he is, was gassed and needed a breather. Enter Jackson. "I saw that corner was tired, and I saw their defense huffing and puffing" he said. "I think they thought they could take a play off, maybe, and so I was just like, 'Alright, this is my shot,'" he said. "And I knew if I gave him a move outside or made a little fast move, then he'd jump out kind of surprised and I could make a move on him and then take it up the sidelines."
Hollins was just in front of Jackson, another former walk-on turned scholarship receiver making a huge impact on this team. "I could see [Mack] right there, and then he was up there on the sideline and made a good block on that safety," Jackson said. "And I was like, 'Oh my God, I'm about to score!'"
Jackson's touchdown would give Carolina a six-point lead. The blocked extra point attempt and Florida State's go-ahead score would set up one of the most memorable finishes in Carolina history. Nick Weiler's 54-yard field goal will be the enduring memory from the Tar Heels' win at Florida State, but it wouldn't have been possible without Thomas Jackson's first career touchdown.
"No one is more deserving of that moment and opportunity than him," Trubisky said of Jackson.
"Like Coach Fedora said, we just made the ordinary plays big, and great. He made an ordinary screen pass, breaks two tackles and then he takes it to the house for 35 yards. Nobody's more deserving of that moment than Thomas Jackson, the work he's put in from walk-on to scholarship, to getting a lot of playing time contributing on special teams . . . Just being a great guy, great teammate, and he works his butt off. he grinds. He deserved that moment. He deserved what he's getting."
He saw his opportunity. He took his shot, and he made the most of it. Thomas Jackson got in the end zone last weekend, but he'd been making the most of his opportunity long before that.
