Report: Louisville football adds grad transfer receiver Thomas Jackson

According to reports, Louisville football will add another grad transfer to the roster. This time it’s former UNC walk-on-turned-star Thomas Jackson.

Thomas Jackson waited patiently for an opportunity at the University of North Carolina.

As a preferred walk-on in 2014, Jackson knows what it’s like to be patient and quietly grind when the spotlight is not on him. He was relegated to the bench behind future pros like Ryan Switzer, Mack Hollins, and Austin Proehl.

After finally earning a scholarship spot, he didn’t let his former coach Larry Fedora and wide receivers coach Gunter Brewer down. During his redshirt Sophomore season, Jackson hauled in 17 receptions on 18 targets, converting 11 for first downs and four for touchdowns.

Though Jackson didn’t see the field much, he was the epitome of consistency and a solid team player. He turned down offers from other schools where he could have played right away on scholarship only to earn a scholarship and playing time at his father’s alma mater and wearing his father’s number.

In December, however, things changed for Jackson. Under new head coach Mack Brown, the Tar Heels decided that they needed Jackson’s scholarship to help them haul in new talent.

The writing was on the wall. There was a chance that Jackson wouldn’t see much playing time during his final season, and the opportunities were dwindling. Maybe it was time for a change.

That’s where Louisville came into play. Brewer left the Heels two seasons ago to coach at the defender Super Bowl champion Philidelphia Eagles, but he was drawn back to college after being offered a position by new Louisville football head coach Scott Satterfield.

Brewer and the Louisville football coaching staff saw that Jackson had opened his options up and offered Jackson an opportunity to graduate transfer for his final season.

Jackson’s transfer- which was first reported by Mark Ennis and Ty Spalding of rivals.com, and confirmed publicly Friday afternoon on by Brian Hall on 93.9 The Ville- perfectly fits Louisville’s needs. He will only be with the Cards for a year, which is a great way to utilize a slew of scholarships that are still open for a Cardinals team lacking in depth.

The 5’11,” 200-pound slot receiver from Charlotte brings a lot of potential to the table for Louisville football. But what should excite Cardinals fans the most is his experience, leadership, and sure-handedness in the slot.

Jackson is coming to a team that has dropped their share of balls of the last five seasons, and though he will be a member of maybe the most talented position group on campus, he brings consistency to the table.

The Cards have a wealth of talent at wide receiver, including  Tutu Atwell, Josh Johnson, and Keion Wakefield- who will all vie for playing time in the slot. However, Jackson brings talent, depth, experience, and knowledge of Brewer’s coaching to the table.

Regardless of how substantial his impact, it will be nice to see Jackson potentially score for the Cards in 2019, and not on them.

Jackson had one of the best games of his career against Louisville in 2017 when he went for 75 yards and a touchdown against the Cards.

Now, he will look to help Louisville football in their quest for a bounce-back season in year one of the Scott Satterfield era.