Estimated read time: 6-7 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — Two days before Utah was set to open up conference play on the road against Arizona State, the coaching staff approached third-string quarterback Ja'Quinden Jackson and asked if he'd be open to a switch to running back.
The dual-threat quarterback had showcased his running skills at times at Utah, but a switch to a full-time role outside his main position where he was recruited as a four-star athlete? For many that's a tough sell.
Not for Jackson.
After a full season in the backup role after a transfer from Texas, Jackson was locked in a battle with walk-on quarterback Bryson Barnes in fall camp for the QB2 spot. Barnes eventually won the primary backup role behind Cam Rising, and Jackson was, once again, two spots removed from seeing the field.
Jackson wanted to see the field to showcase his talent for the Utes. The Dallas, Texas, native even played minutes on special teams to get in on the action. So when he was approached about a potential switch to running back four weeks into the season, it didn't take long for Jackson to jump at the opportunity.
"They needed somebody else," Jackson said, speaking about the need to add depth to the room after Chris Curry suffered a season-ending injury against San Diego State. "And he basically told me, 'Hey, you're an emergency back.' So I took a couple reps at running back, they liked what they seen, and it went from there."
Two days of practice was all he had to prepare for Saturday — his first opportunity at the position since he played running back as a sophomore in high school.
With about 10 minutes left in the first half, Jackson's opportunity came as the team faced second-and-4 on Arizona State's 14-yard line. He lined up in the backfield behind Rising and then received the ball for a run right through the middle of the offensive line for a 7-yard gain and first down.
The Ja'Quinden Jackson running back era had begun.
The redshirt freshman finished with 31 yards on nine carries, which included a 2-yard rushing touchdown to give Utah a 24-3 lead just before halftime, as part of the team's 205-yard rushing effort against the Sun Devils.
"We decided that Ja'Quinden was worth a shot to try — and the real key is he was all in; he embraced it," Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said after the game Saturday. "He said, 'Absolutely, whatever I can do to help the team.' And with that mentality and with his skill set, what you saw tonight is just a taste of what I think he can bring to the table."
It was a mutually-benefitting move for the coaching staff and for Jackson, who "until further notice, he is now a running back," Whittingham said — a move that will last through the duration of the season, but one that will be re-evaluated at the end of the year.
For Jackson, it meant everything to him.
"I found my joy again," he said. "I'm just gonna leave it at that. I found my joy again. I actually had fun just being out there playing again, so yeah, I found my joy again. I'm living it."
Jackson now joins an already loaded room with talent that includes starting running back Tavion Thomas, followed by Micah Bernard and Jaylon Glover, who got his first career start Saturday and rushed for 48 yards on 13 carries. Behind them is Charlie Vincent and Ricky Parks looking for a shot of their own.
So why move Jackson?
"He's got a background at running back," Whittingham said. "He's explosive. He's a big back — 230 pounds or just shy of that — he's fast, he's got really good vision. He made some runs in practice where he sees things and cuts back that we're really impressive.
"If he didn't have the fairly extensive running back background, that would be a different story, but he has a lot of experiences as a running back. As I've mentioned, it's been a few years, but he's had that experience at the position and the workload as a full-time starter at that position, and so ... he'll draw upon that, and giving him a whole week of prep will be much more conducive to his success than throwing him in kind of mid week last week."
Down go the Devils. pic.twitter.com/sapSECOuGV
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) September 26, 2022
For Jackson, it's now a matter of training with a running back mentality. For years, he's been training to see the game through a quarterback's eyes — read the defense, assess the strategy, and execute the offense — but now he has to see it in a different light. It won't be perfect, but the coaching staff has a belief in him that he'll get there within a few weeks.
He'll have to work on his footwork, the blitz pickups, blocking, and learning how to receive a handoff again instead of giving a handoff. They're subtle changes, but ones that will help him see the field more with the speed at which he can pick it up and apply it to his game.
"He only had two and a half days of practice last week and ended up giving us some quality carries, scored a touchdown," Whittingham said. "And so we expect him to take another step forward this week, and as the week's progress, just continue to get better and better."
"The kid is already naturally gifted, so he just has to learn the little nuances of the position, and I think in a few weeks when he really learns the nuances of position — I mean, he had only been playing for two days, only had two days of practice," running backs coach Quinton Ganther said. "I congratulate him for taking it serious, and with two days of work, I mean, that's hard to do to get thrown in the fire, have two days of work, so I appreciate him for the work that he's putting in."
His knowledge as a quarterback in Utah's system will serve as an "advantage," and one where he can see the game "through a different lens and bring it to the group; that's always a big thing," Ganther added.
And as long as Jackson is seeing the field, it's a good day for the former quarterback. He has the support of his coaching staff, who will continue to work to make him comfortable on the field.
"People have to understand that coaching is more than just telling guys what to do," Ganther said. "My job is to uplift the last man on the depth chart the same way I'd do the first man. I have to build confidence in these guys — I have to keep them confident, because they can go into football game at anytime, and if their confidence is broken, it's going to show.
"I'm going to build these guys up through the roof and make them feel like everyone should be the starter. I want them all fighting for touches, because if you're comfortable with not getting touches, I don't like you very much."
