The Wolverine continues its series of the top 25 Michigan players since 1997 with No. 15, Marlin Jackson.
Jackson was a stalwart defensive back on the team from 2001-2004 and was coached by Lloyd Carr at Michigan. He left the Wolverines as one of the best to ever play the position in the maize and blue.
He played his high school football at Sharon (Pa.) High where he participated on both sides of the ball. For his career on defense, Jackson compiled 281 tackles and 18 interceptions, three of which he returned for touchdowns. For his efforts, he earned Pennsylvania Player of the Year honors, was named to the USA Today All-American team, and played in the first U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
Following a freshman season in which Jackson tallied 47 tackles and 3 picks, he was named to the Freshman All-American firs team by Sporting news. He took his game to even higher levels as a sophomore, making 51 tackles and setting then program records for single game and single season pass breakups with six in the team's season opener against Washington and 18 over the course of the season. The single game mark is still tied for first in team history and the season long total currently comes in tied for No. 2, behind Jourdan Lewis.
Jackson capped his career at Michigan in style. He was a co-captain as a senior in 2004, and following the season, he was named a consensus All-American. Following his junior year in which he played safety, Jackson moved back to corner where he scared opposing offenses so much that teams threw away from him nearly 84 percent of the time. He helped the team to a 9-3 record and a share of the Big Ten Championship. Jackson also left Michigan as the program leader in tackles with 186 and is currently fourth in the record book in pass breakups with 34.
In the 2005 NFL Draft, Jackson was a first round pick when Indianapolis selected him with the No. 29 pick. Jackson's career highlight in the NFL was an interception of fellow former Wolverine Tom Brady to seal an AFC Championship victory, propelling the team to the Super Bowl where they defeated the Chicago Bears. Jackson's career was derailed by injury and was out of the NFL by 2011, but he finished his pro career with 284 total tackles and four interceptions.
The full list:
No. 15: Marlin Jackson
No. 16: Glen Steele
No. 17: David Baas
No. 18: Jourdan Lewis
No. 19: David Harris
No. 20: Ernest Shazor
No. 21: John Navarre
No. 22: Jake Butt
No. 23: David Molk
No. 24: Taco Charlton
No. 25: Jeremy Gallon
