After Saturday's practice, Tennessee's first in pads, coach Derek Dooley said it was the "gambler" in his junior safety. It's what has helped Jackson to emerge as one of the SEC's top defensive playmakers, but it's not always the best thing.
"A guy who gambles when he's way in the back, if he misses it's like putting all your (roulette) money on Black 22," Dooley said. "It's over."
That's why Jackson, along with a handful of others from UT's deep pool of defensive backs, is picking up plenty of repetitions at nickel back.
"We're really experimenting with a lot of guys," Dooley said. "Just trying to find the right combination of who's your best five and where you're going to put them on the field."
Also picking up work at the nickel are freshman Justin Coleman and redshirt sophomore Eric Gordon, both of whom typically play corner-back. Jackson, though, presents the most interesting case. If he's playing at nickel, UT loses its "save-our-ship guy" in the back end, but that might be easier to replace now that the Vols boast a secondary loaded with young talent.
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