Ray-Ray Jackson
 |
 Ray-Ray Jackson celebrating after making a big interception. | |
| No. 24 – Minnesota Grey Ducks | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Cornerback |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | June 16, 1997 (aged 63) Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight: | 196 lb (89 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Vincent Massey Collegiate |
| College: | The University of Alabama |
| ISFL Draft: | 2038 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9 |
| DSFL Draft: | 2037 / Round: 3 / Pick: 19 |
| Career history | |
| Roster status: | Active |
Player stats at ISFL.net | |
Ray-Ray Jackson (born June 16, 1997) is an American football cornerback for the Minnesota Grey Ducks of the Developmental Simulation Football League (DSFL).
Contents
Early years
Ray-Ray Jackson was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on June 16th, 1997 to his parents Aliyah and Marquis Jackson. His mother was a college track star at the University of Stanford and his father was a former wide receiver at the University of Southern California. His older brother, Jamal, was a former basketball player at the University of Kentucky.
Jackson attended Vincent Massey Collegiate High School in Montreal. There he would play football and basketball but he distinguished himself on the football field. Jackson played wide receiver, cornerback, and kick returner. Jackson led the GMAA in total touchdowns as a junior, with 15 receiving touchdowns, 7 defensive touchdowns, and 5 kick returns. Jackson started to attend local combines and was beginning to receive scholarship offers from Canadian universities across the country.
In his senior year, Jackson would be awarded the MVP award, his most impressive performance coming in the finals where he would finish with 10 receptions, 245 yards, and 3 TDs on offense and a pick-six. After numerous offers, Jackson decided to commit to the University of Alabama.
College career
Freshman Season
With this being the first time that Ray-Ray Jackson was going to play football outside of Canada, it seemed as though the fact that he wasn't born in the United States played a part in Jackson being redshirted for most of the first season. Alabama is always a team with five-star recruits so Jackson knew going into his first year that he would probably have to ride the bench. Jackson did get to feature in one game, in the 4th quarter of a blowout win where he made 2 tackles and recorded an interception.
Sophomore Season
Jackson made a significant jump from year one to year two because he knew that if he didn't improve, he would probably be at the back of the depth chart again. He put on a few pounds and really concentrated on training his balance and agility. He saw in year one that if he wanted to really perform at the highest level, he had to improve his feet. Jackson began the season as a backup and got to feature in 6 six games overall, starting one of them after the teams' top CB missed a game with a left ankle sprain. Jackson finished the year with 2 interceptions and 15 tackles in his limited time.
Junior Season
Jackson's junior year is where he really began to make his presence felt in college football. He earned a starting spot for the season and never looked back. He played all 16 games and was very impressive, almost outperforming his senior CB partner who was a projected top 5 pick in next year's DSFL draft. He finished the year with 42 tackles and 6 interceptions, two of which he brought back for touchdowns. He also forced a fumble and scored a punt return for a touchdown.
Senior Season
Jackson came into his last season as the best CB in college football. He led the country in interceptions with 12 and made 68 tackles. He was given the Jim Thorpe Award for best defensive back, the Chuck Bednarik Award for best defensive player judged by Maxwell Football Club, and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy for best defensive player judged by the FWAA. Alabama finished the year unbeaten and was crowned champions after beating the Clemson Tigers 48-24, where Ray-Ray Jackson had 2 interceptions, one returned for a touchdown. He finished 3rd in Heismann voting and is considered to be the best defensive back in the upcoming DSFL draft amongst writers.
College career statistics
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Professional career
DSFL Season 22
Ray-Ray Jackson was selected in the 3rd round of the DSFL draft with the 19th pick by the Minnesota Grey Ducks. A reunion for Jackson and the Grey Ducks after they claimed him off waivers to practice with the team late last season. Jackson joined a stacked Grey Ducks draft class and was immediately slotted in at CB2 across from send down Matt Krause for the season. Jackson started off the season pretty slow for this standard. He was struggling with the faster WRs and was getting flagged a few times for holding and pass interference. But as the season grew older, Jackson had solidified himself amongst one of the best defensive rookies in the league. He wasn't posting big numbers but he was as sound as you can be on the defensive side of the ball. He made tackles when he had to and covered extremely well when the QB escaped the pocket. He managed to play in all 14 games this season, where he made 48 tackles and had 6 pass defenses. Overall, an average season for the rookie CB but this was a great season for Jackson to learn behind a great group in the Minnesota secondary. A lot of the players were able to make the DSFL Pro Bowl team so Jackson's goal for next season is to get on that ballot.
Jackson helped the Grey Ducks finish first in the NFC North with a 8-6 record. Jackson was surprisingly benched in the conference final game versus the London Royals, however, he did make an impact in the game where he did have a sack. Ultimately, the Royals were victorious by a score of 13-10 in OT and Jackson's first professional season ended with a bad taste in his mouth.
| Ht | Wt | 40‑yd dash | 20‑ss | 3‑cone | Vert jump | Broad | BP | Wonderlic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
196 lb (89 kg) |
4.38 s | 4.21 s | 7.10 s | 30.7 in (0.78 m) |
129 ft 2 in (39.37 m) |
22 reps | 39 |
Professional career statistics
Career Regular Season Statistics
| Career statistics | Tackles | Coverage | Safeties | Touchdowns | Blocks | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Tck | TFL | FF/FR | Sck | Int | PD | Sfty | TD | Blk P/XP/FG |
| 2037 (S22) | Grey Ducks | 14 | 48 | 0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0 |
Career Playoff Statistics
| Career statistics | Tackles | Coverage | Safeties | Touchdowns | Blocks | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Tck | TFL | FF/FR | Sck | Int | PD | Sfty | TD | Blk P/XP/FG |
| 2037 (S22) | Grey Ducks | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0 |
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Achievements and records
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