Tiny Bullis High School in Potomac, Md., enrolls 600 students, all of whose hopes and dreams ride on Syracuse football recruit Tanard Jackson, one of the only players in Bullis history to earn a Division I scholarship.

Bullis, a private school with an 80-acre open campus, enrolls only approximately 180 males in grades nine through 12. This is what makes Jackson — a 6-foot-1, 175 pound defensive back — coming to SU so special, Bullis football coach Walt King said.

‘I know Tanard is equal to the challenge of playing football at that level,’ King said, ‘but my heart is in my throat for him.’

It was just the opposite playing high school football, as Jackson left many opposing coaches’ hearts in their stomachs, often dominating games. Jackson compiled 39 touchdowns, 3,121 rushing yards, 1,007 receiving yards and set a school record with 19 interceptions. SuperPrep rated him the No. 21 player in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

Jackson broke into Bullis’ football program as a freshman and immediately started at defensive back. During his sophomore year, he played wide receiver, cornerback and returned kicks.

Jackson could not be reached for comment.

‘He was definitely an integral part of our team,’ King said. ‘He would just do things we didn’t coach or we didn’t practice. He watches techniques older players use at higher levels and incorporates them into his game.’

Jackson’s biggest strength is his pure athletic ability and speed. Jackson runs the 40-yard dash in 4.5, King said. But there’s room for improvement in Jackson’s running style, as he runs a little ‘stiff-legged,” King said.

Currently, Jackson is working with Bullis defensive back and strength coach Billy White to alter his running stride and to increase his agility. Jackson also labors in the weight room to build muscle mass, which Syracuse coaches say he’ll need to compete with the Big East’s physical receivers.

‘With his frame, he can easily carry another 15 pounds of muscle,’ King said. ‘He just needs to work on his physical strength. Once he gets in a weight room at Syracuse where there’s another intensity level, he will be able to blossom as a football player.’

Jackson may be ahead of other defensive backs his age because he’s played four years of man-to-man defense, while most high schools play zone.

But because he played at a small school, Jackson may not have covered highly skilled receivers.

SU special teams coach Chris White, who recruited Jackson, saw the 6-foot-1 defensive back as a player who’d add size to Syracuse’s diminutive secondary. (Three Orangemen who are competing for starting spots this spring measure shorter than 6 feet.)

Jackson, King said, will guard taller receivers because he is also a three-year all-state basketball player with excellent hands.

‘He can get up and battle with people that are taller than him,” King said, “because of the basketball that he has played.’

Bullis coaches said Jackson matured so much as a four-year starter that the transition to college will be easy for him to handle, especially because of the way his mother, Tiffany Jackson, has brought him up.

‘He was a quiet player on the field, but he led by example,’ King said. ‘He was by far the hardest practice player this year.’

Published on April 1, 2003 at 12:00 pm