Antwuan Jackson has made an NFL roster.
After an impressive showing at the Panthers' rookie minicamp over the weekend, news broke that the former Ohio State defensive tackle signed a contract with Carolina to become part of the franchise's 90-man roster. The source for that news? Well, that would be Antwuan Jackson.
Work hard and determined, it's safe to say I earned it pic.twitter.com/dLj1WawSAW
— Antwuan Jackson (@Hercules__52) May 15, 2023
From college to the professional ranks, Jackson's path to the NFL was far from traditional. A native of Ellenwood, Georgia, Jackson initially attended Auburn in 2016. After a redshirt season for the Tigers, he transferred to Blinn Junior College, where he became the second-ranked JUCO defensive tackle and third-ranked JUCO prospect overall in 2017, garnering the attention of Ohio State's recruiting staff and coaches. Before the 2018 season, Jackson committed to the Buckeyes.
Over the next four years in Columbus, including a "super senior" season in 2021, Jackson consistently contributed to defensive line coach Larry Johnson's position room, collecting 48 tackles, nine tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks across 38 appearances for the Buckeyes.
When his Ohio State career ended – and he had earned two bachelor's degrees from the university in human development and family sciences and sociology – Jackson pursued a career at the next level and started his NFL draft preparation. Jackson was not selected in the 2022 NFL draft but earned an invite to the New York Giants rookie minicamp. He did not receive a contract after the camp.
Despite those roadblocks, Jackson remained steadfast in his desire to play professional football. He entered his name in the 2023 XFL draft and became the No. 66 overall pick to the Seattle Sea Dragons.
This spring, Jackson appeared in nine of 10 regular-season contests for the Sea Dragons, recording 20 tackles and one tackle for loss. That production earned him an invite to the Panthers' rookie camp, where he proved himself worthy of a spot on the team's 90-man roster ahead of the 2023 season.
Jackson will play alongside former first-round picks Brian Burns and Derrick Brown in Carolina. He will spend the offseason competing with them in front of the Panthers' coaching staff, eventually looking for that competition to result in a spot on Carolina's 53-man roster this fall.
