Get to know Jayden Jackson, who just visited UT and included the Horns in his top 12

I received a text two days ago from an unknown 801 number about the possibility of an interview with “Jay.” I figured the person was referring to 2024 IMG Academy defensive tackle Jayden Jackson, who was just in town for an unofficial visit with Texas.

801 is a Utah area code. I’m originally from Utah. Jackson transferred to IMG from Indiana. Things didn’t quite make sense. Confused, I asked the person for his name so I could lock it into my phone.

“Sorry, it’s Silipa.” 

Okay. Samoan name, 801 number – let’s search it on Facebook and see what name pops up.

Silipa Fuailema’a-Tupuola from Utah. Interesting.

I knew a “Big Tony” Tupuola who grew up in the same Salt Lake City neighborhood that Junior Angilau, Patrick Vahe, and myself are from. Unfortunately, Big Tony passed away over twenty years ago.

Turns out that Silipa is Big Tony’s younger brother. Their sister, Alberta, is Jayden’s mother. 

I caught up with Alberta and her crew and spent three hours talking about our mutual connections, family, Indianapolis, religion, Big Tony, and Bo Davis.

Aaron Amaama, Alberta’s nephew, is a recruiting analyst at the University of Tennessee. My daughter is committed to play D1 volleyball at Utah Tech University where Alberta’s cousin’s wife is an assistant coach. Had my family not moved to Texas, I would’ve attended East High School with Alberta and her classmate Summer Lefau, Liona Lefau’s mother.

The Polynesian world is small.

Alberta, plus her two sisters and three brothers, were raised by their lovely mother, Fa’avae Setu Tupuola. The tight knit Tupuola children have helped raise each other’s children. The grandchildren consider each other siblings, not cousins. In this family, the word “cousin” is almost a slap in the face.

Seven years ago, Silipa accepted a job in, of all places, Indiana. Not many Samoans are there but it was an opportunity he couldn’t turn down. In true Tupuola fashion, this was family business so Alberta and her four children, including Jayden, packed their things and moved too.

Jackson immediately stood out athletically in his new surroundings and often competed against players two or three years older. Ohio State is only two hours away and it wasn’t long before defensive line coach Larry Johnson began to take notice. 

After totaling 34 tackles, 13 TFLs, and 3.5 sacks at Brownsburg High School in 2021, Jackson took a leap of faith and transferred to IMG Academy in Florida to prepare for the rigors and realities of college football. Nobody in the state of Florida was more happy than Miami’s defensive tackles coach and fellow Samoan, Joe Salavea. Both Johnson and Salavea have built strong relationships with Jackson.

Quiet and reserved with a thick neck, massive thighs, and long wavy hair, Jackson lives and plays to make his mother proud. Silipa is his father figure and the family spokesman. Alberta is Jayden’s heart. She’s careful not to talk too much about her son to refrain from bragging, but you can sense the love she has when the topic of conversation was about Jayden – and Big Tony.

Silipa wore #65 in high school in honor of Big Tony’s high school jersey and Jackson continues the family legacy. It’s his way of remembering the uncle he never knew and honoring Alberta’s love for her brother.

The mood changed when we spoke about Big Tony. It got quiet. You could feel a sense of reverence. It was an impromptu moment of silence that I was grateful to have experienced with them. 

Jackson was beaming when he expressed how much he liked his unofficial visit with Texas. He especially hit it off with Davis during a position meeting and walked away trusting Davis’ plan to develop him all along the defensive line, not just a nose tackle. It’s one thing for college coaches to say they coached players who went onto the NFL, it’s another thing to say they coached in the NFL.

Davis is considered one of the best in the business and left a big enough impression for Jackson to want to return to Austin soon. Jackson is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints but will not serve a mission. Instead, he’ll be a January enrollee. He boasts a 3.5 GPA with plans to major in business. The Samoan cultural traits of God, family, respect, leadership, and warrior mentality translates well into football. Guys like Jackson are the backbone of locker rooms and captain material.

Early this morning, Jackson released his top 12 with the Longhorns making the cut.

If there’s a player that Davis and Longhorn fans want on the 40 Acres, it’s Alberta’s son.

Jackson is ranked as the No. 540 overall player, the No. 53 defensive lineman, and the No. 74 prospect in Florida according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

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