Josh Jackson began playing QB a couple of years ago, but he apparently has found his calling on the football field as this past week has been full of achievements for the young signal caller from Tyner.
On Saturday, his team defeated Decatur Riverside 26-24 for their first State Title for Tyner since 1997, and then on Wednesday, he was named Mr. Football in the entire state of Tennessee at the Class 2A level.
"The guys feed off of your energy, I have to keep a motor up, I have to keep leading them the right way because however I do, the pack will do. I feel like I'm a great leader for this team, I'm a great leader for the guys around me, and I feel as though they look up to me as a good person." Jackson said about playing quarterback, he would go to talk more about how important true leadership is... "That's something not every quarterback can do, no matter how good you can spin it or run it if you can't lead the guys, you won't have as much of a positive impact as you possibly can have while trying to lead the guys."
That leadership sure showed out in a big way this season as any great player truly can't do it alone and Jackson was no different, there were a ton of guys who helped contribute to not only his, but the team's success this season as well.
For the full conversation with Josh Jackson, check it out here.
The only other finalist here locally was Baylor running back Caleb Hampton at the Division II-AAA level, but he was beaten out by Montgomery Bell Academy QB Marcel Reed, the quarterback Baylor just defeated in the State Title Game last week.
This season, Jackson threw for an impressive 2,137 yards and 26 touchdowns in just 10 games this season while leading his team to a 9-1 record. The Mr. Football Award is purely a regular season award where the postseason is not factored in. Overall, the Rams finished 14-1 when you do factor in the postseason.
The last time Tyner had a Tennessee Mr. Football winner was back in 2004 with Desmond Hendricks and Jackson is the seventh winner of the award to come out of Tyner High School. In addition, the last time the Chattanooga area had a Mr. Football winner in Tennessee was back in 2020 with South Pittsburg's Hunter Frame.
Here are the rest of the Tennessee Mr. Football winners
- Class 1A: Jackson Cassidy, McKenzie
- Class 2A: Josh Jackson, Tyner
- Class 3A: Lance Williams, Alcoa
- Class 4A: Marcellus Jackson, Fulton
- Class 5A: De’Sean Bishop, Karns
- Class 6A: Arion Carter, Smyrna
- Division II, Class A: D.J. Merriweather, Clarksville Academy
- Division II, Class AA: Maureice “Junior” Sherrill, Lipscomb Academy