Deiric Jackson, agent to Anthony Richardson and DJ Lagway, has deep ties to Gainesville

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA —The sun blazes overhead on a typically steamy late-June Saturday in North Central Florida. Inside Citizens Field, local youth gather for the Anthony Richardson Football Skills Academy, a free camp led by one of Gainesville’s own.

As kids sprint, jump, throw and catch — many in sweat-drenched T-shirts — Richardson, the Gainesville native and former Florida Gators quarterback now with the Indianapolis Colts, is hands-on, coaching one camper after another. Today is his day to give back, and he’s doing it on the very field where he once starred for Eastside High.

Not far from Richardson stands Deiric Jackson, wearing a tight-fitting Colts t-shirt and sunglasses, quietly observing. The CEO/owner of Legacy Sports Advisors — and Richardson’s agent — Jackson made his mark inside this stadium, too. Three decades ago, he was the starting quarterback at Gainesville High.

“It’s surreal,” Jackson said. “I remember playing out here. I remember getting off the bus, pulling up to the stadium, man, looking at the lights, like, it’s showtime. You know, it just bring back so many memories.”

Deiric Jackson was once a standout QB in Alachua County

During Jackson’s senior season, he helped guide a GHS team that went 11-2 and made a deep playoff run. The Purple Hurricanes that fall had an all-star roster that featured future NFL players Clinton Portis and Ian Scott, along with Vernell Brown II and others.

“I was the leader on the team,” Jackson said, matter-of-factly. “And we had some guys. Clinton Portis, Ian Scott, Joe Henley, Vernell — I mean, just all the guys that we had—I was the guy that was the glue, that held us all together.”

At Richardson’s camp, Jackson speaks passionately about his mission. And watching him engage with campers, parents and volunteers, it’s clear this day means just as much to him as it does to his star client.

“This is great for the kids. This is great for the community. This is great for the parents. This is great for Anthony and his teammates that came out to support,” Jackson said. “This is great for everybody, right, man? These kids are having a blast in 100-degree heat.”

During this full-circle moment for Jackson, he reflected on his career, and how he got here.

His path to becoming an agent began while he still was in college

While Portis signed with Miami and both Scott and Brown played for the Gators, Jackson took a different path — to Troy (then known as Troy State), where he played defensive back. After a a strong junior year at Miami, Portis left early for the NFL and had immediate success as a pro. Before the 2004 season, the Broncos traded him to Washington. And that is when Portis reached out to Jackson, looking for guidance.

“I was still at Troy,” Jackson said. “When I finished I went back to grad school because I was thinking about getting into coaching at Troy. When Clinton got traded, that’s when he called me and suggested the idea, ‘Hey man, you’re a guy that I know, I trust.’ Although I know he didn’t listen to me much he still valued and respected my opinion. Just things like, ‘Should I buy this car?’ and I would say, ‘No, you don’t need it.’ Or, ‘Hey man, I’m thinking about getting some property here.’ And I’m like, ‘Hey, how many times are you gonna be there? If you don’t get there to where it’s getting real use, then you don’t need it.'”

He became an NFL agent eight years ago

What began as a casual advisory role evolved into a career. Jackson eventually became Portis’s business manager. By 2017, he had become a certified NFL agent. His first client was Tampa native and Clemson receiver Ray-Ray McCloud — a relationship Jackson worked hard to secure.

Years later, Jackson signed a major name — another Gainesville product: Richardson, a player Jackson said “everyone” wanted to land.

“Honestly, it was the relationship we built,” Richardson told Gators Online. “I met him when I was in college. We had a lot of similarities, a lot of relationships that were similar. We knew the same people. He grew up in the same area I grew up in. So kind of already, he understood what it took to get to the next level. And he worked with great athletes before. … I was like, ‘Yeah, you’re saying he wants to help me out and do all this, but I need to see it.’ He actually showed this to me, so we’ve just been locked in there since.”

How vital is Jackson in Richardson’s life?

“Man, he does a lot,” Richardson said. “I could tell you many stories where he has done something I can’t even imagine somebody else doing. So I appreciate him a lot.”

Deiric Jackson represents multiple Florida Gators

Richardson isn’t Jackson’s only big-name quarterback client. He also represents current Florida Gators starter DJ Lagway. UF players on his roster include edge defender LJ McCray and linebacker Jaden Robinson. Additionally, he works with former FSU quarterback Jordan Travis.

“[The Lagways] were like, ‘We saw what you did with Anthony,'” Jackson said. “They saw just the amount of work and how I got at Anthony in his process and what led him to being the No 4 overall pick the draft.”

Jackson’s agency remains relatively small by design — just three people are on staff. While his client list continues to grow, Jackson said his goal isn’t to become a mega-agency “because I relish and want the relationships that I have with my guys. I can’t have a relationship with 200 guys the way I have with my core group of guys.”

Now 43 and living in Charlotte, N.C., Jackson still can picture himself making plays here at Citizens Field — taking off on a quarterback keeper, flipping the ball to Portis, or completing a pass.

Today, Portis’s son is a major college recruit. Scott is the head coach at Gainesville High. Brown, now an agent himself, has a son playing at UF (freshman receiver Vernell Brown III).

For Deiric Jackson, all signs point to one truth: The is where he was meant to be and what he was meant to be doing.

“Nobody’s surprised I’m doing this [profession],” Jackson said. “Everybody was like and is like, ‘Deiric, I could always see you doing something in the realm of what you’re doing now.'”