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Jackson Meeks didn’t have a plan when he entered the transfer portal on Dec. 4, 2023.

The wide receiver played a large role on Georgia’s special teams unit for three seasons, but he accumulated just 10 receptions for 132 receiving yards while never scoring in 36 games. Meeks sat behind future National Football League wide receivers in George Pickens and Ladd McConkey, playing sparsely on the outside.

He didn’t know his next destination. But following Georgia’s SEC Championship loss to Alabama, he knew it was time for a change.

A few days after entering the portal, Meeks stood in Georgia’s practice facility with receivers coach Bryan McClendon. Then-Bulldogs secondary coach Fran Brown had just received the head coaching job at Syracuse. Brown walked in front of McClendon and Meeks, and told the receiver that he wanted him to come to SU.

“Am I gonna play?” Meeks joked in response.

Initially, Meeks didn’t know if Brown was serious. But he quickly realized Brown wasn’t kidding. Meeks committed to the Orange on Dec. 12, becoming Brown’s first commit out of the transfer portal. With an increased offensive role, Meeks has evolved into one of quarterback Kyle McCord’s go-to targets, totaling 27 receptions for 343 yards and three touchdowns through Syracuse’s first five games.

“I embraced my role the most that I could at Georgia,” Meeks said. “I’m thankful for every experience that I had, but I had to make an opportunity for myself.”

Though Meeks didn’t receive many chances on offense at Georgia, he progressed into a leader of its special teams unit.

Standing at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Meeks used his physical frame to his advantage. Bulldogs special teams coordinator Scott Cochran knew he needed to get Meeks on the field. So, he became a prominent special teams player.

Cochran, who coached Meeks on special teams for three seasons, said he always put Meeks in the hardest role. On kick returns, he led the huddle and called out alignment adjustments. On kickoffs and punts, Meeks often was positioned as an inside linebacker because Cochran felt he couldn’t be blocked.

“I think (Meeks) took ownership and said, ‘I’m a special teams guy, and I’m gonna get in at wide receiver every once in a while, but I’m a special teams guy,’” Cochran said.

Meeks asserted himself on special teams even in practice. Former Georgia teammate Mekhi Mews said when Meeks was out there, everyone knew it because of his vocalness. Mews said Meeks and current-Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint constantly battled on kickoffs and kick returns, each sharpening their skill sets.

Still, Mews — who was in a similar situation as a mostly special teams player — recalls Meeks always keeping a “clear mind,” giving it his all regardless of the circumstances.

“He’s unselfish,” Mews said of Meeks. “He’s willing to do the dirty work as a player.”

As Meeks developed throughout his tenure at Georgia, Brown took notice. He saw what Meeks produced, whether on film, during walk-throughs or in practices, prompting the receiver to become Brown’s first transfer portal acquisition.

SU wide receiver Jackson Meeks barrels through defenders in its win over Holy Cross. Meeks had a career day against the Crusaders, totaling 10 receptions for 161 yards. Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer

When Meeks committed to Syracuse, players fluctuated in and out of the program. Meeks quickly stood out as a veteran in the wide receivers room. Even before then, McCord said Meeks was on him to join the Orange while he weighed his options in the transfer portal. When McCord chose SU, the two instantly began creating chemistry.

Meeks says the two can come at each other aggressively when they’re upset. The open communication is what makes the duo lethal in crunch time. Meeks and McCord connected six times throughout SU’s first two games, but they had their first breakthrough moment in the waning moments versus Stanford in Week 3. With 3:13 left, Meeks hauled in a 13-yard touchdown that briefly put the Orange ahead.

That was just the preview for Meeks’ coming out party one game later against Holy Cross. Versus the Crusaders, Meeks totaled a career-high 10 receptions and 161 yards with a touchdown. Five of his catches went for 15 yards or more, displaying his big-play ability. The performance earned him the ACC Receiver of the Week.

“He has a really good feel for the game,” McCord said of Meeks after the game. “And then, like you saw today, when the ball is in the air, and it’s 50/50, he’s going to come down with it.”

Meeks has continued to be a piece McCord looks to in the biggest moments. During Syracuse’s upset win over then-No. 25 UNLV on Oct. 4, McCord tossed a ball up to Meeks one-on-one on the outside with just 23 seconds remaining and SU trailing by seven. He came down with it, which forced overtime and led to SU’s victory.

Meeks is finally reaping the benefits now, but his productivity has always been there.

At Central High School in Phenix City, Alabama, its coaching staff led by Patrick Nix — the father of current Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix — kept production charts for each player. A broken tackle garnered two points, an explosive play warranted three and a touchdown was seven. Though a missed assignment deducted five and a penalty was -15.

Per his wide receivers coach, Justin Albert, Meeks consistently scored in the 40-to-50 point range. His production and three-star recruit status earned him offers from schools like West Virginia and Ole Miss. But he decided to join Kirby Smart at Georgia, facing tougher competition for playing time. As he progressed from an underclassman to a junior, Meeks’ offensive playing time remained stagnant.

Alex Levy | Design Editor

At Syracuse, though, Meeks is the elder statesman of the wide receivers room. Even when facing a foot fracture that forced him out of spring training camp, SU wide receivers coach Ross Douglas said the other receivers gravitated to him.

“I just continue to try to lead by example, and lead verbally,” Meeks said. “You got to get 1% better each day. You got to make sure that you hone into something each day to get better at.”

Wide receiver Zeed Haynes — who is currently not with the team due to personal matters — came over from Georgia to Syracuse with Meeks, citing that he took him under his wing at both places both on and off the field. Sophomore wide receiver Darrell Gill Jr. sees Meeks similarly.

“He’s like my big brother up here,” Gill Jr. said. “I lost a lot of my older teammates from last year, and they were like my big brothers. I still talk to them, but Meeks, he really stepped up.”

Meeks prides himself on physicality, consistency and energy. He said he feels like if he just does his job, he can’t be stopped.

These traits are what got him to Georgia. They’re what helped him excel on special teams at the nation’s top program. But Meeks hadn’t got the chance to use them as a top outside receiver. He just needed an opportunity. And with the Orange, he’s captured it.

“Being able to take more of an offensive role is a good deal for him and that was the reason he came here,” Brown said of Meeks. “That’s what he wanted to be able to do.”

Published on October 9, 2024 at 11:36 pm

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky