This former Miami Hurricanes football player plans to run for office in 2020
Former Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Demetrius Jackson strove to make as much of an impact off the field as he did while playing during his time at UM.
That desire has continued since completing his eligibility last season after taking a job as defensive line coach at Booker T. Washington High, his alma mater.
His next step looks to be a switch into state politics.
Jackson announced on his Twitter account Tuesday that he intends to run for public in the 2020 election cycle. Jackson told the Miami Herald on Wednesday that he plans to have his paperwork filed in the next couple months, at which time he said he will announce what office he is running for.
“Basically just looking at my community from since I’ve been in high school and since I’ve been in college, nothing really has changed,” Jackson, 25, told the Herald. “You have a building here being built and a building there, but when you look at the value in the youth and the people that are my age, some of my friends who I went to school with aren’t here to tell their story because they’re six feet in the ground due to violence in the street. ... Nothing has changed.
“Speeches and marches aren’t going to cut it anymore,” Jackson continued. “It’s time for action and no one has really taken action. We have a lot of smooth talkers that sway the people who are getting elected.”
Jackson, who played in 39 career games during his UM career and recorded 18.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks in that time, has a Bachelor’s degree in political science and will finish his Master’s degree in public administration in April.
He was active in the community during his time with the Hurricanes. He held a pre-Thanksgiving turkey drive each of the past two years as part of his Young Men of Tomorrow foundation.
Jackson also served on the Atlantic Coast Conference’s autonomy committee each of the past two seasons. The league selected three players each year to be part of the committee, which gives student-athletes a voice and a vote in proposed NCAA rule changes.
And while Jackson will be a young face when Election Day comes around — he’ll be 27 at that time — he is optimistic he’ll be able to create change should he be elected.
“I can bring new ideas. I’m a fresh face with fresh ideas,” Jackson said. “I have no baggage. I have no bad name, no bad rep. People know me. This is something that I’ve been doing since high school. This is just who I am. ... I can sit down at the table with anyone. We can come together and bring up something that will benefit both sides of the table.”
This story was originally published January 23, 2019 at 6:22 PM.
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