Georgia safety Dan Jackson likely out for rest of season with foot injury
DawgsHQ has learned that Georgia will likely be without a defensive regular for the remainder of the 2022 season. Persons with knowledge of the situation tell us that fourth-year junior safety Dan Jackson is dealing with a stress fracture in his foot that will require surgery to correct.
According to those same sources, the injury is more from a build up of wear and tear than a specific incident that occurred on the practice field. The loss of Dan Jackson means that the Bulldogs are down to just two experienced safeties.
Dan Jackson and Chris Smith were the starting safeties in Georgia’s season-opening win over Oregon. Malaki Starks, a true freshman, rotated with Jackson during that game and was in the game in the first quarter.
Starks has since taken over the starting role, doing so in the past six games. Still, Dan Jackson was playing important snaps for the Bulldogs. He would enter the game when the Bulldogs opted to go with their Dime package with six defensive backs. He would come in at the free safety position, allowing Starks to move down and play the MONEY position.
Dan Jackson became a contributing member of Georgia’s defense last season as a walk-on. He played in all 15 games with four starts. He had 40 total tackles, two tackles for loss, a quarterback hurry and a blocked punt that was recovered by Zamir White for a touchdown against Arkansas.
Top 10
- 1
Historic upset of No. 1 Vols
Florida makes history
- 2New
Cotton Bowl weather threat
Emergency management consulted
- 3
Joel Klatt
Kicking dirt on the SEC
- 4Hot
Herbstreit almost left CGD
Saban, McAfee helped stop the move
- 5
Booger McFarland
Taking issue with Steve Sarkisian
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
With Lewis Cine leaving after the 2021 season for the NFL Draft, it was clear that Dan Jackson would be part of the Bulldogs’ defensive plans this season. His season now ends with him having racked up 16 total tackles, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble and his first career interception.
While he has made significant contributions on the defensive side of the ball, Dan Jackson has also been a key performer for Georgia on special teams. It is in the third phase of the game where he has grown into a leader according to Kirby Smart.
“First of all, he was a talented athlete coming in, he could run, he popped off to us when we ran 40’s, and he was one of the faster guys,” Smart said of Jackson earlier this season. “He didn’t know much about our defense, so it took a full season of doing scout work, learning, playing on special teams, and then he started contributing more and he’s created a role for himself as a really good special teams player. He’s kind of the leader of the punt return unit, and he plays in dime situations and he gives us a lot of reliability, a lot of leadership and a lot of players on the team respect Dan.”
