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Honors & Awards
» Armed Forces Merit Award Winner (2021)
» Armed Forces Merit Award Finalist (2019)
» Armed Forces Merit Award Nominee (2019, 2020 & 2021)
» Academic All-Big Ten (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)
» Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2017, 2019, 2020; Spring 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
2021
Damian Jackson played in 11 games in 2021, totaling four tackles. He finished with one solo tackle at Illinois and one assisted tackle against Fordham. Jackson tied his career high with two tackles against Northwestern, and he had the first quarterback hurry of his career. He added another hurry at No. 19 Wisconsin.
Jackson was the 2021 Armed Forces Merit Award winner. The Armed Forces Merit Award is presented annually to honor an individual and/or a group with a military background and/or involvement that has an impact within the realm of college football.
2020 (Junior)
A former walk-on, Jackson was placed on scholarship for the 2020 season. After making a position switch from the defensive line to outside linebacker, he was a contributor on defense and special teams, playing in each of the final six games. Jackson finished the year with five tackles, including a half tackle for loss.
He made his season debut in the win against Penn State, totaling one tackle on kickoff coverage and one stop on defense. He has also appeared on special teams against Illinois and Iowa and on defense at Purdue. He saw significant snaps on defense against Minnesota, finishing with a career-high-tying two tackles, including his first career tackle for loss. Jackson finished his season with a solo tackle on defense at Rutgers.
2019 (Sophomore)
Jackson played in two games as a sophomore, appearing on kickoff coverage against both Purdue and Wisconsin. He made his season debut at Purdue, where he recorded the first two tackles of his career.
In October, Jackson was one of 33 individuals nominated for the 2019 Armed Forces Award. Among the 33 nominees, Jackson was one of 12 players from all divisions of college football, including one of only four players from the FBS level. In November, Jackson was named one of five finalists for the Armed Forces Award. He was the only FBS player among the five finalists.
2018 (Redshirt Freshman)
Jackson played in one game as a redshirt freshman, making his career debut on the defensive line in the Huskers' win over Bethune-Cookman. Although he only saw action in one game, Jackson was also a member of Nebraska's travel roster for trips to Wisconsin, Ohio State and Iowa.
2017 (Redshirt)
Jackson sat out his first season as a redshirt.
Before Nebraska
Jackson served as a member of the Navy SEALs for four years after graduating from Shadow Ridge High School in Las Vegas, Nev., in 2010. He was not a member of the football team in high school, but did participate in baseball and soccer. He hit .316 as a senior on the baseball team at Shadow Ridge.
Personal
Damian is the son of Bridgette Saenz, and he was born on July 22, 1992. A child, youth and family studies major, Jackson earned his degree in December of 2021. He has volunteered his time with the Nebraska Football Road Race, a Day of Service and local hospital visits.