Northwestern University Athletics
Justin Jackson Picked as B1G Preseason Player to Watch
7/30/2015 9:00:00 AM | Football
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern sophomore running back Justin Jackson was one of 11 players from the Big Ten to be named to the conference's fifth annual football preseason Players to Watch list, the league announced Thursday, July 30.
Jackson, one of only two sophomores on the 2015 B1G list, returns after a sensational freshman season for the Wildcats. He received All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2014 in a Big Ten Conference that was loaded at the running back position. The Carol Stream, Ill., native ran for 1,187 yards and 10 touchdowns, while also recording 201 receiving yards and a touchdown out of the backfield.
The running back's effort of more than 1,000 yards on the ground was only the 16th time that feat had been accomplished in NU football history, and only the second time it had been done by a freshman. Jackson averaged 98.9 yards per game, which ranked him fourth among Power 5 conference newcomers and sixth among all Big Ten backs.
Earlier this month Jackson was named to the watch list for a pair of prestigious honors. On July 16, he was selected as a candidate for the Doak Walker Award, bestowed annually to the nation's top running back. Earlier in the month, on July 7, the second-year standout was named to the watch list for the 79th annual Maxwell Award that is handed out to the top player in the country.
A media panel voted for the top five players each from the B1G East and West Division, with one additional honoree in the West due to a tie. The complete list of Big Ten football preseason Players to Watch is below:
West Division
Justin Jackson, So., RB, Northwestern
Drew Ott, Sr., DE, Iowa
Maliek Collins, Jr., DT, Nebraska
De'Mornay Pierson-El, So., WR, Nebraska
Michael Caputo, Sr, S., Wisconsin
Corey Clement, Jr. RB, Wisconsin
East Division
Connor Cook, Sr., QB, Michigan State
Shilique Calhoun, Sr., DE, Michigan State
Joey Bosa, Jr., DE, Ohio State
Ezekiel Elliott, Jr., RB, Ohio State
Anthony Zettel, Sr., DT, Penn State
Jackson, one of only two sophomores on the 2015 B1G list, returns after a sensational freshman season for the Wildcats. He received All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2014 in a Big Ten Conference that was loaded at the running back position. The Carol Stream, Ill., native ran for 1,187 yards and 10 touchdowns, while also recording 201 receiving yards and a touchdown out of the backfield.
The running back's effort of more than 1,000 yards on the ground was only the 16th time that feat had been accomplished in NU football history, and only the second time it had been done by a freshman. Jackson averaged 98.9 yards per game, which ranked him fourth among Power 5 conference newcomers and sixth among all Big Ten backs.
Earlier this month Jackson was named to the watch list for a pair of prestigious honors. On July 16, he was selected as a candidate for the Doak Walker Award, bestowed annually to the nation's top running back. Earlier in the month, on July 7, the second-year standout was named to the watch list for the 79th annual Maxwell Award that is handed out to the top player in the country.
A media panel voted for the top five players each from the B1G East and West Division, with one additional honoree in the West due to a tie. The complete list of Big Ten football preseason Players to Watch is below:
West Division
Justin Jackson, So., RB, Northwestern
Drew Ott, Sr., DE, Iowa
Maliek Collins, Jr., DT, Nebraska
De'Mornay Pierson-El, So., WR, Nebraska
Michael Caputo, Sr, S., Wisconsin
Corey Clement, Jr. RB, Wisconsin
East Division
Connor Cook, Sr., QB, Michigan State
Shilique Calhoun, Sr., DE, Michigan State
Joey Bosa, Jr., DE, Ohio State
Ezekiel Elliott, Jr., RB, Ohio State
Anthony Zettel, Sr., DT, Penn State
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