From beaches to Bobcats
A story of Boo Jackson's road to Division I
By Britton Dove, Staff Writer
September 27, 2008 | 6 p.m.
In California there are more junior colleges with football programs than there are state senators. Seventy-two of these schools stretch down the west coast as fields of hope and redemption for football players with ambition and desire. These schools provide 100 yards of second chances and potential Division I scholarships through great competition. Ohio quarterback, Boo Jackson, got his second chance at El Camino.
After a torn Meniscus his senior year in high school, the recruitment of Jackson quickly faded. His grades were “kinda bad” and he wasn’t receiving any offers to play football until his uncle researched several different junior colleges near his residence of Santa Barbra. Jackson wanted to play for a team that had Division I prospects coming in and getting out. And at El Camino, they were getting out.
“Last year we had 30 of our ball players get Division I scholarships,” said El Camino's football coach John Featherstone. The winningest head football coach at El Camino College for the past 22 years with 166-73-1 record, Featherstone was Jackson’s first college coach. “We had 22 [players get D-I scholarships] in 2005 and 24 [players] in 2006 to get scholarships.”
El Camino had not asked Jackson to play for them -- he asked El Camino. After his senior season of high school, Jackson called coach Featherstone and simply told him that he wanted to play quarterback and possibly safety for the Warriors the following fall. Featherstone said there were other quarterbacks returning, and they were close to solidifying their roster.
“Boo called me and said, ‘It doesn’t bother me [that there are other quarterbacks]. I just want to come down and compete even if I have to grayshirt the first year,’” Featherstone said. “He blew by a couple of those kids early and after the fourth game he ended up being our starter."
Jackson went 24-3 as a starter and threw for 2,235 yards with 23 touchdowns in 2007. He was named El Camino’s Most Valuable Player and was the unanimous All-Mission Conference First-Team quarterback. Jackson was on his way to a Division I scholarship. The only question that remained: where?
Memphis was very interested in Jackson after his sophomore year at El Camino, and Jackson was interested in playing D-I, he said. He was going to be yet another great quarterback to leave El Camino with a full-ride. That was, at least, until plans went sour.
“They [Memphis] were supposed to have an in-home visit with me, and instead of coming to my house they went to another guy’s house and offered him the scholarship,” Jackson said.
What was once a done deal with Memphis left Jackson in an awkward position without a scholarship and a place to play. Luckily, Featherstone had a highlight-reel of Jackson and began calling coaches across the country. Featherstone called Ohio coach Frank Solich and told him about Jackson’s ability to pass and run when needed, as well as his best attribute in Featherstone’s mind -- his toughness. Jackson once even played the second half of a game in El Camino with, what Featherstone thought, was a mild concussion, Featherstone said.
Solich offered Jackson a scholarship in February of 2008 to be a Bobcat quarterback. He also offered a scholarship to El Camino safety Hilton Dawson III.
Now the question was whether Jackson be a starter with junior Theo Scott from Long Beach, Calif. also competing for the role. Boo quickly learned the offense of Ohio, switching from El Camino's predominately spread offense of four or five receivers to Ohio’s I-Back with a little spread.
Jackson’s first real playing time came Sept. 6 at Ohio State, and his first start at a D-I school came the next week against Central Michigan in the home opener for the Bobcats. He went 17-31 passing for 365 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for 55 yards. He also set a single-game record for Ohio with 413 yards of total offense.
“Some quarterbacks just have a nice feel for the game… He [Jackson] plays with confidence and he really believes in his ability,” Featherstone said about Boo's style of play that was exemplified against Central Michigan.
Unfortunately the Bobcats lost 38-21 to make them 0-3 on the season.
But the road to Divison-I football has not been easy for Jackson, but it just makes it that much more of a reward.
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