It’s soccer season, and all American football players have high hopes of helping their team to win. DeSean Jackson is a player who has raised the hopes of his team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and also the hopes of the fans.
The pre-season game has shown that he has really shown his zeal, and while this doesn’t really count for goals, it is a positive ray of sunshine for the Buccaneers. Below is the most important information about the Wide Receiver.
DeSean Jackson Bio
DeSean William Jackson was born on December 1, 1986, in California (Los Angeles to be exact) and grew up in Crenshaw, Los Angeles. He attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School, where he played soccer as a wide receiver. In his senior year, he led his team, The Jackrabbits, to win the CIF South Section Championship. He scored a total of 15 touchdowns in 1075 yards and 60 passes. At the United States All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Jackson once again proved his skills by intercepting 7 passes in 145 stormy yards, including a touchdown on 45 yards.
After finishing high school, he topped the list of likely college recruits and was named South California Player of the Year by the Los Angeles Times in 2004 and received the Glenn Davis Award. Tom Lemming of ESPN.com gave him a good rating as the fourth-best wide receiver in the United States at the time. Further recommendations came from Calhisports.com, who voted him Mr. Football State Player of the Year 2004, and PrepStar Magazine also listed him as a member of the Dream Team Top 100 and as All-American. Jackson also played baseball and participated in athletic events.
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After initial indecision between the University of Southern California and the University of California, Berkeley, he accepted the latter’s offer. The California Golden Bears, the college soccer team, welcomed him with open arms and he stayed there for 3 years (2005 – 2007). His first year was very successful with 2 touchdowns in his very first game and a total of 7 touchdowns and 38 receptions in 601 yards this season. Cal’s baseball team also called for his winning touchdown, but the athlete decided to stay with football to the fullest.
The American footballer had a better time in his second year with 9 touchdowns and 1060 receiving yards. He also won several national recognitions, including the Randy Moss Award as the nation’s best returnee. In his junior year, he was considered a candidate for the Heisman Trophy. Jackson broke the curse of the bears who had not won at Autzen Stadium since 1987 by leading them to victory with 2 touchdowns and 11 passes. However, he suffered some injuries and missed some games. When he broke some team rules, he was forced to miss more games in the first quarter of the Armed Forces Bowl 2007.
When Jackson left Cal to enter the 2008 draft, he already had a Pac-10 return point record in his career (6) and one season (4). He also ranked 3rd for receiving touchdowns (22) and receiving yards (2423). Several other accomplishments can also be traced back to his name from the time of his college career.
On April 26, 2008, DeSean William Jackson was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles, and in July he signed a four-year contract with the team. His preseason was good and he was the first rookie under coach Andy Reid to start on opening day due to injuries to other wide receivers. The season ended for him with 50 point returns, 62 receptions, 2 touchdowns, and 912 receiving yards, each a record. DeSean Jackson brought more fire to the 2009 season and set several records. Most impressive of all, he was selected as both kick return and starting wide receiver for the 2010 Pro Bowl, the first time in history that a player was selected for two positions.
An argument with the team management about the apparent unwillingness to extend his contract caused Jackson to hesitate with training, but when he came through, he gave it his best shot anyway. He finished the 2010 season as the leading receiver and also in 2011. His 2011 season was not so good because he showed several acts of negligence. In March 2012 he finally got a five-year contract worth $51 million and his best was shown again. Unfortunately, the Eagles fired him on March 28, 2014.
Five days later the Washington Redskin caught him with a three-year contract for $24 million, $16 million of which was guaranteed. He thrived and was considered one of the best players in the league. However, he suffered several injuries that caused him to miss games, and had a career-low of 528 yards in the 2015 season.
On March 9, 2017, he signed another contract, this time a three-year $33.5 million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He scored his first touchdown for the Buccaneers on September 24 in a game against the Minnesota Vikings. In general, his first year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was not brilliant, with career lows of 13.4 and 47.7 in yards per receiver and yards per game.
However, the 2018 season seems to be very hopeful for the footballer, as he has shown good performances again in the pre-season games. In total, he caught 6 passes over 127 yards. This could mean that his speed training, which he supposedly completed, was really helpful. We can only hope that he can lead the Buccaneers into the Super Bowl for the first time in 10 years.
His Family
Jackson’s parents are Gayle and Bill Jackson, they were his biggest supporters. Unfortunately, his father died on May 14, 2009, after a fight against pancreatic cancer. Bill was reportedly a good man who dedicated his time to his family, he was an active encourager of his children and was known for being a hard worker in encouraging them to realize their dream. Two of his sons fulfilled this dream of playing football at some kind of professional level.
DeSean Jackson has five siblings, two older and two younger brothers, and one sister who is the same age as him. His brothers are Byron, William, Desmond, and Derrick Jackson, while his sister is A’Dreea Jackson. One of his brothers, the oldest, Byron, was a wide receiver for the state of San Jose. He was even on the training squad of the Kansas City Chiefs for two seasons.
Wife or Girlfriend, Is DeSean Jackson Married?
The adorable daredevil on the field is not married and never has been. He seems to feel very comfortable in his 3-year relationship with his girlfriend.
DeSean Jackson used to date Chantel Jeffries – a model – and Brooke Bailey, a TV presenter. Jackson and Chantel broke up in 2013 when he allegedly cheated on her with Brooke Bailey.
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Social media certainly have their uses, Jackson met his current girlfriend Kayla Phillips in 2014 on a social media platform. Kayla is a model and an Instagram personality with about one million followers. She comes from a family of five, consisting of her sister Sarah, her older brother Brandon and her parents Michael Philips and Roselyn Philips.
A few months after announcing their relationship, they also told their fans that their first child was on the road. Jackson’s first son, DeSean Jackson Jr., was born on October 26, 2016. However, Kayla’s first son is named Tru, and she had him with her high school sweetheart, OmynNewkirkk.
Kayla, who is currently pregnant with Jackson’s second child, is called “the case queen” because she seems to “trap” her friends with a pregnancy, a kind of insurance game. This claim was first made by her ex and the father of her baby, Omyn, when he learned of her first pregnancy with Jackson, just months after they started dating. Well, Jackson seems happy, and the relationship is still burning toward a happy ending.
Height, Weight, and Other Facts
Height: 5 feet 11 inches
Weight: 80.7 kg
Birth sign: Sagittarius
Ethnicity: Black American
Residence: Moorestown, New Jersey
NFL Career Stats As of 2017: 4 return touchdowns, 49 receiving touchdowns, 548 receptions, 1,326 return yards, and 9,487 receiving yards.