Jamal Jackson
If Appalachian State goes with sophomore Jamal Jackson at quarterback on Saturday against The Citadel, in place of injured senior DeAndre Presley, it will be going with a player whose stock has been rising since the early days of spring practice.
That wasn’t the case a little more than a year ago, when Presley outplayed a young and learning Jackson in the spring of 2010, locked up the starting job and went on to a stellar season.
But this past spring, Jackson more than held his own.
Coach Jerry Moore particularly liked Jackson’s leadership in the spring, and still talks about the toughness Jackson displayed during a scrimmage after he was injured following a touchdown run.
“He’s laying there and they’re checking his ribs, he’s hurt,” Moore said earlier this year. “Our trainers were with Jamal. Two or three minutes later I look up and he’s back in the huddle leading our offense.”
Then Jackson was hit in the ribs again, taking a shot from safety Troy Sanders while attempting a pass.
“It’s just a kill shot,” Moore said. “He’s down, the trainers are with him again. Nine or ten o’clock that night I get a call at home and he’s at the emergency room. He had broken a rib, punctured a lung.”
Moore said that his players rallied around Jackson, an act that Moore said showed respect for Jackson’s leadership and toughness.
“I would guess they were 10 or 15 players out there at the hospital with him,” Moore said. “I feel the same way about him as I do DeAndre. We’ve got two excellent leaders right there.”