Kearis Jackson gets his shot with Tennessee Titans on UDFA deal
Kearis Jackson still has a shot when it comes to the NFL. The former Georgia wide receiver signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Tennessee Titans on Saturday evening after the 2023 NFL Draft.
In five seasons at Georgia, Jackson played in 55 career contests. He totaled 78 receptions for 1,107 yards and four touchdowns.
Jackson’s best year came in 2020 when he led the team in receiving with 36 catches for 514 yards. He found the end zone three times. That came on the heels of a strong season in 2019 battling injuries but still managing to make an impact.
Jackson went off in Georgia’s home opener of that 2020 season, showing an immediate connection with quarterback Stetson Bennett. Against Auburn, he hauled in nine passes for 147 yards, both of which remained career-highs for him the rest of the way. He found the end zone the next week versus Tennessee, his third straight game with over 50 yards receiving. He also scored against Florida and Mississippi State as part of a stretch of seven straight games he caught multiple passes.
After the strong season in 2020, Jackson underwent an offseason surgery to repair his knee. Still, he managed to play in all 15 of Georgia’s games that season. For a second straight season, Jackson hauled in a touchdown pass in the annual rivalry game against Florida, a 36-yard score for his longest grab of the season.
Jackson returned for a fifth year at Georgia in 2022 after redshirting his first season on campus and acted as a leader for the Bulldogs. He caught three passes for 45 yards in a win over Oregon to open the season. He topped that later in the year with four for 69 yards against Mississippi State, clinching the SEC East in the process. Jackson didn’t get in the end zone but did help set up an important score in the Chick-fil-A Peach win over Ohio State with a season-long 35-yard reception on the go-ahead scoring drive to out Georgia up with 55 seconds left.
Jackson is among the double-digit Georgia players to find new homes in the NFL Draft and ensuing undrafted free agent signings. Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith were each picked by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round. Then they were joined by Kelee Ringo in the fourth. Meanwhile, Broderick Jones and Darnell Washington went to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first and third rounds respectively. Stetson Bennett (Los Angeles Rams – Fourth Round), Christopher Smith (Las Vegas Raiders – Fifth Round), Robert Beal (San Francisco 49ers – Fifth Round), Warren McClendon (Los Angeles Rams – Fifth Round) and Kenny McIntosh (Seattle Seahawks – Seventh Round) round out the Bulldogs selected while Jack Podlesny has signed with the Minnesota Vikings after also going undrafted.
