Michigan State DB Jalen Watts-Jackson Will Pass on Final Year of Eligibility to Join the Air Force

Michigan State defensive back/safety Jalen Watts-Jackson had eight tackles and one fumble recovery in three years of football at Michigan State. These aren’t impressive numbers, but that fumble recovery was one of the most famous plays in Spartan football history against in state rival Michigan on October 17th, 2015. With the Wolverines leading 23-21 with 10 seconds remaining, Watts-Jackson picked up a fumbled punt and raced to the end zone and scored a touchdown for a shocking 27-23 Spartan victory.

Watts-Jackson has graduated from MSU, but has a year of eligibility left. He pondered playing his final season elsewhere as a graduate transfer, but changed directions on that. Instead, he has decided to join the Air Force and enter the military’s cyber security program. Watts-Jackson explained that he comes from a family with a military tradition–including his father, a Desert Storm veteran, and he feels that it is an honor to serve our country. We wish Watts-Jackson good luck in his new and much more important career.