UNION--Senior nose tackle Darryl Jackson has been invited to the Philadelphia Eagles mini-camp and will compete for a spot on the National Football League NFC East team in the three-day camp beginning on April 30.
A three-year starter on the defensive line for the Cougars, Jackson anchored a Kean defense that allowed just 916 yards rushing all season to set a new school record for fewest rushing yards allowed in 2009. A first-team New Jersey Athletic Conference all-star in 2009 and a three-time NJAC all-star, he played in every game throughout his career and was part of a senior class that posted a school-record 28 wins and appeared in three Eastern College Athletic Conference Bowl Championships.
In 2009, the Cougars tied a school-record with nine wins and won the program’s third-ever ECAC Bowl Championship, as Kean captured their second ECAC Southeast Bowl Title in the last four seasons. During the season, Jackson made 41 tackles, including three and a half for a loss of 25 yards, and was tied for third on the team with four pass break-ups at the line.
“Darryl is a great kid and this is a tremendous opportunity for him,” said fourth-year head coach Dan Garrett. “Sometimes the hardest part can be getting your foot in the door and from here he can hopefully show the Eagles how he is capable of playing.”
The Eagles were one of nearly 30 NFL teams that looked at Jackson throughout his senior season.
Jackson was selected to play in a pair of senior all-star games in the Fall, first playing in the East Coast Bowl over Thanksgiving weekend. He was also selected as a member of Team USA for the prestigious 2009 Tazon de Estrellas (Bowl of the Stars) and was chosen as a team captain for Team Stars and Stripes by his 51 Division III teammates based on performances and leadership shown during the trip to Mexico in December.