Texas State officially named their starting quarterback ahead of the season opener against Eastern Michigan as redshirt freshman Brad Jackson will lead the Bobcat offense.
For Head Coach G.J. Kinne, Jackson is the type of quarterback to be the face of the program moving forward during the season.
“He's earned it,” Kinne said. “He's done an unbelievable job since the moment he's been here. A great player, great leader, he's really everything you want for a guy to be the face of the program. That's what he is, and that's what he'll be moving forward.”
On picking Jackson to be the starting quarterback, Kinne was impressed with not only the redshirt-freshman’s talent but being the most consistent during both spring and fall camp.
“Just the consistency that he brings,” Kinne said. “[From his] personal life to on the field, he is just super consistent all through camp, really explosive through the air and then the run game. He's great with the box counts and does a little bit of everything.
“He's just a stud, man. It took me like one spring practice last year, early his first play. He ran cross, ripped [the pass] in there, and I was like, ‘That guy's pretty good.’ Then just the way he carries himself, he's just a really good player.”
Jackson joined the Bobcats in the spring of 2024 where he was elevated to backup quarterback behind starter Jordan McCloud.
In the Bobcats game against Louisiana Monroe, Jackson took over the offense from McCloud who was dealing with a lower leg injury. Despite passing for just 16 yards, Jackson rushed for 119 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns in the Bobcats 38-17 win over the Warhawks.
In a cleanup role against Southern Miss, Jackson passed for 102 yards and one touchdown while rushing for 32 yards and one touchdown in the Bobcats 58-3 win over the Golden Eagles.
Talking early during fall camp, Jackson is ecstatic with how the offense has progressed during the offseason, especially with the team’s improvement on third down and in the red zone.
“I'm really excited, especially as an offensive unit,” Jackson said. “We've really come together over this fall camp. We've really seen some improvement on third downs and in the red zone area. So just kind of having this group of guys come together. I'm just really excited for it and ready to kind of see it come full circle.”
An aspect of his quarterback game Jackson wanted to improve going from spring camp to fall camp was the ability to be disciplined inside the pocket.
“From a physical standpoint being a quarterback, staying in the pocket is a big one,” Jackson said. “Being comfortable with guys diving at your feet and still being able to make the throw. You have a defensive lineman right in front of you, so you have to get used to throwing the ball [knowing] you're going to take a hit as a quarterback. That's just the way college football is.
“So just being able to be disciplined in that fact, not, ‘Shoot, pocket is collapsing, I got to get out of here,’ but being disciplined, staying in the pocket andbeing able to make the throws because we have guys that are getting open.”
Off the field, Jackson wanted to improve on being one of the vocal leaders for the team which earned him the role as one of the team captains on offense.
“That's something that I've kind of strived for each and every day here in fall camp,” Jackson said. “I kind of talked about it a little bit when we were in spring ball, but it's definitely gotten a lot better. In fall camp, just being able to constantly encourage those guys and bring the energy.
“Last week, the defense got after us a little bit last week because it's our third day in a row. We were tired mentally and physically, but it's about each and every day being the same person. Continuing to bring the juice, get those guys going, and just being verbal in that way. Continuing to be the juice and to bring the energy for those guys and they look to the quarterback for that. The offense goes, and the team goes as we go. … So just being a constant, vocal leader, bringing those guys up is something that I focused on.”
Texas State starts the 2025 season at home this Saturday against Eastern Michigan. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at UFCU Stadium.
