Derrick Jackson III holds the SS · Starter spot in Kent State Golden Flashes’s safety room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

Derrick Jackson III is a safety from Detroit, Michigan who attended Cass Tech HS before joining Kent State. In his 2025 freshman season, he appeared in all 12 games and recorded 49 total tackles with 27 solo efforts and 22 assisted tackles. He added half a tackle for loss, one interception, and two pass breakups. Jackson posted a career-high 10 tackles against Bowling Green and tallied 8 tackles at Oklahoma. The 6'0", 210-pound sophomore is returning for the 2026 season and was named to the Athlon Sports Preseason All-MAC Third Team.

Kent State2025 — present