How Patriots corner J.C. Jackson went from facing life in prison to making NFL Pro Bowl

J.C. Jackson’s budding football career was temporarily put on hold. The immense talent he possessed was on the verge of being wasted.

The possibilities of what the future might hold for a once highly touted recruit changed dramatically during the spring of 2015 and into that fall.

Charged in connection with an armed robbery, Jackson tangled with the prospect of prison time, facing four first-degree felonies – three counts of home invasion with a deadly weapon and one count of burglary of an occupied dwelling – that each carried a minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison.

At that point, Jackson seemed trending toward a lost career, which would conclude with myriad of what-ifs and what-could-have-beens. For some star athletes, that becomes their entire story.

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Fortunately for Jackson, all of it became just a turbulent chapter in a winding football journey that ultimately led him to a starring role with the New England Patriots and earning a spot in this year’s Pro Bowl, with his selection to the all-star exhibition game announced Wednesday night.

“I’m really happy that his life has come around full circle,” said Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, Jackson’s position coach at the University of Maryland. “It was a time where a lot of things looked bleak and for him to be considered one of the best corners in football now from not being able to play football is a feat in itself.”

Immokalee

There are two paths that diverge out of Immokalee, Florida. One leads to a better life, while the other never leaves the town.

According to Jackson’s former high school coach at Immokalee, Rich Dombroski, athletics are viewed as an avenue to escape the “very impoverished area” in south Florida, where 37.4 percent of the residents live in poverty, census data show.

Hall of Fame running back Edgerrin James is used routinely as an example of someone who made it big out of Immokalee. Mackensie Alexander, a cornerback for the Minnesota Vikings, and Cleveland Browns running back D’Ernest Johnson were once teammates of Jackson in high school who also made it to the NFL.

But while there are those success stories, Dombroski saw the complete opposite happen to standout athletes as well.

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“There are a lot of kids walking around Immokalee who were as good, if not better than, J.C. that went down the wrong path and would spiral out of control,” Dombroski said. “Couldn’t get themselves out of that hole.”

Dombroski considers Jackson one of the best players he has ever coached, if not the best. Jackson mystified the coaching staff on a regular basis with his dynamic blend of speed and athleticism as he thrived as a two-way standout for the Indians at wide receiver and cornerback.

In 2014, during his senior season at Immokalee, Jackson played in the prestigious Under Armour All-America Game after recording 53 tackles and two interceptions while posting 31 receptions for 862 yards and 14 touchdowns on offense.

“He was just a phenomenal athlete,” Dombroski said. “It was just fun to watch him. Watch him in practice, watch him in games. Most of the time, myself and my coaching staff were just in awe of what he could do.”

Jackson committed to the University of Florida over other elite collegiate programs that pursued him, but he never got a real opportunity to showcase his talent for the Gators. As a true freshman, Jackson played in the season opener, but ended up sidelined for the rest of the season due to a torn labrum in his shoulder. He never suited up for Florida again.

The university didn’t allow Jackson to return to the team following an incident on April 18, 2015.

On that day in Gainesville, Florida, Jackson entered an apartment followed by two other men. Gainesville police say that after Jackson left the apartment, the two men pulled out a handgun and forced the three people inside onto the floor. The pair took money from the pockets of the men and took off with about $375 in cash along with two video gaming consoles and marijuana. Police said Jackson was identified by the men who were robbed, and he later turned himself in to police.

“It was tough for us to believe he was involved with something like that and just praying it wouldn’t affect the rest of his life because he had just that natural God-given ability,” Dombroski said.

It was the third time in a five-month span Jackson had a run-in with the law. In December 2014, the Orlando Sentinel reported Jackson was with Florida teammates in a car that was speeding and had marijuana in it. No charges were filed.

A couple of weeks later, on Christmas Eve, Jackson was in a car outside an apartment complex in Immokalee that was shot at, according to CBS-affiliate news station WINK News. Jackson walked away with a minor injury after a bullet grazed his eyelid.

It wasn’t until November of 2015 that the case went to trial. Prosecutors insisted that Jackson, then only 19 years old, played a role in the robbery, the Naples Daily News reported.

The jury deliberated for only two hours before acquitting Jackson of all charges.

It left Jackson to pick up the pieces of his football career and try to get back on track.

“I think J.C. had the mindset that nothing was going to set him back,” Dombroski said.

Riverside

For Jackson, his “Last Chance U” experience came at Riverside City College, located about 60 miles east of Los Angeles and thousands of miles away from Immokalee.

It wouldn’t come as a surprise if Jackson experienced culture shock as he got set to play football at the junior college. Abdul-Rahim, a product of junior college football as well, called playing at that level a “totally different world” and one that paled in comparison to suiting up for a team in a Power 5 conference.

“At the end of the day, junior college is a rough deal, man,” Abdul-Rahim said. “You have to sit down and make it on your own. You don’t have a lot of people to depend on. That’s why a lot of guys are not playing football anymore after junior college because of the resources and what have you.”

While Jackson got acquainted with his new surroundings, being that far from home, where there were no familiar crowds to run with, might have been one of the most beneficial things for him.

“Getting away from that element and going somewhere where he’s not known, where he doesn’t know anybody, definitely helped him focus, in my opinion, and led to where he is right now,” Dombroski said.

In his lone season at Riverside, Jackson played in six games, compiling 25 tackles along with forcing two fumbles. His play was good enough to attract Division I colleges again and he took care of the academic work needed to transfer.

For Jackson, it was all about getting out of Riverside once he got there. The junior-college route isn’t glamorous, but it produces a byproduct of sheer determination that Jackson used to get to his next destination.

“It creates a sense of even more hunger, which is scary with him,” Abdul-Rahim said.

Maryland

Jackson first got on Abdul-Rahim’s radar back in high school during the Under Armour All-America Game with Jackson going up against Jalen Tabor, who Abdul-Rahim coached at national powerhouse Friendship Collegiate Academy in Washington, D.C.

Tabor and Jackson ended up becoming close friends during their brief time together at Florida, and when Jackson looked to transfer from Riverside, Tabor called Abdul-Rahim to advocate for Jackson in an effort to bring the cornerback on board at Maryland.

Abdul-Rahim, who had joined Maryland in 2016 as a defensive backs coach, kept his pitch to Jackson simple and Jackson gravitated toward the coach, who wanted to be a nurturing force in his life.

“I thought that he could go anywhere and be a successful corner,” Abdul-Rahim said. “Just from a mentoring standpoint of someone that could help him on and off the field I think was more the sell. I just wanted to wrap myself around him and allow other people to see the true him.”

For Abdul-Rahim, he encountered a different Jackson at Maryland than the one he saw garnering headlines for all the wrong reasons after graduating from Immokalee in 2014.

“J.C. has a heart of gold,” said Abdul-Rahim, who is now the associate head coach and defensive backs coach at Boston College. “He really wants to help other people. He’s really low-key off the field.”

Jackson became a mainstay in Maryland’s secondary during his two seasons with the Terrapins, starting 23 of 24 games. As a junior, Jackson tied for the team lead by picking off three passes as Maryland notched the most interceptions it had as a team since 2003. Jackson also recorded seven pass breakups that year to earn All-Big Ten honorable mention recognition.

While Jackson’s stellar quickness, elite ball skills and strong body control all stood out to Abdul-Rahim, it was hard not to notice the incredible amount of toughness Jackson also exhibited by pushing through shoulder ailments to stay on the field.

“I’ve never seen a kid (who) the first season his shoulder was popping in and out the entire season,” Abdul-Rahim said. “It literally is on film and popping it back in and still playing and this happened multiple times during the year. You could see him after the play, him turning and contorting his shoulder and you see it pop back in.”

Abdul-Rahim had no reservations about Jackson declaring for the draft a year early following his junior campaign in 2017. Abdul-Rahim thought Jackson was physically ready to play at the next level. The NFL thought otherwise.

Despite performing well at the NFL combine, including running a 4.46 40-yard dash, Jackson never heard his name called during the 2018 draft. Abdul-Rahim said Jackson was sad not getting drafted, but Jackson didn’t stay in that state for too long, with a bigger chip on his shoulder further fueling his ambition to make it to the league.

“It be like that, man,” said Jackson of going undrafted. “Every year somebody who didn’t get drafted and next thing you know he’s one of the top players in the league. I tell people all the time, it don’t matter if you get drafted, you go undrafted, you go first pick. None of that matters. It’s about what you do when you get there and that’s what I did.”

Foxboro

Jackson entered the NFL as an underdog and signed with the team known for getting the most out of unheralded talents.

Becoming a New England Patriot, and under the tutelage of Bill Belichick, would keep Jackson disciplined and on the right track. Abdul-Rahim saw it as a good marriage between player and organization.

“He was ready to go to work right after the draft between a couple of teams,” Abdul-Rahim said. “I really felt like the Patriots were the best fit for him personally because of the infrastructure of how they do things, because of the discipline level and the fact that the Patriots play a lot of man. J.C.’s probably one of the best man-to-man corners that I’ve been around.”

Once in the building, the Patriots don’t pay much attention at all to where a player landed in the draft. New England has had success cultivating players from the undrafted ranks, especially in the secondary, like Super Bowl XLIX hero Malcolm Butler.

Jackson became one of the more recent players to go from undrafted rookie to a key member of the Patriots secondary. Jonathan Jones and Myles Bryant took a similar route.

Jackson didn’t do anything flashy at first to get onto the field in 2018 as a rookie. He impressed first in practices, which led to him registering some playing time early before assuming a much bigger role by season’s end.

“He earned his way onto the field through the scout team,” said Patriots cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino. “This guy was out there just making plays on the scout team. Frustrating for the offense how well he was doing there and then he earned his way onto the active roster. He was inactive for most of the games, he made the roster, but then he had his first showing in a game. He started small, five snaps here, 10 snaps there, five there and then just slowly started making plays and kept that train going.”

Jackson, who won a Super Bowl title with the Patriots his rookie year, certainly maintained the momentum he created and used it to morph into a certified ball hawk. Since coming into the league, the 6-foot-1, 198-pound corner has more interceptions than any other player with 24, including seven picks this season, second best in the NFL.

That level of production has cemented Jackson as a No. 1 cornerback on one of the top defenses in the league. In a Week 12 matchup against the Tennessee Titans, Jackson not only intercepted a Ryan Tannehill pass in the end zone but also came up with his first career forced fumble when he tracked down D’Onta Foreman from behind.

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Twice this season, Jackson has recorded two interceptions in a single game, including on the road against the Carolina Panthers when he picked off a Sam Darnold pass and returned it 88 yards for a touchdown – another NFL first for Jackson.

The difference in the performances from Jackson, who was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Month for November, compared to past seasons can be attributed to how he is now approaching the game.

“Really just saw J.C.’s professionalism take off this year,” Pellegrino said. “Super-proud of him. Taking care of his body extremely well, preparing well, studying his opponents. Not that he hasn’t done all this in the past, but there’s that next level where you step forward and you get going.”

Jackson, who also leads the NFL with 20 passes defended, agrees with Pellegrino’s assessment, noting how extra film study helped him make improvements and tip him off on potential opportunities for interceptions.

“I just try to do all the little things that I wasn’t doing in the past,” Jackson said. “Add that to my game and that’s what I’ve been doing this year. Just studying more, running to the ball every play, every snap. The little things like that, man, you practice those in practice and they carry on in the game. That’s how I’ve been preparing myself this year.”

With his elevated play, Jackson is now reaping the initial rewards. The first one to come his way was a selection to the Pro Bowl.

“It’s a huge accomplishment for me,” Jackson said. “I’ve never been in the Pro Bowl, so just making that and getting that acknowledgement, it means a lot. It means I’m doing something good.”

Where to next?

Jackson’s terrific showing this season has come in a contract year. Jackson’s first three seasons came on an entry-level deal before he signed a one-year, $3.4 million contract this past offseason. That deal came about after the Patriots placed a second-round tender on Jackson, meaning if another team pried Jackson away and the Patriots didn’t match the offer, the team gaining Jackson would have to give a second-round pick to New England.

With unrestricted free agency on the horizon, the 26-year-old Jackson in all likelihood has lined himself up for a massive payday, but whether the Patriots give Jackson top-of-the-market money for his position obviously remains to be seen.

“He’s definitely not disappointed anyone, so I believe if it’s not the Patriots somebody’s going to offer him a lot of money and he’ll be able to take care of himself and his family the rest of his life,” Dombroski said.

Jackson said he hasn’t let his contract situation bog him down this season, keeping his focus strictly on football.

It wasn’t always like that for Jackson, with football secondary when it came to his dealings with the law. But Jackson’s perseverance might just be his greatest strength, and it has created his biggest opportunity to date.

After a journey full of twists and turns, Jackson can see himself staying in Foxboro.

“This is a place that brought me in and gave me a chance from day one,” he said. “I would love to be a New England Patriot for a long time.”

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Patriots corner J.C. Jackson's football journey leads to Pro Bowl nod