Countdown to Kickoff: No. 44
Quez Jackson
The countdown to kickoff is officially on as Georgia Tech‘s season-opening matchup at Colorado on Aug. 29 is less than 100 days away.
Until then JOL will be counting it down with one Jackets’ player daily that wore the corresponding number of days remaining until toe meets leather in Boulder.
With it now 44 days until kickoff in Boulder, today’s focus is on No. 44 Quez Jackson, who was a steady, consistent presence on defense for Georgia Tech over his four years with the program, playing in 47 total games and racking up 247 total tackles.
Jackson came to Georgia Tech in the recruiting class of 2018 out of Peach County High in Fort Valley, Georgia where he was a two-time All-State selection and was ranked as a three-star inside linebacker by Rivals in that class. He chose the Jackets over close to 20 other offers from programs all across the country.
Jackson made his way onto the field on special teams and defense during his freshman year in 2018 but really fully broke into the linebacker rotation as a sophomore in 2019 when he played in 12 games and started the last five. He finished with 49 tackles, five tackles for loss and one forced fumble that season.
The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Jackson continued that momentum into the Covid-shortened 2020 season when he started all 10 games at linebacker and finished second on the team with 80 tackles while also racking up 4.5 tackles-for-loss and two interceptions.
Prior to his senior season in 2021, Jackson switched his number from 44 to 4 as Georgia Tech temporarily retired the No. 44 in honor of the late Hank Aaron after the legendary baseball player and former Atlanta Brave passed away earlier that year. Jackson went on to have his most productive season at linebacker yet with 103 total tackles (46 solo) to go with eight tackles-for-loss, two sacks, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and one pass defended. For his efforts, he was named to the All-ACC Second Team.
When it was all said and done for Jackson on The Flats, he played in 47 games and racked up 247 total tackles (128 solo), 18 tackles-for-loss, three sacks, three fumbles recovered, two forced fumbles, two interceptions and six passes defended.
Jackson continued his football career after college, playing in the Indoor Football League. Most recently he was a member of the Tucson Sugar Skulls during the 2024 season and had 43 total tackles (29 solo), 8.5 tackles-for-loss, one sack and four pass breakups.
Honorable Mention
George Humphreys (fullback/running back from 1952-1954, played on the 1952 national championship team, finished his career with 394 rushing yards and six touchdowns
Brent Cunningham (running back from 1969-1971, finished his career with 1,446 rushing yards and six touchdowns, including a 740-yard season in 1970, also had 41 catches, 352 yards and four touchdowns receiving in his career)
Kyle Efford (linebacker from 2022-present, Third-Team All-ACC in 2024 after finishing season with 64 total tackles (33 solo), 5.5 tackles-for-loss, three sacks and one pass breakup in 10 games as he missed three due to injury, so far in his career he has 146 total tackles (70 solo), 6.5 tackles-for-loss, four sacks, one interception and one pass breakup, going into his redshirt-junior year for the 2025 season)
