On Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016, Harry S Truman senior Maurice Jackson Jr. signed a letter of intent to accept a full football scholarship to the University of Richmond, a Division 1-FCS program that competes in the Colonial Athletic Association. In his high school career, Jackson rushed for 714 yards, including five rushing touchdowns and one receiving. On the defensive side of the ball, he amassed 149 career total tackles, 27 tackles for a loss, three sacks, four interceptions, two forced fumbles and scored three defensive touchdowns. Jackson was a two-time first team All-SOL Continental linebacker and a second team All-SOL Continental running back in his senior year. To complement his athletic ability, Jackson also maintained a 3.1 GPA and has become a leader with in the program as he served as a captain in his senior year. (Photo provided by Jim Raymond/Harry S Truman)
Maurice Jackson Jr – University of Richmond (Football)
Major: Undecided
Final list of colleges: Richmond, Bryant, Coastal Carolina
Reasons for choosing Richmond: “I visited the school for a practice, and I think the best part about it was the tenacity and how they really wanted to win. When I went for a practice, they were wearing no shoulder pads, just helmets, but they were playing like they were wearing full equipment, so it just shows the competitive level is there. The coach is really experienced, and they run the type of defense I’d fit perfectly in. I just loved it. It seemed like home.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “At a younger level, I knew I’d always play college football at some point. I just didn’t know where or how big of a stage it was going to be, but I knew for a while now. It’s a great moment. Not a lot of people get to do this, so it’s a good moment.”
Coach Jon Craig says: “He’s just an all-around great kid – good grades, he does everything right outside the classroom and behavior-wise. He’s always got a smile on his face. He works extremely hard in the offseason, so everything he’s getting now, all the accolades and obviously the college scholarship, it’s years of work going into it. I couldn’t be happier for him. He’s going to go play at a competitive level at Richmond. Their league is one of the best Div. 1-FCS leagues in the country. He’s very excited to be at Richmond. It seems like a perfect match for him. He’s going to go and do very well and do some very big things. They’re excited, they think he can start right away. They love him.
“His strength is his athletic ability. He can play in space, he can cover guys, he can rush the passer. He’s just a physical specimen out there. I talked to a couple kids from Quakertown recently, and they said, ‘Every time we tried to go block him, we couldn’t block him.’ He has that natural ability to find the ball on defense. Obviously, he can run – he has long arms, long legs. He’s a prototypical football threat on defense and can play a lot of different positions. Their one coach told me they think he could possibly play seven different positions on their defense from D-line to linebacker to safety. They’re excited to get him down there and start working with him.”
About Maurice:
Favorite food: Philly Cheesesteaks
Favorite movie: Space Jam
Favorite music: Rap
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