For LSU sophomore defensive back Donte Jackson, the grind never stops.
“I’m a workhorse,” Jackson said. “I like to work.”
In the fall, Jackson spends his Saturday nights playing in front of approximately 100,000 screaming fans in Tiger Stadium, but in the spring, he participates in meets with the LSU track and field team.
Running track isn’t new to him. The 5-foot-11, 167-pound cornerback excelled in the sport at Riverdale High School, winning the Louisiana Class 4A State Outdoor Championship in the 100-meter dash.
Jackson was also a standout on the football field. Playing both offense and defense, he was nationally rated as a five-star and the tenth-overall prospect, according to 247sports.com.
The short drive from Metairie to Baton Rouge and the opportunity for his mother to watch him play on Saturdays made the decision to come to LSU easy for Jackson, an all-around, multi-talented athlete.
His childhood also baited the Tigers’ five-star skill player to Baton Rouge. As a teen, Jackson said he remembered watching former great LSU defensive backs such as Patrick Peterson, Morris Claiborne and Tyrann Mathieu.
Like those former standouts, Jackson also works on special teams, returning punts and kickoffs last season. He has still been working with that unit this spring.
But now, the 20-year-old is juggling school, football and track all at the same time.
If he had the time, the general business sophomore would probably play for every LSU sports team.
“Honestly, I can play every sport,” Jackson said, jokingly. “If [LSU] wanted me to join the golf team, I’ll join the golf team. Water polo, it doesn’t really matter. I’ll pick it up somehow.”
Most people would struggle with that amount of workload, but Jackson doesn’t fit into that category. While competing in two different sports, Jackson said he doesn’t really have an “off day,” but said his grades are still at or above par.
Jackson tries to not worry about the physical toll his body takes playing two sports. He’s more concerned about keeping his head on straight with school.
“Getting a lot of extra work with two different sports, it challenges you mentally more than physically,” Jackson said.
Jackson, who had 22 tackles and one interception throughout his first 11 games as a Tiger last season, practices and competes with the track team when his busy schedule permits.
In his first collegiate track meet, Jackson ran the 60-meter dash in 6.66 seconds — good enough for a third-place finish.
He mainly competes in the 4×100-meter relay and 100-meter dash, and he most recently traveled with the team during spring break to Miami for the Hurricane Twilight Meet. The skills and techniques he learned in track have translated to the football field, he said.
“It helps a lot,” Jackson said. “Especially for me, being a corner, it helps with a lot of quick twitch movement. Helps with speed a lot, [but] mostly helps with explosiveness.”
Even though track and field may not be as physically draining as playing on the gridiron, it’s still competitive for him.
Training and preparing for track proposes a challenge for him. There’s an entirely different workout process and he has another group of coaches, but Jackson enjoys the test of playing two sports.
“It’s a whole different workout, a whole different group of guys, whole different group of coaches,” Jackson said. “You just got to be an athlete, like I have been doing my whole life.”
The support from LSU coach Les Miles was helpful for Jackson, and Miles said he thinks Jackson is doing well handling both sports.
Miles said he’s seen improvement from Jackson, who has been seeing time in spring practice working with the first-team defense, as starting sophomore cornerback Kevin Toliver II remains out for the spring after having shoulder surgery.
“When he first stepped on campus, he was a very nice guy that could run fast,” Miles said. “Now, he’s tough, hard-nosed, really capable defensive back, a guy with tremendous ball skills.”
Not many collegiate athletes get the opportunity to participate in two sports, and Jackson is grateful for the opportunity.
“A lot of athletes want to do [this] coming in, I’m blessed to actually do [this] and getting to try it out as a freshman. I love it,” Jackson said.

Gallery • 4 Photos

Nicholas Martino

Sophomore Defensive Back, Donte Jackson (01), practices in the afternoon on Tuesday, March 29, 2016 at Charles McClendon Practice Facility.