SAN ANTONIO — Mononucleosis already had sidelined Steele wide receiver Daniel Jackson for the first three games of his senior season this year when he had a car accident that turned his world upside down.
As he drove to see his doctor on Sept. 17, Jackson plowed into a tow truck on North Loop 1604. He fractured his nasal cavity in the collision, but never lost consciousness and was able to get out of his car as it caught fire.
"It was pretty tough, pretty scary," Jackson said Monday. "It was insane. As a teenager, you kind of feel invincible, kind of feel you're on top of the world. But since the accident, God showed me that things can happen. I'm very glad to still be here."
Ironically, Jackson was on his way to see the doctor to get clearance to play in Steele's game against Judson that Friday night.
As it turned out, Jackson was sidelined for nearly another two months before he finally played in Steele's 30-7 loss to Austin Westlake in the first round of the Class 6A Division II playoffs.
"It felt great to be back out there with my teammates again," Jackson said. "I was determined to come back this season but, of course, the doctors wanted me to take it slow. They monitored my progress closely before they said I could start playing again."
On Wednesday, Jackson will reach another milestone in his comeback when he signs a letter of intent with Iowa State. Jackson had committed to the Cyclones in July.
Teammate Jaylon Jones, a blue-chip cornerback who also started at wide receiver this season, will sign with Texas A&M.
Wednesday is the first day of the NCAA’s early signing period, which was added to the NCAA calendar in 2017 for the first time in history. The early signing period ends at 11:59 p.m. Friday.
Players who sign letters of intent in December are not required to enroll in school early, although some plan to start classes in January.
Recruits who don’t sign during this week’s three-day window still can make their commitment to an FBS school official during the traditional football signing period, which runs from Feb. 5 to April 1
If Jackson had any fears that Iowa State would pull its scholarship offer to him after the accident, they were quickly allayed by head coach Matt Campbell.
"I left my phone in the back seat of my car after the accident, so I didn't have a phone for about three or four days," Jackson said. "But when I finally started reading my messages, I had a text from Coach Campbell and the other coaches telling me everything was good on their end.
"They told me, 'You're still good with us.' That was good to hear. It made me feel good. When I committed to them, I knew that the coaches were genuine people. It wasn't just like a factory to them. It was like a family."
Steele head coach David Saenz called Iowa State "a class act."
"There was never any doubt that they were not going to stay with the commitment," Saenz said. "The reason Iowa State has the success that it has is because of the kind of person Coach Campbell is. You could tell that in the whole recruiting process with Daniel."
NCAA rules prohibit college coaches from commenting publicly about recruits before they sign letters of intent.
Campbell, who led Iowa State to a 7-5 regular season this year, visited Jackson at Steele last Wednesday. The Cyclones play No. 15 Notre Dame in the Camping World Bowl on Dec. 28 in Orlando, Fla.
"Coach Campbell talked to me about my future at Iowa State," Jackson said. "I hope I can at least make a difference my freshman year. I want to try to play early."
Iowa State is expected to sign two other players from Greater San Antonio schools on Wednesday, Clemens safety Mason Chambers and Cornerstone safety Jordyn Morgan.
Jackson was one of the best wide receivers in the San Antonio area as a junior, finishing with 66 receptions for 1,952 yards and nine touchdowns. He had five catches for 43 yards in his only game this season.
"He's very special young man," said Nicholas McDow, Steele co-offensive coordinator and receivers coach. "After having mono and getting into a car accident, he didn't have to play. He had no reason to come back and play. He already had a scholarship to a Division I school. His entire college was paid for.
"That he kept working hard to come back and play says so much about his character. He wanted to leave a legacy. He wanted to be the greatest receiver here of all time. I think he probably could have been and, arguably, he probably still is. He didn't skip a beat. When he stepped back on the field, it was incredible to watch."
Jackson visited North Carolina, USC and Arizona before committing to Iowa State.
"All three were amazing schools," Jackson said. "I couldn't complain about any of them. It was just that Iowa State had the culture and the family feel to it, along with being a program on an upward slope. It's second to none, I believe."
Born in Killeen, Jackson is the younger brother of former Steele defensive end Mark Jackson II, now a senior defensive end at Oklahoma. Daniel and Mark are the only children born to Cynthia and Mark Jackson.
Early National Signing Day 2019
Here is a list of the Greater San Antonio high school seniors expected to sign national letters of intent with FBS schools on the NCAA's early National Signing Day on Wednesday:
Dresden McIver-Brown, Veterans Memorial, defensive lineman, UTEP
Mason Chambers, Clemens, safety, Iowa State
Devin Grant, Antonian, defensive end, Colorado
Pryson Greer, O'Connor, defensive lineman, Navy
Daniel Jackson, Steele, wide receiver, Iowa State
Jaylon Jones, Steele, cornerback, Texas A&M
Derrick Lewis, Clemens, linebacker, Texas Tech
Jordyn Morgan, Cornerstone, safety, Iowa State
Rashod Owens, Roosevelt, running back, Oklahoma State
Logan Parr, O'Connor, offensive lineman, Texas
Kahlil Warfield, Antonian, athlete, UTEP
Jared Zirkel, Kerrville Tivy, place-kicker, Georgia
