As the second oldest of six children, Elijah Jackson has had to grow up quick while his mom, a single parent, works two jobs to provide for him and his siblings.

She helps run an apartment complex and also works for GameStop in a virtual role, taking off work whenever needed in order to take Jackson to his football camps and commitments.

It’s a sacrifice that hasn’t gone unnoticed by the talented football player from Archer City.

“My mom does everything by herself,” Jackson said. “She’s doing a good job. She travels with me everywhere and people notice me because she put me out there.”

As a standout freshman linebacker and defensive end for Archer City, a 2A school 25 miles south of Wichita Falls, he quickly caught the eye of college recruiters. Jackson said he currently has seven Division I offers, including two new offers this month from Texas Tech and Indiana.

“He’s been a great leader on and off the field,” Archer City head coach Shad Hanna said. “He mainly just played defense for us. We could use him in a couple different positions, and he was just a great defender.”

From a young age, Jackson realized that he had a special gift on the football field. After he began playing the sport with older kids at his apartment complex, he joined an organized league when he was eight and quickly realized that he was the center of focus for opposing teams.

“I would stand out from the other players,” Jackson said. “The other teams would always make up plans to stop me, so I knew I was a problem.”