Virginia football Nick Jackson started for the injured Jordan Mack in the 2019 Capital One Orange Bowl. Being "thrown into the fire" fueled a strong offseason from the upstart inside linebacker, who has drawn comparisons to Micah Kiser.Photo courtesy Virginia Athletics Media Relations

According to Pro Football Focus, inside linebacker Nick Jackson was 18th among all Virginia football players in defensive snaps played in 2019. Over half of those snaps came against top 10 programs Clemson and Florida, experiences that taught the Atlanta (GA) native exactly what he needed to focus on leading up to his sophomore season and a possible full-time starting role in 2020.