UNLV recruit Princeton Jackson: ‘When we start winning, they’ll have the same passion for football’

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011 | 2:05 a.m.

The tone in Princeton Jackson’s voice increasingly grows stronger as he talks about his visions for the UNLV football team. He believes the program is close to becoming a winner and he plans on being a difference-maker in the transition.

Jackson, a 6-foot-2, 230-pound linebacker from Blinn College in Texas, will sign with the Rebels Wednesday on national signing day. Of the 16 players who’ve verbally committed, five are junior college transfers.

“We went to basketball game against New Mexico on my visit and I saw how passionate those fans are there,” said Jackson, a three-star prospect by Rivals.com. “When we start winning, they’ll have the same passion for football.

“The coaching staff and the players are great. We hit it off right away. It felt like we were brothers already. Everyone is on the same page and that is what you need in building a program. I’m ready to be one piece of the puzzle.”

Second-year UNLV coach Bobby Hauck has long said he’d only sign a junior college transfer if they could immediately contribute. Jackson, a first-team NJCAA selection and conference defensive MVP, certainly meets the criteria.

“He is going to be outstanding at UNLV,” said Gary Thiebaud, Jackson’s high school coach at Cy Ridge High in the Houston area. “He’s explosive and a big hitter. He plays sideline to sideline. He is a team leader. There is no doubt he can accomplish everything he wants.”

Turning the UNLV program into a winner is a goal Jackson feels is more than obtainable. During his freshman year in 2009, he was a starter and key contributor on Blinn’s national championship team, which also featured Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton. This fall, Blinn finished No. 10 in the nation.

“Cam and I pushed each other everyday in practice,” Jackson said. “He was the big leader on offense and I was the big leader on defense.”

Jackson initially signed with Iowa State out of high school but never played for the Cyclones because of his desires to also pursue baseball at the next level. Also a power-hitting first baseman in baseball, he said he was offered a $40,000 signing bonus to join the Washington Nationals organization.

At Blinn, he could spend two years developing in both sports before making a decision one which one to solely focus on.

“The Nationals saw me at a showcase and asked if I’d be willing to sign,” said the left-handed swinging Jackson. “I didn't know what to do and didn’t want to end up chasing the wrong dream. So, Blinn was right down the street and gave me the option to keep doing both until I figured it out.”

While he is not fully ready to stop playing baseball, he didn’t play this spring at Blinn to focus on football. He was rated as one of the top junior college football prospects in the nation entering the year, and finished with 58 tackles (24 solo and seven for a loss) and two interceptions to cap a storied junior college career.

Still, he flew under the radar with colleges. Thiebaud said Jackson had interest from major Division-I programs, but because he couldn’t enroll in time for spring practice, everyone decided to pass. UNLV, South Carolina State and Southeastern Louisiana were the lone schools to offer.

“Whoever was willing to wait is getting a heck of a player for two years,” Thiebaud said.

Jackson also feels his stock dropped because he wasn’t a starter. Despite being named the Southwest Junior College Football Conference defensive MVP, Jackson only played one out of every three series as part of the second string. But when he played, he dominated.

“I was basically a momentum changer,” he said. “I tried to deliver big hits and big plays. It humbled me. But I didn’t complain. I had a great attitude about and stayed modest. It was a blessing just to have played, honestly. I went from being recruited by Oregon to having nobody know about me.”

Jackson feels he will bring more to UNLV than solid linebacker skills — a must for a defense that ranked near the bottom in the Mountain West Conference in several defensive categories. The Rebels played several freshmen last year and Jackson looks forward to mentoring the program’s younger players.

“There is so much young talent at UNLV,” he said.

Jackson isn’t the lone junior college transfer who will immediately have a chance to contribute. Quarterback Sean Reilly of Saddleback College in California is already enrolled and will take part in spring practice. He is expected to compete with sophomore Caleb Herring for the starter’s job.

The other junior college players are running back Eric Johnson of Reedley College in California, kicker Chase Lansford of Santa Ana College in California and defensive back Kenneth Spigner of College of the Sequoias of California. Johnson has also already enrolled.