Lance Jackson has seemingly seen it all at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Now in his sixth and final season of college football, the 23-year-old Jackson has certainly had an up-close view of Rusty Wright’s tenure as UTC’s head coach.
Jackson, a 5-foot-9, 197-pound running back, signed with the Mocs in February 2019 as part of Wright’s initial recruiting haul at UTC. And along with defensive tackle Marlon Taylor, who was also part of that group, and tight end Jay Gibson, who transferred after his first college season at Western Kentucky to UTC in summer 2019, Jackson is one of the remaining players from Wright’s first season in charge at his alma mater.
Last week’s season opener against Tennessee in Knoxville marked Jackson’s 24th appearance in a UTC game, but the Mocs have been deep at his position during the Wright era, and he has made just one start in that span. The guys he was initially behind included Elijah Ibitokun-Hanks and Tyrell Price and then Gino Appleberry. And they were all behind December 2018 signee Ailym Ford, who over the course of his career became, statistically, the best running back in UTC history with 3,928 rushing yards and 36 touchdown runs.
“I’ve just been patient,” Jackson said. “I learned a lot from those guys — T.P. (Price), I learned a lot from him. It’s just every year I spend getting more and more comfortable, and now I’m able to help the other guys understand the game, the younger guys coming up. I feel I’ve been a good asset in that way.”
Jackson did his part to make his lone start memorable, with his 19 carries including a pair of 1-yard touchdowns and generating 135 rushing yards — the most ever by a UTC freshman in his debut.
However, it happened during the Football Championship Subdivision’s pandemic-delayed 2020 schedule that was played the following spring, and that Southern Conference matchup between UTC and Mercer in March 2021 at Finley Stadium is probably remembered more for the circumstances surrounding it than the stats. Wright chose to sit his veterans that day and lean largely on freshmen, and while the Bears won by only a touchdown, 35-28, the coach’s decision didn’t please everyone. A couple days later, the Mocs opted out of the remainder of their schedule.
Staff photo / UTC’s Lance Jackson carries the ball in for a touchdown during a SoCon game against the Citadel last September at Finley Stadium.ALWAYS CONSISTENT
Through it all, the guy who was affectionately given the nickname “Unc” by running backs coach D.J. Knox — and was called an “old head” by receiver Sam Phillips earlier this week — has stayed the course and earned a spot in the regular rotation at running back with redshirt junior Reggie Davis (who started last week), junior Justus Durant (who has been banged up) and freshman Journey Wyche (who also played last week).
“It’s instrumental, just the resiliency that he shows, because sometimes guys are better at certain things than other guys, but his faith has never wavered,” Knox said. “He’s always on time, he’s always where he’s supposed to be, always doing the right thing. You can count on him, and I think that’s one thing that has catapulted him, as far as getting reps and playing in games, is he’s always been consistent.
“As a coach, you love to have those types of guys, and especially in the meeting room and helping other guys out, and when they see him do it properly, it’s monumental.”
Jackson has just figured out where he could help. He has spent time on special teams, and when given opportunities in the backfield, he has made the most of them, with his 228 career rushing yards coming on 55 attempts for a 9.9 average per carry. He added a third career touchdown in last year’s win against The Citadel.
He has also persevered off the field, graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering last December.
“He’s always been there, always willing to do the job that Coach has called him to do,” defensive back Reuben Lowery III said. “He’s just an epitome of what a teammate is, so when you see a teammate have success in the field or get an opportunity on the field, it’s always a great feeling. I’m glad that Lance is competing at a high level.
“He’s old, he’s still here, he’s still going and he’s a valuable asset for our team. We all love Sir Unc.”
Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / UTC running back Lance Jackson breaks into the open for a long run during a SoCon game against Mercer in March 2021 at Finley Stadium.STILL GOING
Like the aforementioned Gibson and Taylor, Jackson has seen every game of Wright’s tenure, which means he has seen the culture shift from uncertainty at the beginning to the type of inner confidence that has kept the Mocs from wavering even after opening this season with a 69-3 loss to the Southeastern Conference’s Volunteers.
UTC, ranked 10th by FCS coaches and 11th in the Stats Perform Top 25, is on the road against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent for the second week in a row, visiting Sun Belt Conference member Georgia State (0-1) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. For UTC players from the Atlanta area, including Jackson, it will be a bit of a homecoming.
The Panthers play their home games at Center Parc Stadium, which is just 25 miles from Norcross High School, Jackson’s alma mater. He’s looking forward to his first opportunity to play in his hometown.
“It’s been nice trusting Coach Wright,” Jackson said. “You definitely see the growth of the team and the mindset from that first year — we had 10 ACL tears that year. People are just more locked in and buying into what Coach Wright is saying now. It’s just a big difference in the team mentality.
“Obviously, Tennessee was a really great football team and probably one of the fastest teams we’ve ever seen, really physical. But I think that’s going to help us these weeks coming forward, like this week against Georgia State and then we get to SoCon play.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com.