Jackson was a star offensive lineman for Palos Verdes Peninsula High School in Rolling Hills Estates, California. A three-year letterwinner, Jackson was named all-west, all-state and Los Angeles Times Lineman of the Year as a senior. He graduated from Peninsula High School in 1997. He was heavily recruited by Stanford, USC, Cal, UCLA, Washington, and Colorado State ultimately choosing to accept a full scholarship to BYU.
Undrafted in the 2004 NFL draft, Jackson was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a free agent. Jackson failed to make the active roster out of training camp, but was signed to the team's practice squad, where he remained the rest of the season.
In 2005, Jackson again was signed to the practice squad following training camp, then was promoted to the active roster after the fourth game. A backup to the guard and center positions, Jackson did not appear in a game.
In the 2006 preseason, Jackson showed impressive improvement over his earlier preseason form and earned public praise from Buccaneers head coachJohn Gruden, however, Jackson was again cut by Tampa Bay and signed to its practice squad. Prior to the first game, however, injuries to other offensive linemen forced Jackson to again be promoted to the active roster, with the Buccaneers cutting former standout wide receiverDavid Boston to make room for him. Jackson saw no action, and was cut within days to make room for a long snapper, again being re-signed to the practice squad.
Houston Texans
A month later, Jackson was signed from Tampa Bay's practice squad by the Houston Texans. Jackson finished the 2006 season on the Texans' active roster, but did not see action in a regular season game. A season-ending shoulder injury during the 2007 training camp sidelined him on the Texans' injured reserve. After a foot injury during the 2008 preseason, Jackson underwent surgery and retired from the NFL in 2009.