Arkansas’ Ja’Quinden Jackson’s path to the NFL has been marked by unimaginable loss.

The former Duncanville star has endured the deaths of close friends, teammates and family members, each tragedy threatening to derail his dreams. But through the pain, football — and his mother’s unwavering support — became his anchor, pulling him back from despair and pushing him forward.

Jackson’s resilience will be on display Thursday at the East-West Shrine Bowl, where he hopes to take another step toward fulfilling a promise he made to himself, his family and those he has lost.

The heartbreaks began in 2020, when Utah running back Ty Jordan, a former standout at West Mesquite and a close friend of Jackson’s, died at 19 from an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound. Nine months later, Utah defensive back Aaron Lowe, another West Mesquite alum, was shot and killed at a house party in Salt Lake City. Another close friend and grandmother died within the following two years.

“I mentally checked out,” Jackson said. “When all the deaths started piling up, it was too much.”

Jackson wanted to quit football and return home to Dallas. But his mother, LaQuinta Jackson, urged him to stay.

Now, Jackson channels his grief into purpose. He doesn’t play for himself but to honor the friends he lost and make his family proud. The game, first introduced to him by his grandfather, has become his lifeline.

“If I was just doing this for me, I promise you I wouldn’t be [playing football],” Jackson said. “Everything that goes on in life, you be wanting to give up sometime.”

On Thursday at the East-West Shrine Bowl, Jackson will step onto the field at AT&T Stadium, the same place where he once dreamed of playing under the Friday night lights. This time, he’ll be chasing a bigger dream — one he once shared with his lost friends. And with every carry, he’ll keep their memory alive.

“Without football, I don’t know where I would be,” Jackson said. “It saved me and then my mama being there for me and my close friends being there for me, let me know it’s gonna be okay.”

Friday Night Lights

At Duncanville, Jackson was named to The Dallas Morning News’ 2019 All-Area first-team after throwing for 1,711 yards and running for 1,030 yards as a senior at Duncanville, accounting for 37 touchdowns.

“We put him at quarterback because he had all the attributes,” Duncanville coach Reginald Samples said. “He could throw and run, and it was just his leadership qualities that also made me put him at quarterback.”

As a senior, Jackson was dominating — until his knee gave out in the state semifinals against Rockwall. He suffered a torn ACL, MCL and PCL in his left knee, bringing his high school career to a halting end.

Jackson and his former coach believe they would have won the state title if the star quarterback stayed healthy. Instead, Duncanville lost to Galena Park North Shore for the second straight time, a year after losing on a last-second Hail Mary.

Samples said he can almost guarantee Duncanville would have won if Jackson hadn’t been hurt.

“You don’t wanna say that because it didn’t happen,” he said, “But the chances were a whole lot higher that we would have won the game.”

Winding road

Jackson’s road back to the football field was as grueling as it was gruesome. After undergoing major knee surgery, Jackson endured intense, nightly pain. He recalls his mother consoling him at 3 a.m. as he woke up crying from the agony in his knee.

He continued to recover from the injury during the 2020 season at Texas. Before playing a single down for the Longhorns, Jackson entered the transfer portal ahead of his sophomore season to search for a team that offered him the best chance to play.

Jordan, the Utah running back from West Mesquite who had recently won Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year, persuaded Jackson to join him at Utah. He transitioned from quarterback to running back, tallying 245 carries for 1,358 yards and 14 touchdowns over his three seasons. His breakout year came during his third season, when he led Utah in carries (161), rushing yards (797), rushing touchdowns (4) and 100-yard games (3).

After building his value at Utah, Jackson decided to transfer one final time before declaring for the NFL draft. Arkansas assistant quarterbacks coach Miles Fishback made an immediate impression. The morning after Jackson entered the portal, Fishback reached out — and unlike other schools, Arkansas’ pursuit was relentless.

“They called me every three hours,” Jackson said.

He committed soon after visiting the campus with his mother, who endorsed the program.

Jackson posted career-best numbers in his lone season with the Razorbacks: 929 total yards and 15 touchdowns. His 15 rushing scores ranked third in the SEC, trailing only Alabama’s Jalen Milroe and Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson.

With his stock rising, Jackson declared for the NFL draft.

“I just had that hunger,” he said. “I didn’t want to come back for another year. It was either this or nothing, so I had to put it all on the table. I put it in God’s hands.”

Reflecting on his college journey, Jackson described it as tough but purposeful.

“It wasn’t the prettiest,” he said, “but it got me here, so that’s all that matters. It’s a blessing to be here right now. There are a lot of people who didn’t get to be here, so I’m blessed.”

NFL dreams

After graduating from college — fulfilling his mother’s wish — it’s time for him to make his grandfather’s dream come true.

The moment Jackson’s grandfather put a football in his hands at age 7 has stayed with him — not just as the start of his football journey, but because his grandfather was more than a mentor; he was a father figure.

Jackson’s biological father has been in and out of his life, so he leaned on his grandfather until his death when Jackson was 13. Their bond was unshakable — Jackson followed him everywhere. To this day, he carries his grandfather’s memory with him, literally — a portrait of him is tattooed on his arm.

One of the traditions his grandfather tried to pass down was a love for the Dallas Cowboys. A die-hard fan, Jackson’s grandfather would have found it poetic that Jackson’s college career officially ended at AT&T Stadium, the Cowboys’ home.

As Jackson looks toward the draft, the Cowboys could be a fitting destination. The team may be in need of a running back after last season’s leading rusher, Rico Dowdle, becomes a free agent this offseason. Experts project Jackson to be drafted between the fourth and seventh rounds.

“That would be a blessing from God if they came and got me,” Jackson said. “I ain’t gonna say that I would love to play for the Cowboys, but if somebody comes to get me, they come to get me. Either way, I want to get drafted.”