With two weeks to go until the season cranks up on August 31, our next player in the line of many greats is none other than the speedy Dexter Jackson.

No. 2: Dexter Jackson, Wide Receiver/Return Specialist

Former Appalachian State Mountaineer Dexter Jackson is no stranger to the football world and a man who needs no introduction in App Nation. The wide receiver was a part of one of the most successful runs in Appalachian State Football history and went on to find success in the NFL. Before we get to his post-college success, let’s take a look at how Jackson etched his name in App State history.

The fleet-footed receiver came to App State from Dunwoody High School in Georgia. Although not a track and field athlete, Jackson possessed elite speed entering college that made him a constant big play threat anytime he was on the field.

As a freshman, Jackson provided a taste of what he could provide the Mountaineers as he quickly grabbed hold of kickoff return duties in his first year. In game one of the 2004 season, he returned 3 kicks for 60 yards against Wyoming.

In an October 30 showdown against conference rival Chattanooga Jackson recorded his first career touchdown on a season high 43 yard reception while also starring on special teams with 126 yards on 7 kick returns.

Overall Jackson recorded 17 catches for 239 yards and one touchdown with 22 kick returns for 394 yards.

The following season Jackson and the entire team took over I-AA football. While he was a fixture on kickoffs during his freshman year, Jackson added punt returner to his growing list of duties. He played in 14 of the team’s 15 games and started in 7 of those contests.

After a slow start to his sophomore campaign, Jackson got in a groove in a week three matchup against Coastal Carolina. The receiver grabbed a team best four catches for 45 yards and five punt returns for 83 yards including a season long return of 34 yards in the Mountaineers 30-3 victory over the Chanticleers. He would follow that performance with a five catch, 84 yard, and one touchdown game in a conference opening victory over The Citadel.

Jackson would save his best for the playoffs as he made the biggest play of the season in the national semifinals. Filling in for an injured Richie Williams, backup quarterback Trey Elder threw a touchdown pass on his first play when he connected with Dexter Jackson for a 45-yard pass that gave the Mountaineers a 14-0 first half lead. App State would avenge a regular season loss to Paladins by winning 29-23, propelling the team to its first national championship game appearance.

In the following game the sophomore was a key contributor as App overcame a 16-7 deficit to win its first I-AA National Championship over Northern Iowa 21-16. On the day Jackson recorded three receptions for 25 yards, two punt returns for 9 yards, and a 24-yard kickoff return.

For his sophomore season, Jackson was the team’s third leading receiver with 30 receptions for 449 yards and five receiving touchdowns. He led the team in punt returns with 245 yards on 29 returns for an average of 8.4 yards. The receiver also finished second on the team in kick return yardage with 189 yards on 11 returns.

In the Mountaineers’ first title defense season, Jackson would cement his place in the school record books with a record-breaking day on September 23, 2006. The junior set a school record with 86 and 68-yard punt returns for touchdowns in a 41-6 win against Gardner-Webb. Jackson was rewarded for his performance as he was named National Player of the Week by I-AA.org and The Sports Network. His 86-yard return is still the third longest punt return in school history, and he is the only Mountaineer with two punt returns for touchdowns in a single game.

Two weeks later, Jackson also set a personal record with his first career rushing touchdown on a 27 yard break away run at the 11:08 mark in the second quarter against Chattanooga. Just 7 minutes later, he would strike again on a 79-yard touchdown pass from Armanti Edwards to put the Mountaineers up 28-0.

Once again, Jackson came up big in the National Championship contest as the Mountaineers attempted to go back-to-back. After falling behind 7-0 in the opening minutes of the game against UMass, Jackson returned a punt for 19 yards to the Mountaineer 30-yard-line to set up a game tying touchdown drive where he also hauled in a 13-yard pass. He would also set up the go-ahead touchdown drive with an 8-yard return midway through the second quarter to give the Mountaineers a 14-7 halftime lead. In addition to his special teams’ performance, Jackson tied for a team high 44 receiving yards on three catches in the title-clinching 28-17 victory.

He ended his junior campaign as the team’s second leading receiver with 33 receptions for 470 yards and three TDs. Jackson again led the team in punt return yards with 369 on 30 attempts. The yardage total is third most for a single season and his 12.3 yards per return ranks fifth highest for a single season in school history.

Jackson was named All-SoCon first-team as a return specialist and second-team as a wide receiver.

Already well renowned at App State and in the Southern Conference, Jackson became known around the country after his efforts in the Michigan game. He ran all over the Wolverines’ defense leading App to one of the biggest upsets in college football history.

Thanks in large part to Dexter Jackson’s two touchdown catches and Armanti Edwards’ perfect first half, App State jumped out to a stunning 28-14 advantage late in the first half and led 28-17 at halftime before hanging on to beat Michigan 34-32.

App State was the darling of the national media for weeks to come, highlighted by a September 2 press conference that was televised live by ESPNEWS and Jackson’s appearance on the cover of Sports Illustrated. While his play against Michigan is the most iconic image for Jackson, he was far from done in his career.

In his senior season Jackson became a favorite target of QB Armanti Edwards and finished second on the team in receiving.

Jackson once again saved some of his finest moments for the postseason as his playmaking ability was key in the team’s playoff run. In the National Quarterfinals against Eastern Washington, Jackson hauled in a 41-yard touchdown pass to put the Mountaineers in front 14-0 in a tightly contested game the team would never trail.

In the championship game the senior once again reached the end zone in fitting fashion.

Future first round draft pick Joe Flacco threw a 39-yard touchdown to Mark Duncan with 1:10 remaining before halftime, seemingly cutting Appalachian’s lead to two touchdowns heading into the locker room. However, just 26 seconds later, the Mountaineers took the momentum back for good when Edwards found Jackson for a 72-yard touchdown that extended the Mountaineers’ advantage back to 21 points. Delaware would get no closer the rest of the evening as App capped off the three-peat of I-AA National Titles.

Jackson finished his senior season being voted to the All-SOCON second team as a wide receiver. He finished the year with a per-catch average of 22.9 yards, good enough for third most in school history for a single season. His 8 TD catches are tied for seventh most in a single season in school history, and his 34 punt returns are the second most in a single year.

He ended his decorated career ninth all time in school history with 1,846 receiving yards, fifth in TD receptions with 17, twelfth in career kickoff returns with 35, and third in career punt return yards with 837. He was also named a member of the East-West Shrine Game and 2007 Senior Bowl.

As he prepared for his career after college, Jackson shot up draft boards after running a 4.27 40 yard dash at the NFL Combine. His time was tops among all receivers. He became the second highest Mountaineer drafted into the NFL at the time when Tampa Bay selected him in the second round, 58th overall, in the 2008 NFL Draft.

He played in 7 games with Tampa Bay in 2008 before being waived the following year. Jackson would go on to spend time with the Carolina Panthers and New York Jets as well as the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League and High Country Grizzlies of the National Arena League.