Florida Gators great Willie Jackson on son Kahleil Jackson: He 'is that guy'

SALT LAKE CITY— According to Florida Gators receiving great Willie Jackson, his son, Kahleil Jackson, has more upside than he did. And, he’s pretty matter of fact about it.

“I built him from the ground up,” Willie Jackson told Gators Online. “He’s bigger, faster and stronger than I was at that point. Kahleil is that guy.”

Willie Jackson, who played at Gainesville’s P.K. Yonge, caught 162 passes for the Gators from 1991-93 after redshirting as a freshman.

Kahleil Jackson also is a receiver. He played quarterback at Hawthorne (Fla.) and arrived at Florida in 2020 as a walk-on. He, too redshirted, then saw limited action the following season. Last year, he played in six and finished with two catches for 43 yards.

Jackson, listed at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, earned a scholarship after the season.

Now, he’s listed as a starter entering Florida’s season opener at Utah on Thursday night. His father hopes that’s just an another step forward — with more to come.

Kahleil Jackson is faster than his father was

“It’s about timing,” Willie Jackson said. “It’s one thing to be there. Hopefully, they use him — figure out how to use him. He’s definitely built for the part. We practiced to get to this point. He’s definitely capable of making things happen. I knew what he can do.”

At his peak, Willie Jackson ran the 40-yard dash in around 4.5 seconds, he said. Kahleil, he noted, is the faster of the two. “He did 4.34 the first day after last season without even working,” Willie Jackson said. 

“I always had the ability to catch the ball,” Willie Jackson said. “That was never an issue to me. I had to grow into it. The athleticism was always there. But I had to get a little bigger, get a whole lot faster. Those are the things that make he and I different. He’s already fast. He’s super fast. I trained him to be fast.”

Florida coach Billy Napier said it didn’t take long to notice Kahleil after Napier arrived in Gainesville.

Florida’s coach sees great potential in Jackson

“I can still remember the first practice we had when we got here and I was asking about Kahleil — ‘Who’s that guy?'” Napier said. “He’s not on scholarship and he looked as good or better as some of our guys. And then I would tell you this, I think Kahleil’s role obviously (wasn’t) what he wanted to be last year.

But he took all the feedback relative to what he needed to do to get better, to be a better football player, a better teammate and really has grown as a human being. I think he would tell you that. So a good example of a guy who works extremely hard, is really opened up relative to communicating, being vocal, having good presence. Bottom line, the guy has been a very productive player. He’s got traits. This guy is big. He’s long, he’s very skilled, he can get open and makes plays on the ball.” 

For what it’s worth, Kahleil Jackson seems to have the support of his quarterback, too.

“I saw it quick. I think the great thing about K Jack is he did play quarterback (in high school) so he understands how to get open,” Graham Mertz said. “Quick little shifty moves to make defenders get to the right level he wants to get open.  He just understands it.

Like you get a guy who played  quarterback who understands coverage and understands the leverage. And he’s just a ball player. He’s shifty. You turn on the tape and it feels like the ball always finds him. I just love K-Jack’s approach. He’s kind of that silent assassin guy that he’s always going to do the right thing. And he understands the right looks how to get open, how to work his leverage, so he’s definitely a ballplayer.”

Success for the Jacksons is a family tradition in Gainesville

Of course, as die-hard Gators know, there is more to this story.

Not only did Kahleil’s father set records in Gainesville, his grandfather is Willie Jackson, Sr., one of the first two black scholarship football players at Florida. Leonard George was the other. An uncle, Terry Jackson, was a standout Gators running back in the 1990s.

Willie Jackson Sr., now 74, lives in Jacksonville.

“My dad is ecstatic,” Willie Jackson said. “He’s overjoyed.”

At Florida, Willie Jackson just needed a chance, he recalled. Once Steve Spurrier gave it to him, his career took off.

Now, Jackson is hopeful his son has the same opportunity to shine. He’s confident that will happen if the chance comes.

“He can do it all. He’s fast, big, strong, can run and has ball skills — he’s complete,” Willie Jackson said. “Now, it’s just a matter of believing in him and putting him in position. He needs the opportunity. That’s all. This Gators team is a work in progress. Hopefully they can have a breakout season and hopefully he can be part of it.”