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Drew Jackson wins Offensive Player of the Week

Fun fact: Drew Jackson's full legal name is Lord Andrew Jackson, which is incredible. 

Loudon sophomore quarterback Drew Jackson was born in Detroit.

His full, legal name at birth: Lord Andrew Jackson.

That's the best name ever.

"I didn't realize that was his name," Coach Jeff Harig explained. "I always knew him as Drew growing up. When I had him in class here, his official name was on our record book. So once I found out his name was Lord, it's always going to be Lord to me."

Kind of seems like a missed opportunity that we're not calling him Lord Jackson in this story. He tried to go by it as a kid; it didn't work out.

"It always just came out to be Drew," Jackson said.

Drew Jackson is a runner first, whose days spent at running back have only helped him transition into a dual-threat quarterback in his sophomore campaign. Harig decided it was the best option to put him there; Jackson rewarded them, most recently in Week 5, when Lord threw for 85 yards and one touchdown in the air.

"I'm still working on my footwork and downfield accuracy," Jackson said. "[The role] was something new, so I had to adjust to everything. But it came back naturally."

This Redskins team has some weapons from which Jackson can choose - wide receiver Cameron Baker is no stranger to our Player of the Week poll, and running back Skyan Lyle is tough to tackle.

"I like our heart," Jackson said of his team. "Even when we're down. Last week we were down 6-0 [at Signal Mountain], we had a couple bad possessions, but we never gave up. We came back and won."


Harig values Jackson's ability to communicate and lead, as well.

"He makes the other kids want to play hard for him, 'cause he's not selfish," Harig said. "He's not going to boast about himself. He's a good teammate in that he's all about the team."

Jackson credits his success to a rabid Redskins fan base, one whose students and adults alike rally around the team through the good times and bad.

"It's one of the best I've ever witnessed," Jackson said. "I've been to college games and high school games, but this, there's nothing like it. They all come out and everything, it's amazing. I mean I like how everything here revolves around the football program. If that's going good, the town's going good."

We still may continue to call him Lord. We kind of have to.

"Whenever your name is Lord Andrew Jackson, great things are expected of you," Coach Harig said with a smile.

Loudon will pay a visit to Northview Academy on Friday, when senior quarterback Justin Howard and the Cougars will host the Redskins.

Week 1 Winner: Cade Ballard of Greeneville

Week 2 Winner: Elijah Beason of Claiborne

Week 3 Winner: Josh Stakely of Sequoyah

Week 4 Winner: Devin Noah of Lenoir City

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