OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Coastal Carolina football redshirt senior Tarron Jackson was one of 30 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision student-athletes selected as a candidate for the 2020-21 Senior CLASS Award^® in collegiate football. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I FBS senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character, and competition.
 
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School^®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. 
 
Named a semifinalist for the 2020 William V. Campbell Trophy® presented by Mazda and the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) and recently added to the 2020 Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list, has lived up to the preseason hype this season.
 
A second-year team captain this season, Jackson leads the team with 9.5 tackles-for-loss and 6.0 sacks this season to go along with 33 tackles, 14 quarterback hurries, and three forced fumbles.
 
His 6.0 sacks this season are tied for the Sun Belt lead while his 9.5 tackles-for-loss is second in the conference. He also leads the league in forced fumbles.
 
Jackson received several preseason accolades this season including being named to the preseason All-Sun Belt first team by the league's coaches. Jackson was also named to the preseason watch list for the 2020 Bronko Nagurski Trophy presented by LendingTree, the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), in conjunction with the Charlotte Touchdown Club, and the Bednarik Award watch list, an award presented annually to the College Defensive Player of the Year by the Maxwell Football Club.
 
The fifth-year Chant was also a 2020 preseason first-team All-Sun Belt selection by Phil Steele, Athlon Sports, Lindy's, and College Football News (CFN), and named to the 2020 College Football America Yearbook (CFA) Group of 5 Preseason Starting Lineup this preseason.
 
A 2020 May graduate of Coastal Carolina University with a degree in mathematics, Jackson has also been a constant in the community for Coastal athletics. Jackson has worked with numerous charities and events over his time at Coastal Carolina including volunteering at events such as Tim Tebow's "Night to Shine" Prom, Caring for Kindergartners, Black History Month Program, pumpkin drives, and Christmas events. He has also served at Shepherd's Table (Food Shelter) in Conway, "Be the Match" (Bone Marrow Drive) on campus, Centenary United Methodist Church-Pumpkin sale, and "Trunk or Treat" at Coastal Carolina University.
 
To determine the overall Senior CLASS Award winner, the 30 candidates are narrowed to 10 finalists at the end of the regular season, and those names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system available to media, coaches, and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs: community, classroom, character, and competition. Along with the winner, the 10 finalists will be awarded the Senior CLASS Award first- or second-team honors.
 
The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the football bowl season in December. For more information on the candidates, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.
 
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