Sunday, February 4, 2007

Under the Radar, The Blur Takes His Act to Oregon

Being recruited for Division I athletics can be either a dirty game or the experience of a lifetime. Talmadge Jackson, an 18-year-old Chaparral High School Football star, has experienced this first hand.

By this time next week, Jackson will officially be signed to play Division I football at the University of Oregon. Talmadge is looking forward to campus life and being apart of the Oregon program.

Known as “The Blur” or simply Tal, Jackson has already been immortalized with a highlight reel on Youtube, reminiscent of Reggie Bush’s now famous highlight tape. This was a great experience for the humble star, who realized he had Pac-10 potential when his coach Tom Leach arrived at Chaparral.

Tal is ready to work hard at Oregon. He expects to play as a true freshman and is ready to enroll in classes as soon as possible. He wants to earn a starting spot in the defensive backfield, but he knows that will take alot of hard work.

Although he’s nicknamed “The Blur,” his time in the 40-yard dash was a 4.5. Yet, his least favorite part of recruiting was the over aggressive coaches who would even show up at his school. He blames being overlooked by closer Pac-10 schools on coming from an area not known for producing football stars.

Thanks to Coach Leach, he said, Jackson was able to score a scholarship to Oregon over smaller schools who were recruiting him like UTEP and Colorado St.

Jackson was very candid about the college coaching carousel and the big money in Division I sports. Even though there’s millions of dollars involved, he feels like the experience alone is worth it. Tal believes that if you do your job on the field, the money will come.

As for his coach, Mike Bellotti, Jackson believes that Bellotti is committed to the program and the university and doesn’t see him leaving. As a true freshman, Jackson is ready to take the Pac-10 by storm next year. He hopes to take out his opponents, especially USC and UCLA, in a blur.

Check out The Blur in action.

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