FSU football fans received great news on Monday when junior FSU defensive tackle Darrell Jackson announced he would return for one more season at FSU.
This is massive news for new FSU defensive coordinator Tony White and the staff. FSU will move to a 3-3-5 base, which requires quality defensive tackle play. Joshua Farmer declared for the NFL Draft and the expectation was Jackson would join him. Jackson got off to a slow start in 2024 but came on strong late after missing nearly all of the 2023 season after transferring from Miami.
Not done yet, @95productions1 #NoleFamily | #KeepCLIMBing pic.twitter.com/3q1JzuWtzU
— FSU Football (@FSUFootball) December 16, 2024
FSU has some youth waiting in the wings with Daniel Lyons and Kelvin Sampson. However, Jackson returning means FSU doesn't have to add a defensive tackle from the portal unless they want to.
I like this move for Darrell Jackson. He gets to stay in college and get paid a handsome amount while improving his draft stock for the 2026 NFL Draft. Jackson has the tools to be a dominant player in the trenches. He probably would have gotten drafted, but I think he could ascend the draft boards as Braden Fiske did last year after one year at FSU.
New FSU defensive line coach Terrance Knighton, a former NFL defensive lineman is already making his presence felt in Tallahassee with this move.
I'm curious how this impacts things with UCF defensive tackle Lee Hunter. He was on campus yesterday and could return later this week after visiting Texas and others. If FSU doesn't push for that commitment, this is likely why, since Hunter only has one year of eligibility remaining.
I'm excited to see what Jackson can do in this defensive scheme.