Salem’s DaviYonn (Pop) Jackson

EDITORS NOTE: This is the latest in a recurring series of in depth interviews with athletes in Salem County. Coaches, if there is a player in your program with an interesting background or backstory the community would be interested in “Getting to Know …,” forward details in an email to Riverview Sports News at al.muskewitz@gmail.com.

SALEM – Pop Jackson is a man on the move. The multi-sport Salem athlete sat down with Riverview Sports News for a deep dive into all the things that drive him, but he had a schedule to keep. New Rams football coach Kemp Carr cautioned the junior only had 15 minutes before he needed to be in a peer counseling session for younger teammates for which he is a teacher-appointed mentor.

So his time was limited, but Jackson still answered all the questions with the focus he exhibits seeking the best route for a big gain when he runs the football.

But don’t pigeonhole him as just a running back – or a defensive player, for that matter. Carr is quick to call him a “football player,” a nod to Jackson’s versatility as a player and his own present noncommittal to the role the rising senior will play on his team this coming fall.

Before Jackson burst on the scene as a running back to build an offense around last fall he burst on the scene as a track athlete, excelling in the long and triple jump.

During his “15 minutes of fame,” Jackson talked about how he got his nickname, what rushing for 1,200 yards last year meant to him and his goals in both track and football going forward.

And then he was off. You know, a man on the move. – Al Muskewitz

RIVERVIEW SPORTS NEWS: How did you come to be called Pop?

POP JACKSON: I’ve always been Pop since I grew up. I don’t know how it came about, but ever since I was little they called me Pop-Pop and then it just changed to Pop.

RSN: What did being a 1,000-yard rusher mean to you last year? You had 1,245 yards (1,090 of it in the final six games), Salem’s first 1,000-yard rusher in six years (Zaire Jones).

POP: I felt as though I could accomplish more. It felt good to rush for 1,000, but I’m just trying to elevate and get 2,000 this year.

RSN: It started late to you, like the fifth game of the year at Rutgers. What was the change that turned you into that guy?

POP: If nobody else is going to be the guy, I’ve got to be the guy. And when I’m running the ball I felt as though nobody wanted to tackle me. I’m about to start toting the ball.

RSN: Coach Carr is going to be your third head coach in three years. What’s that like for a player to keep going through change like that?

POP: To learn from him and learn from different coaches and how they coach it feels good because in college you don’t know what coach you might run into and what offense and defense you’ll play. It’s a good thing.

RSN: Can you tell yet how the change has impacted you? What do you like about Coach Carr and what do you think his plans are for you?

POP: Since he got here, I’m not going to lie, I’ve been more serious. He doesn’t let any of the guys slip up. It’s needed, so they’re not disrespecting themselves, their family and the team as a whole.

RSN: What are your personal goals for track and football going forward. I know you want to win games and go to the playoffs, but what do you want to get down in this important year?

POP: I want to get more recognized, rushing for a lot of yards and defense. Anything I can get recognized for will be a good thing.

RSN: What do you do when you’re not playing or practicing. Tell me something you do outside of sports?

POP: I just like being in my house. I don’t like going places a lot, but when I go places I like to walk my dog. Other than that, I just stay in the house watching YouTube and stuff. I need to recoup.

RSN: What is something you wish you could do again?

POP: I would have started football earlier. It would have given me more experience and I would have been way better than what I am now.

RSN: Are you an offensive guy or a defensive guy who found his place on offense?

It’s at this point, Carr interjected, “Football player, Pop.” Later in the conversation, after Jackson had left the room, Carr reserved commenting on his plans for the player this coming season.

CARR: I don’t know what I have. I know of what they did. I know some of the guys who are returning who play. I think quality coaches build their structure, their philosophies, their missions, their identity and what they’re trying to do according to your personnel then just trying to get the personnel to fit your identity.

That’s where guys get run into it. They get so accustomed to running one thing, but they don’t have the unit to run it and then they wonder why they pitfall. We know we’ve got a piece, but we need more than a piece. It’s a team sport. We’ve got 45 guys and all 45 play an intricate part of what we’re doing.

Are we going to be a team that has to get the ball out of the quarterback’s hand fast? Are we going to be a team that can hold onto it and do some play action? Is he going to be a decoy at times? Are we going to give him 30 touches? We don’t know that yet. I’ll identify that later down the road.

I knew Pop when he was a sophomore. I saw him play, not running the ball but just as an athlete. He was thrown to the wolves early as a freshman and he held his own. Made some plays. I just think that’s just going to get better for him. As he gets stronger, bigger, faster, more knowledgeable of what his assignments are, the dynamic only gets better for him. Not only that, it’s going to be a turnaround this year and I think he has a lot to do with it. He’s a catalyst of what we’re trying to do … You’re going to need to know where he is on the field at all times. He’s one of those guys.

RSN: Before you burst on the scene as a football player, you burst on the scene as a track guy. What do you like about running track?

POP: I’m on a team and we’re all competing together, but there are individual things you can do. It’s you versus this person, you versus this person. If I don’t do this, I lose because of myself, not because of someone else. If I don’t get it done, I’m mad at myself.

RSN: What’s the longest you stayed mad?

POP: I think a month. After losing the championship to Woodbury (in the 2022 Group I semifinals). We were the better team, but that’s in the past.

RSN: Last year you won the triple jump at the state meet and now you’re looking to win gold in the long jump, too. What’s the factor that’s held it back?

POP: Getting my mark down. I know my steps, my numbers, but when I’m approaching the runway and the board, I’m just passing the board and getting fouls. Then I get to thinking about it instead of just running and giving it my all. 

RSN: What does your recruiting look like?

POP: I’ve been getting letters and things, but the top one (for track) is Liberty. For football, there’s Monmouth, Wagner and a couple others (to which Carr added, “but that’s all about to change.”)

I’m a hard working person. I would love to run for any college.

And then he had run.