Mid States

[Football] Jackson nominated for Cliff Harris Award

Cliff Harris AwardAfter being named the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Midwest League Defensive Player of the Year, St. Ambrose safety Jeremiah Jackson Sr. was named one of 30 NAIA nominees for the seventh annual Cliff Harris Award as announced by the Little Rock Touchdown Club and Wright Lindsey Jennings.The award is presented to the nation's top small college defensive player representing more than 5,000 defensive players from almost 500 NAIA, NCAA Divison II and Division III colleges and universities.Jackson, a senior from Pensacola, Fla., tied for the conference lead with five interceptions this season. He had two picks in the Bees' season-opening win at Missouri Baptist, including one he returned 61 yards for a touchdown. He forced three fumbles and recovered one. He also finished with a team-leading 83 tackles, nearly double the team's second-leading tacklers. He did all this while St. Ambrose played just a nine-game schedule this year.Finalists for the Cliff Harris Award will be announced on Dec. 20. The winner will be announced on Dec. 23 and honored at the Little Rock Touchdown Club's annual awards banquet on Jan. 9, featuring guest speaker Archie Griffin. In addition to the overall winner, the top vote getters from each division will also be announced.Jackson is the second Bee to be nominated for the award over the last three years. Defensive end Chris Overton was a finalist in 2017 after leading the NAIA with 14.5 sacks during his All-American campaign.