HERMOSA BEACH, Calif. – A native of Temecula, Brennan Jackson's return to Southern California to begin his NFL career with the Rams was a full-circle moment in multiple ways.
He's already familiar with SoFi Stadium – even using Aaron Donald's locker in the Rams locker room – when Washington State played Fresno State in the LA Bowl in 2022. He also went to school an hour and a half away from the stadium, too.
Now, those friends and family will get the chance to watch him play professionally.
"Just to know that I'm back here, I'm back home and now I get play in front of people who have been watching me play for years and years and years is just an incredible feeling," Jackson said.
Jackson had a pretty good idea joining the Rams was a possibility based on how the pre-draft process unfolded.
He had a couple meetings with the team during the Senior Bowl, as well as the week of the NFL Scouting Combine. This past week, he had a phone call with outside linebackers coach Joe Coniglio.
"It was good constant communication throughout the process," Jackson said. "But on draft day, you just never know."
One of the traits that likely appealed to the Rams was Jackson's relentless motor. Jackson said effort and energy is the one thing a player can control on the field, and he's never going to let that be a factor that goes against him.
When on the phone with Coniglio, that was one of the points Conigilio emphasized, in terms of just being himself as he headed out to Los Angeles to start his career with the Rams.
"The biggest thing is staying who I am in terms of being relentless and an energy monster and being physical on the field, because that can never change," Jackson said. "And then also just realizing this is going to be a whole new playbook, being a sponge with knowledge, and getting on special teams, be somehow that craves to be on the field to make big impact plays happen. There's no better way than special teams early on, because those are game-changing plays. So bringing that same relentless motor and energy to all phases of the game is gonna help me stay here for a long time."
While the moment is one to celebrate, Jackson kept his draft party small by design because he "didn't want people to think, 'oh, we made it'" by getting drafted.
They will get plenty of chances to see him play. They will also see him working out first thing tomorrow morning.
"They're so ecstatic, but they also know that, for me, I'm like, 'Hey, tomorrow, we're getting up early and going to the gym, because it's not over yet," Jackson said. "This is not, 'We've made it.' Let's keep going."
