A cool accolade for the senior linebacker.
As we head into Week 6 of the college football season, we are approaching the halfway point, and the Kentucky Wildcats are in the midst of a much-needed bye week.
Sitting at 3-2, the Cats are coming off arguably the biggest win of the Mark Stoops era, as the fanbase has bought back in to this UK team. A key reason behind that? The play of the defense.
This UK defense is playing at an elite level and is trending towards being a top-10 squad by season’s end. With elite play from Deone Walker, Maxwell Hairston, and plenty of others, it is another player who cracked the top-10 players in the SEC ranking recently done by Saturday Down South.
Neil Blackmon of SDS took the time to rank the top players in the conference entering week 6, and linebacker D’Eyrk Jackson came in at No. 5 on the list.
“Does Jackson jump off the film with athleticism like fellow defender Deone Walker? Nope. Does Jackson play with one of the highest IQs in the sport and rarely miss a tackle? Yep,” says Blackmon. “The veteran Kentucky linebacker returns to “The List” for a second consecutive season after a 7-tackle, 2-tackle for loss performance in Kentucky’s upset win at No. 6 Ole Miss. On the season, Jackson has a team-high 26 tackles, including 3 for loss and 4 pass breakups, for a defense that ranks 17th in SP+ defensive efficiency and 14th in success rate defense. Jackson’s fundamentals, which included the lowest missed tackle percentage in the SEC over the past 3 seasons, should give him a chance to play in the NFL next year.”
Also earning honorable mention honors were Walker and Jamon Dumas-Johnson.
The Cats have three games coming up in October against Vanderbilt, Florida, and Auburn. With all three being very winnable games, the Cats have a chance to make a statement. If they do, it will likely be in part due to Jackson’s play and this defense.