Darrell Jackson Jr., a Florida State defensive tackle, will be sitting out the 2023 college football season because the NCAA has denied his hardship waiver after he transferred to the school from Miami.
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The transfer, Jackson's second in two years, came because he wanted to be near his ailing mother. Jackson, a native of Havana, Florida, called the denial "hurtful."
"I know what I came home for; I came home for my mom," Jackson said Tuesday. "Me, I'm just trying to get through it and be here for my mom. She thinks it's her fault, but it's not. I'm going to continue to be there for my mom and see how things play out."
𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚: College DT Darrell Jackson Jr transferred to FSU from Miami this offseason because he wanted to be closer to his mother, who is dealing with a medical condition
However, the NCAA has denied his hardship waiver and ruled Jackson ineligible for the 2023 season.… pic.twitter.com/0wogBqYN7l
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) August 8, 2023
Jackson is unsure why this happened and could only point to the NCAA "trying to prove a point or what."
On top of his disappointment, Florida State head coach Mike Norvell said he was upset at the decision.
"I'm extremely disappointed just for that young man, just the journey, the reason why he's here, just sad that he's going to miss games," he said. "Obviously, there's still processes that we're looking at going through."
Mike Norvell discusses the NCAA ruling that Darrell Jackson Jr.'s waiver was denied
Full interview 🎥: https://t.co/VvwnjkzBk8@Coach_Norvell @FSUFootball pic.twitter.com/6vZgj1tUpS
— Warchant.com (@Warchant) August 8, 2023
Jackson originally played at Maryland in 2021 before transferring to Miami for 2022 and, now, planning to go to Florida State. However, there's an NCAA rule that permits a single free transfer.
Jackson played in 12 games in 2022 for the Hurricanes, posting three sacks and 27 tackles.
We'll keep an eye for any updates on this situation.
