Jackson was born to Phil Jackson, Sr. and late Denise Jackson in Carol Stream, Illinois on April 22, 1996. Jackson was the youngest of three siblings. However, when Jackson was three years old, his mother, Denise, died from breast cancer. Jackson’s father did remarry, and his stepmother is Veronica Jackson. Jackson started playing football in second grade with the Carol Stream Youth Football Association Panthers because of Phil Jackson Jr., Justin’s older brother, who began at the same time but in fourth grade. Phil Jackson Jr. ended up going to Northwest Missouri State, winning three Division II national championships. According to his father, Jackson dominated on the field in his youth. Jackson attended Glenbard North High School, where he played high school football alongside his brother during sophomore year. Jackson did well in school, and in sports. He was a three-sport high school athlete with a nearly 5.0 grade point average. Jackson played football, basketball, and track in high school. Jackson holds the Glenbard North record for career rushing yards and ranks sixth all-time in IHSA history for career rushing yards and seventh all-time in rushing touchdowns with 85. As a senior in 2013, Jackson recorded 42 carries for 405 yards and five touchdowns in a 40-34 win over No. 15 Naperville Central. He finished the 2013 season with 3,171 rushing yards in 11 games, the second most in a single season in IHSA history; the 3-seeded Panthers were upset in the second round of the playoffs by 6-seed and eventual 8A runner-up Stevenson High School, otherwise Jackson would have had up to three more games to rush for 155 yards for the Illinois single-season record. Jackson was also a member of the Honor Roll and French Honors Society. He was ranked No. 5 overall prospect out of Illinois by Scout.com and the No. 4 all-purpose running back in the nation by 247Sports.com. He was the winner of the Gatorade High School Football Player of the Year award for the state of Illinois for the 2012–13 and 2013-14 seasons.
College career
After being one of the most successful high school running backs in Illinois history, Jackson joined the Northwestern Wildcats football team in 2014. Jackson has also set many records in his collegiate career. In his freshman year, he started five of 12 games which he led the Wildcats in rushing each week, finishing with 1,187 yards and 10 touchdowns on 245 carries to earn honorable mention All-Big Ten notice from league coaches. Jackson was a second-team All-Big Ten pick in 2015, racking up 1,418 yards and five scores on 312 carries, along with 21 catches and 162 yards as a receiver. In 2016, Jackson still carried the ball 226 times for 1,300 yards and 12 scores – and caught 33 passes for 210 yards – in a second-team all-conference junior season by coaches. He finished off the year with a 224 yard, three-touchdown effort against the Pitt Panthers in the 2016 Pinstripe Bowl where he showed off his quickness, vision, and efficient running style. Jackson became the leading rusher in Northwestern history and became the ninth player in NCAA history to have four years with 1,000 yards. He was a second-team All-Big Ten selection with 287 carries for 1,311 yards and 11 touchdowns rushing along with 44 catches for 276 receiving yards.
College statistics
YEAR
2014
22
201
9.1
35
1
2015
21
162
7.7
28
0
2016
35
219
6.3
37
0
2017
43
266
6.2
24
0
Career
121
848
7
37
1
Professional career
Jackson was drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He was waived on September 3, 2018 and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on September 24, 2018. He made his professional debut in Week 4 against the San Francisco 49ers. In a Week 6 game against the Cleveland Browns, he recorded his first three professional carries, which went for four yards. In Week 13, against the Pittsburgh Steelers on NBC Sunday Night Football, he had eight carries for 63 yards and his first professional rushing touchdown. The following week against the Kansas City Chiefs, Jackson made his first career start following injuries to Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler, rushing for 58 yards on 16 carries and scoring a touchdown. Overall, he finished the 2018 season with 206 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to go along with 15 receptions for 135 receiving yards. He made his postseason debut with two carries for five rushing yards in the 23-17 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round. He had three receptions for 22 yards in the 41-28 loss to the New England Patriots in the Divisional Round. In the 2019 season, Jackson finished with 29 carries for 200 rushing yards in seven games.
