UGA football roster: Kearis Jackson battling for attention at receiver

UGA football has completely overhauled the wide receiver position with the last two recruiting classes and receivers like Kearis Jackson are in danger of being left behind.

The pressure is on for Kearis Jackson this season. UGA football has made wide receiver a priority in recruiting and its paid off with five top-notch receivers signing in the last two recruiting classes.

This puts receivers like Jackson in a possible now-or-never scenario. The redshirt sophomore hasn’t lived up to expectations yet. Jackson came to Athens in the 2018 class as the No. 130 player and No. 23 receiver in the nation. After redshirting in 2018, he only caught five passes for 79 yards last season.

Part of Jackson’s issues can be blamed on a hand injury he suffered in the season opener against Vanderbilt. He showed a lot of promise that night, catching a pair of passes for 31 yards, but the injury forced him to miss the next three games and he only played sparingly the rest of the year. Of course, hands are pretty important for a receiver, so a hand injury is an understandable setback.

The COVID-19 quarantine didn’t do Jackson any favors. With Dominick Blaylock out after ACL surgery, and other slot receivers not arriving until the summer, Jackson had a headstart on his competition at the position. Instead, he’ll start practices in the heat of battle for playing time. Fortunately for Jackson, the returning coaching staffers love him and already consider him to be a leader.

Now fully healthy from his hand injury, Jackson can prove once again why the recruiting sites ranked him so highly, and prove his shortcomings last season were merely due to his injury. At Peach County High School, Jackson was known for his speed and his ability to adjust his body to make catches and quickly changed directions as a ball carrier. These are traits he’s displayed when he’s had the chance. Those chances have just been scarce.