It was midway through Donovan Jackson‘s senior season at Ohio State when head coach Ryan Day approached him about potentially switching positions.
There was a massive hole to fill on the offensive line following a pair of injuries, and while Jackson was already a stalwart at guard, Day believed bumping him outside to tackle gave Ohio State the best chance to keep chasing a national championship.
“I was kind of like, ‘You serious?’” Jackson said. “Because at that point, I’d only played guard.”
As he recalled the conversation less than 24 hours after getting selected by the Vikings in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Jackson noted that he legitimately thought Day was messing with him at first.
“He didn’t smile,” Jackson said. “That’s kind of when I figured, ‘Oh wow. He’s actually serious.’”
The decision was left up to Jackson. Nobody at Ohio State was going to force him to switch positions — not if he didn’t want to do it.
“I wrestled with it,” Jackson said. “Then I came in the next day like, ‘Alright. Let’s do this.’”
Never mind that there was some risk involved, as he could’ve potentially hurt his draft stock if he struggled with switching positions.
“It doesn’t matter what my goals are,” Jackson said. “As long as the team wins and my goals are set aside.”
The only thing that mattered to Jackson in that moment was helping Ohio State win a national championship.
“I wanted to win more than anything else,” Jackson said. “I had a mindset of, ‘If I go out there and play the way I know I can play, I’ll give my team a better chance of winning.’ That was what motivated me. I wanted to do whatever I could for the team.”
The selflessness that Jackson displayed is partially what won over the Vikings. Though they loved the skill set he possessed within his 6-foot-4, 315-pound frame. They also saw him as a perfect fit for their culture.
“You’re talking about everything on the line for his personal future, and what he did for his team resulted in a national championship,” general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said. “That is something that he should be proud of as a player.”
The first game that Jackson started at tackle put him up against Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter. It was sink or swim for Jackson, and he held his own against a dominant force who ended up getting selected by the the New York Giants in the first round on Thursday.
“Just the willingness to jump over to that spot and the very next week he’s blocking the No. 3 pick in the draft and competing is his tail off,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said. “He didn’t necessarily need to do that when he was going to be drafted and evaluated the way he was.”
What if he’s ever asked to switch positions with the Vikings at the next level?
“I’ll play whatever position that is required of me,” Jackson said. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win.”
No surprise there.
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