A do-it-all playmaker on a team in need of a spark, Quinton Jackson was our runaway 2025 Rice Football MVP and Offensive Player of the Year.
The offseason between the 2024 and 2025 Rice Football campaigns was eventful for the program. Of greatest importance, head coach Scott Abell was hired to bring his run-first, gun-option offense to South Main. The twist? He’d be losing the Owls’ star tailback, Dean Connors. While it seemed daunting at its outset, Abell would soon find out the next man up, Quinton Jackson, was more than ready to bear the load.
Jackson entered the year with 58 carries and 19 receptions under his belt. Even accounting for his kick return prowess, he’d seen just 116 touches as a collegiate athlete. And somehow this 5-foot-7, 160-pound dynamo was going to become the engine that powered the Rice football offense.
More: 2025 Rice Football Season Superlatives
If Abell had any doubts as to whether or not Jackson was up to the challenge, they were erased within a handful of practices.
“He plays so much bigger than he is,” Abell said in fall camp. “He has all the ability of a traditional scat back but he’s more powerful than his body indicates and he gets football. He’s a football player. And on top of it, he’s what you want of your leaders in your program.”
Jackson wasted no time proving him right. He ran for 119 yards and a touchdown in the Owls’ upset win over Louisiana in the season opener, putting the young program on the map. At the time, his 22 carries were a career high, proving he had the durability to match the explosive traits Abell and the rest of his staff coveted.
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As the other pieces slowly coalesced around him, Jackson was the straw that stirred the drink. He would average 68.4 rushing yards per game, scoring six times on the ground and once more through the air.
“He’s incredibly multiple. He’s a guy that can get on the edge. He can be involved in the passing game and he can be a downhill guy,” Abell reflected. “And man, “That’s a really nice thing for any offense. He brings a lot of tools to that unit, now how do we utilize all those tools to make everything around him execute on a high level.”
The high point, both for Jackson and the offense, was a double overtime upset of UConn at Rice Stadium in mid-October. Jackson scored four times in that game, including a walk-off touchdown run in overtime to seal the win.
More: Quinton Jackson’s Journey to Rice Football Star
“He’s Mr. Everything, do-it-all, utility player,” running backs coach Jonathan Wilson said. “He’s an explosive, kinda shifty guy.”
Jackson battled through injuries, lined up wherever he was needed and wasn’t one to complain. He even saw snaps at wildcat quarterback during the Armed Forces Bowl after starter Chase Jenkins opted out on a week’s notice. Jackson ended the season with 889 rushing yards, 74 receiving yards, eight passing yards and the respect of all his teammates and coaches.
Abell could barely put into words how much Jackson meant to the program. “If there’s a young man across this country that plays with more heart and plays bigger and more explosive and harder than number 10 does in our program, I’d like to find him,” he said.
** Photo credit: Maria Lysaker **
