DALLAS — You don’t need to pay close attention to Texas high school football to know Duncanville is a breeding ground for exceptional talent. One of the big names to emerge from the program is Ja’Quinden Jackson. His story is one of loss, inspiration and dedication.
What You Need To Know
- Ja’Quinden Jackson is the star running back for the Utah Utes
- As a four-star recruit, he led Duncanville High School to two straight state championship appearances
- Jackson transferred to Utah from the University of Texas in the spring of 2021. Last season, he rushed for 531 yards and nine touchdowns
- His best friends and teammates, Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe, died just nine months apart. Ty lost his life to an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound, while Aaron was a victim of gun violence in a shooting during a house party in Salt Lake City
“I was like, who is this? This kid right here was playing receiver, running back and quarterback,” Jackson’s trainer Mook Bagley said. “It was cold. Really, really cold.”
Jackson wants to provide for his family with this sport.
“It’s like this: the person that’s in front of me is in the way of getting my momma that house that she wants or my sister that car she wants,” Jackson said.
Family is his purpose. Football is his passion.
“The first person to introduce me to football is my grandfather,” Jackson said with a smile. “He started throwing the football with me at 3 years old. And after that it’s just been football, football, football. I eat, sleep and dream of football.”
To understand Jackson’s football journey, you’d have to go back to his freshman year of college at the University of Texas. The dream was to be a Longhorn. However, a torn ACL, MCL and PCL in the semifinals his senior year at Duncanville kept him on the sidelines instead of on the field, proving himself.
“The reason I transferred from Texas was because they weren’t giving me an opportunity to show what I can do,” he said.
“I always told him when he was at Texas, they’re sleeping on you,” said Bagley. “Once he started getting his mind on running back and running back only, I already knew whoever was the starter at Utah would never get their job back ever again.”
The transfer to Utah was a breath of fresh air, and he hasn’t looked back. Jackson does, however, reflect on his friends and family no longer with us. His best friends and teammates Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe rest side-by-side, sharing a piece of Texas earth. The fellow Dallas natives died just nine months apart.
“It was hard,” Jackson said. “They weren’t the only ones I had lost. I lost three people in the year 2020. I lost Ty, then I lost my granny, then I lost my auntie the day of the Rose Bowl. I was in a deep hole when A-Lowe died.”
No matter where Jackson goes, he keeps Ty and Aaron both close to his heart, sporting a No. 22 dog tag necklace.
“They are still in our minds and memories,” he said. “We haven’t forgotten about them.”