After weighing a Miami return, Darrell Jackson decides to enroll at Florida State ... and now Canes await DT Deen decision

When 6-6, 320-pound DT Darrell Jackson transferred to Miami from Maryland a year ago (where he’d started one game as a true freshman in 2021), it was a big win for the Canes. Jackson went on to earn a starting job opposite Leonard Taylor last year, and he ended 2022 with 27 tackles, 4.5 TFL and three sacks.

After last season it was expected that with Jackson and Taylor returning, the starting defensive tackle position seemed in good hands.

But that was upended Dec. 7 when Jackson shockingly entered the transfer portal with the intent of moving closer to his Havana, Fla. home to be near an ailing family member.

On Dec. 21, the official @FSUFootball Twitter account aired a video of Jackson in an FSU uniform doing the Tomahawk chop and declared “Local guy coming back to the 850 and bringing strong production with him to #Tribe23! Welcome @95productions1 to the #NoleFamily“.

But then things went sideways.

Miami made a big push to try and get Jackson to return.

He was in Miami on Sunday before returning to Tallahassee. And now CaneSport has confirmed that Jackson will indeed be enrolling at Florida State this semester.

That leaves a big hole at defensive tackle for Miami, and so far Miami has added a transfer portal DT in Thomas Gore and will be searching for more help at the position. That includes Purdue DT transfer Branson Deen, who it’s believed Miami is in good position to land.