Rod Gilmore, ESPN Heisman Watch Voter, 10/9/07 (Gilmore ranks Jackson #1 on the list)
"Apparently Jackson's thumb is healed. The nation's most electrifying playmaker rose to the occasion on Saturday, notching 161 yards and two touchdowns on 11 receptions in Cal's thrilling 31-24 victory at Oregon. The performance comes after a quiet two-week stretch in which Jackson was limited -- partially due to a sprained thumb -- to only 67 receiving yards in wins over Louisiana Tech and Arizona. The fallout of Saturday's win in Eugene is enormous both personally and from a team standpoint. Jackson has now re-emerged as one of the Heisman front-runners and Cal has climbed all the way up to No. 3 in this week's topsy-turvy AP poll."
Todd McShay, ESPN Insider, 10/1/07
"His defining moment came on a 31-yard touchdown pass from Nate Longshore that gave Cal a 24-17 lead early in the fourth quarter. Jackson caught the ball at the 25-yard line and juked Oregon defensive back Jairus Byrd so violently that Byrd fell to the turf. Jackson high-stepped into the end zone untouched from there, even raising his arm slightly in what appeared to be a pose emulating the Heisman Trophy's stiff-arm position."
Pete Thamel, New York Times, 9/29/07
"It's hard to explain, but when I shook his hand, I could feel the energy and I fell in love with the guy. Every now and then you get to recruit someone that you just love going to see. DeSean will be a success in whatever he chooses to do after football because he is such a dynamic, likeable guy."
Derek Dooley, head coach, Louisiana Tech, 9/13/07
"DeSean Jackson, California -- If you haven't seen his 77-yard punt return touchdown against Tennessee yet, find the video. No other Heisman Trophy candidate made a bigger attention-grabbing play to boost his candidacy than Jackson, who also caught passes for 45 yards and ran the ball once for 21 more."
- Pat Forde, ESPN Senior Writer, 9/5/07
ESPN Heisman Watch List Week #2 (DeSean Jackson vaults to the top tier of candidates. ESPN Analyst Bob Davie ranks Jackson No. 2: "The combination of being a wide receiver in the Cal offense and also a dynamic punt returner gives him a legitimate shot. One thing is for sure: If Jackson does win it, the signature play of his campaign will be the punt return from the Tennessee game."
Todd McShay's 10 biggest game-breakers in college football - (#3) DeSean Jackson: "Jackson has led the Golden Bears in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches in each of his first two seasons at Cal. Despite his scrawny frame, Jackson is equally dangerous on vertical routes and after the catch. Rare quickness is what allows Jackson to shake loose from bigger and stronger cornerbacks in coverage. He also has developed a devastating double move on out-and-up routes. However, it wasn't until he filled in for the then-injured Tim Mixon on punt returns last year when the country got a glimpse of his true game-breaking ability. Jackson finished the 2006 season as the nation's leader in punt return average (18.2) and punt return touchdowns (four). Not bad for a novice, right?"
- ESPN Insider, Todd McShay, 8/28/07
"Every once in a while, the recruiting guys hit the bull's-eye. They said three years ago that Jackson would be a game breaker, and he proved them right as a sophomore last season, averaging 18 yards on his 59 receptions and returning four punts for touchdowns." - ESPN.com senior writer, Ivan Maisel, 8/14/07
"Simply put...the most electrifying player in college football in 2007 is
DeSean Jackson from Cal."
- ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit, 7/17/07
"The combination of receiver skills combined with his brilliance as a punt returner is probably unmatched in school history!All American Wesley Walker ranks with the great receivers at Cal and All American punt and
kick returner Deltha O'Neal is already a legend. But DeSean Jackson combines both these skills in one superb package that by the end of this seson will stand alone as the best ever!"
- Legendary Cal Radio Announcer, Joe Starkey, 7/15/07
"The No. 1 hold-your-breath guy on the West Coast -- and perhaps in the nation -- is DeSean Jackson. Opposing fans will inhale sharply every time he gets the ball, hoping he doesn't shred their defense or kick coverage by going the distance. They won't exhale until he's tackled -- and there were 13 times last year when he never was brought down. Expect even more spectacular, long-distance scores and SportsCenter appearances this year from Jackson."
- Pat Forde, ESPN Senior Writer, 7/13/07
"I didn't see a more explosive player in the country last season than DeSean Jackson. Whether it was returning punts or catching the football, Jackson has the ability to change a game on any given play."
- Mark Schlabach, ESPN College Football Columnist, 7/12/07
"It's hard to think of any offense player entering 2007 as explosive and dangerous as DeSean Jackson. A threat to score every time he touches the ball. An obvious Heisman candidate if Cal is contending for the Pac-10 title."
- Joe Schad, ESPN College Football Reporter, 7/11/07
"Cal's DeSean Jackson is the most exciting player in college football. He has a chance to make a Desmond Howard-like run at the Heisman. Fittingly, it is the 20th anniversary of another time a receiver won the Heisman (Tim Brown in 1987) and the 10th anniversary of the last time a non-running back or quarterback took home the trophy (Charles Woodson in 1997).
- heismanpundit.com, 7/9/07
"Although he's the lone underclassman of the three, junior DeSean Jackson (6-0, 166) is the No. 1 threat to opposing defenses. In fact, Jackson -- a first-team All-Pac-10 selection as a sophomore behind 59 catches for 1,060 yards (18.0 ypc) and nine touchdowns -- could emerge as not only an All-American this season but a Heisman Trophy candidate. And that's just based on his receiving skills, never mind that he was a consensus All-American punt returner in 2006 after taking back four for touchdowns."
- Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook, 7/9/07
"Junior-to-be WR has done nothing but make big plays since he first broke into the Golden Bear lineup as a true frosh in 2005. Had over 1,000 yards receiving and 9 TD catches as a sophomore last year, but it's not just catching the ball that makes Jackson so great. He took 4 punts to the house in 2006, and is regarded as one of the fastest players in America. There is no ceiling to what Jackson could do in 2007."
- Sean Hawkins, AOL.com, 6/8/07
"NCAA Heisman trophy award: DeSean Jackson, Cal. The safe picks are USC QB John David Booty, Arkansas RB Darren McFadden, and Louisville QB Brian Brohm. This is the 'Outside the box' choice as the most exciting and dangerous player in college football next year."
- GridironNation.com, 6/3/07
"When California receiver and return specialist DeSean Jackson has the ball, he's just scary. He led the nation in punt returns last year, returning four for touchdowns. He also caught 59 passes for 1,060 yards -- 18 yards per reception -- with nine touchdowns. If the Bears start fast -- read: beat Tennessee -- Jackson could become a Heisman Trophy candidate."
- Ted Miller, ESPN.com, 5/8/07
"Whether he's running a pass pattern or returning a punt, DeSean Jackson is a legitimate threat to score every time he touches the ball. That's why the California star finds himself leading two different categories in the spring edition of the Rivals.com College Football Power Rankings."
- Steve Megargee, Rivals.com, 3/26/07
"He is gifted. No question his speed and feel for the game is as good as there is. He's so fast. He's the fastest player I've ever seen on the football field, and that puts him in a lot of positions to be successful."
- California head coach Jeff Tedford, Rivals.com, 3/23/07
"There were several receivers who had more catches last season, but few matched [DeSean] Jackson as a deep threat. Nine of his 59 catches in 2006 went for touchdowns, and five of those were from 27 yards or farther. He averaged 18.0 yards per reception. Jackson should benefit from the return of quarterback Nate Longshore. The Bears' schedule also includes eight opponents that ranked between 64th and 116th nationally in pass defense last season. The fact that he's also the country's most dangerous punt return man - he had four touchdown returns from 65 yards or farther last year - will only enhance Jackson's profile."
- Olin Buchanan, Yahoo! Sports, 3/20/07
"Rare is the blue-chip recruit who turns out to be every bit as good as advertised. The sophomore who waited until signing day 2005 to choose his college selected the Bears over USC in order to have fewer hurdles to leap en route to stardom. Smart move. Jackson tied tailback Marshawn Lynch for the team lead in touchdowns with 13. But check out how Jackson scored them: nine receptions and four (four!) punt returns. He led the nation in the latter with an average of 18.2 yards. He is the closest thing to Reggie Bush we have these days."
- Ivan Maisel, ESPN.com, 12/15/06
"DeSean has such an intelligence about the game that he'd come back to the sideline and tell you what was going on. He can explode and change direction because of his eyes and the information he receives from physical stimuli. It looks natural when he does it, but there's a lot going on up there. He wasn't one of those athletes who go to the next level but don't want to produce right away. He wanted to play, and you've seen the results of that decision."
- Longtime Long Beach Poly coach Don Norford, San Jose Mercury News, 11/15/06
"He's having a great season, from start to finish. He came out making plays against Tennessee and he hasn't slowed down. They're using him beautifully. He's a good route-runner down the field, he can catch and run off the short, quick stuff and he's blossomed as a punt returner as well."
- USC head coach Pete Carroll, USC Weekly Press Conference, 11/14/06
"Any time you have DeSean, who can do the things he can, making people miss and hit things as fast as he does, it creates a huge advantage for you."
- California head coach Jeff Tedford, Arizona Daily Star, 11/11/06
"He's as quick as Reggie (Bush); it's that kind of explosiveness. He's very dynamic like that. He's probably the fastest, most explosive player in the conference."
- Arizona head coach Mike Stoops, Arizona Daily Star, 11/11/06
"You could see what kind of open field runner he was when we missed one tackle and he got a little daylight to run across the field on that short hitch pass. He's electric."
- Washington State head coach Bill Doba, 10/14/06
"He's awesome. He's one of the best receivers around, and every time he gets a chance, he's doing something exciting."
- California quarterback Nate Longshore, San Francisco Chronicle, 10/13/06
"Jackson is the guy you'd pay to see, the thrill-maker, the man with six touchdowns of more than 25 yards this season, the one guy in Cal's assortment pack of stunningly gifted skill players you wouldn't dare to take your eyes off."
- Gary Peterson, Contra Costa Times, 10/8/06
"I've been watching DeSean Jackson all season, and I don't know if people nationally fully appreciate his abilities. I'm so impressed with his competitive spirit. He's one of those guys who always wants the ball. He's dangerous on special teams. People nationally need to start paying attention to No. 1 on the Cal Bears. He's the real deal."
- Kirk Herbstreit, ESPN on ABC, 10/7/06
"DeSean Jackson has great speed and he's catching the ball well this year. DeSean Jackson is making plays."
- Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti, 10/7/06
"With his explosive speed, you really have to take notice. If you leave him one-on-one, he's got the speed and quickness to really make plays."
- California head coach Jeff Tedford, San Francisco Chronicle, 9/28/06
"Oh my goodness, he is so impressive. He makes big plays everywhere. He has great speed combined with athleticism."
- Oregon State head coach Mike Riley, Contra Costa Times, 9/27/06
"DeSean is ridiculously fast. On any given play, he can be wide open."
- California quarterback Nate Longshore, Contra Costa Times, 9/27/06
"He's the most exciting player in the Pac-10."
- Former Cal star Daymeion Hughes, Contra Costa Times, 9/27/06
"When he hits the crease, you have to hold your breath because you are thinking, `This is going the distance.' Once he gets through that crease, you start looking downfield to see how many guys he has left (to beat)."
- California head coach Jeff Tedford, Contra Costa Times, 9/24/06
"He has the ability to put the ball in the end zone on any play - screens, hitches, deep balls. He has that kind of suddenness and ability. He's got a real good work-ethic, and he's coachable. He wants to do well. He's got the right combination of speed, quickness and toughness you look for in a receiver. He's very special."
- California wide receivers coach Dan Ferrigno, Oakland Tribune, 8/15/06
