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SALT LAKE CITY — Ja'Quinden Jackson made his mark on the national stage in January.
With under three minutes left in the first half of Utah's 2023 Rose Bowl appearance against Penn State and his team down a touchdown, Jackson received a handoff from quarterback Cam Rising in the backfield on third-and-1 in the red zone.
The former backup quarterback was quickly met by a Penn State defender 4 yards behind the line of scrimmage in what appeared to be a blown up play.
Jackson had other plans, though.
Without any forethought, Jackson immediately spun his body around as he made his way to the left edge of the offensive line in pursuit of empty field down the sideline. Other defenders got a hand on him, but his momentum was too much, and he reeled off an 18-yard rushing touchdown to even-up the score.
Utah went on to lose the game — and its starting quarterback for the second consecutive season — but Jackson's highlight-reel play was enough to announce his candidacy as the projected starter for the Utes the next season.
Imagine what he could do with a full season of preparation and position work as a running back.
With just over a week to go before Utah kicks off against Florida at Rice-Eccles Stadium to open up the season, the results have been in favor of Jackson leading a loaded running back room with veteran talent.
"JJ is the featured back," Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham declared for the first time Monday.
It's Jackson's time to shine in the backfield as he leads a room that also features Micah Bernard, Jaylon Glover, Chris Curry, Charlie Vincent, and three freshmen running backs making a push for playing time, too. The room has experience and will get significant work on the field, but Jackson is the front-runner to lead the pack into battle as the next workhorse back for the Utes.
But offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig isn't ready to pin all the work of the room on Jackson's shoulders ... at least not yet.
"Much like you've seen in the past, each young man has his strengths and weaknesses, and I think the more touches you can spread out in the backfield, the better off we're going to be — as long as you're not disrupting the rhythm of a given player," Ludwig said. "Ja'Quinden Jackson has done just a phenomenal job making the transition from quarterback to running back, as we've discussed before. He's a real powerful runner.
"I think it's very important that you have a plan for playing at least two tailbacks, because you want to keep them fresh through the course of the game and fresh through the course of the season, but we're gonna get our work out of that running back group."
Though Jackson feels comfortable in his role and is eager to showcase his talent on the field, his position coach Quinton Ganther isn't ready to crown his talented player just yet. For Ganther, it's always about producing on the field, and the work put into the game before the bright lights are turned on.
Until Jackson can prove it on the field on a consistent basis, it remains an open battle in Ganther's eyes. The player that puts in the work, demonstrates a willingness to learn, and backs it up on the field will always be the one to deserve playing time. Preseason hype or expectations are just empty words until it's backed up.
"You're getting what you deserve; I'm not giving you anything," Ganther said. "So if a guy deserves to be out there and he's showing that he deserves to be out there — he's producing — he'll be out there. I'm not playing favorites, because that's somebody's child and that child has dreams also. This is a program, and this program is trying to be successful, and I need to put the best players out there."
Ganther demands accountability and respect, and nobody is above the law — not even Ganther.
"I am not exempt from the rules," Ganther said. "Those guys are allowed to hold me accountable; and what I mean by that is if I put those guys in a bad situation not to be successful, that's on me as a coach, I get punished for that. I hold any of the guys to that, because my job as a coach is to make sure that these guys are successful in putting the best situations possible, and I'm not exempt to that.
"That's how you keep the accountability level high in the room, and that's why they respect me in the way that they do, because we're all in it together, and that's what I love about the group."
That accountability and buy-in was missing the last few years in the running back room, but Ganther's high demands has led to a noticeable change among the players he oversees — from star back to newcomer freshman.
Bernard, who entered the transfer portal over the offseason before eventually returning, said "it's a different feeling in the room now."
"All the guys love each other," Bernard said. "We're all together, we're all bonded together, and it feels good just to know the guy to the left of me and the right of me, front and back, has my back, so it feels good. ... I think now is like the best it's ever been."
Jackson may be the favorite to be Utah's "featured back," but it's a room that has complete buy-in to what Ganther preaches as he works to lift his position group to even greater heights. And with uncertainty remaining at the quarterback position, Ganther's position group will certainly get its shot.
"That's a coach that loves coaching," Jackson said. "He's one of those guys that actually don't care how you feel on that day — sad, mad, happy — he's gonna tell you what it is and what it ain't, so I love that guy there. He has been a big factor in me transitioning to running back."
