NASHVILLE — Perched atop the back of his white leather couch, Adoree’ Jackson trains his gaze on his iPad. The Tennessee Titans’ cornerback appears oblivious to all that swirls about him.

A small crew has transformed the living room of his condominium into a studio. Cameras, spotlights, lighting balance screens and audio recording equipment litter the area.

They’re preparing to shoot a scene for the sizzle reel that Jackson and his business partner James Moore will pitch to HGTV for a television show that features the home redecoration projects of young professional athletes.

“OK, I think we’re ready now,” Moore says upon receiving the thumbs up from the crew.

But Jackson’s focus remains on his iPad for another minute or two. Eventually, he hits pause on the game film of the Indianapolis Colts, who the Titans will face just two days later.

He then makes an effortless transition to the present.

Multitasking is nothing new for Jackson. He’s always managed to juggle — whether it was football, basketball and track in high school while maintaining A’s and B’s, or playing on defense, offense and special teams and running track at Southern California while pursuing a major in mass communications and a minor in real estate.

Now the former first-round pick continues his balancing act in the NFL.

With two seasons of playing experience and steady improvements as a cornerback and a return man under his belt, and two offseasons’ worth of internships at Warner Bros. to deepen his understanding of the TV industry, Jackson eyes a significant leap in both realms.

He wants to join the ranks of the NFL’s elite defensive backs while helping the Titans reach the playoffs in Year 2 under Mike Vrabel. Jackson also aims to begin making his mark in the entertainment industry.

“Success isn’t owned. It’s rented, and the rent is due every day,” Jackson told USA TODAY Sports, using a mantra passed along by Titans defensive backs coach Kerry Coombs. “That’s true. No matter how successful you are, nobody is going to give it to you. They’re not going to lay down. You’ve got to go take it.”

Quiet determination

Nothing about Jackson is overstated — not his personality or style, his on-field persona or even his social media presence.

Those close to him describe him as quiet and laid back, smooth and humble.

From a young age, he has carried himself with a quiet determination.

When he was 3 and his mother, Vianca, brought home a VHS copy of "Space Jam," Jackson fell in love with basketball. He played it exclusively until he was 12. Then, realizing his son wasn’t going to be very tall, Chris Jackson signed him up for football. The first time he ever touched the ball, Jackson scored on a long touchdown run.

“He scored and heard the way that crowd reacted, and he ain’t put the ball down since,” his father chuckled.

Jackson showed some potential at Belleville East High in Illinois, but following his freshman year, his family moved to Gardena, California, where over the next three years, Jackson continued to surprise both fans and foes, including former rival-turned-teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster.

“In high school, we were running track, and obviously, I was the anchor for my team, and Adoree' was the anchor for his team,” the Steelers' wide receiver recounted in a telephone interview. “I had the lead and was winning by, like, 50 yards, and next thing you know, this guy comes up, catches me, smokes me, beats me really bad, and I’m like, ‘Yo, who is this guy?’ Found out it was Adoree’ Jackson, who was going to USC. We both went there, and every day, it was like, ‘Wow, he is really the guy.’"

After helping USC win the Rose Bowl in the 2016 season, Smith-Schuster and Jackson entered the NFL draft together. Jackson was selected 18th overall by the Titans while Smith-Schuster went 62nd to Pittsburgh. In the offseasons, they return to California and team up for charity and youth outreaches.

Man with a plan

The Jacksons never wanted their son to be just an athlete.

Vianca was a phlebotomist for the health departments in Illinois and California, and Chris, as a senior mason, built bridges and highways across the Mississippi River.

One of 14 children, Chris knew all about sacrifice and hard work. He preached the same to his son daily, as did Vianca.

“I’ve been talking to him about college and what he was going to do with his life since he was in the third grade,” Vianca said. “He would say ‘Play sports, Ma.’ Middle school, ‘Play sports, Ma.’ Then high school, I said, ‘Now, you can play sports. But you need A, B, C, D, E, F, G — the whole alphabet to fall back on — because what if, God forbid, you get hurt? You need something that’s going to take you to another level.’ He said, ‘Yes, Ma.’”

Jackson settled on a major in mass communications due to his love of sports. The real estate minor stemmed from an idea conceived as a child.

“Growing up, I stayed in a duplex, so I had a landlord,” Jackson said. “I never knew what they did for work, but I knew we paid them money, so I wanted to be in a position where I could have some land. And so that’s when I talked about getting my mom a house with some land next to it, so if they wanted to do something with it, and sell it or rent it out, they could do whatever they wanted because they had that land on the other side of it and have two spots. So, as a kid, thinking, ‘Man, how can I make money like that?’ and learning the development of stuff, what’s going to bang, what’s not, and that’s why I went to USC, because I knew it would connect me. … I knew I could meet a lot of good people and that would open doors.”

Connections at USC led to Jackson’s relationship with Moore, who co-founded Kor Media Entertainment, a Los Angeles-based entertainment agency. The Warner Bros. internship also stemmed from Trojans ties.

“I think he had the plan the minute he knew he was coming out to Cali,” Moore said of Jackson. “He knew he was going to make that jump to the league, but as far as USC, he went there because of the relationships, and that move has paid off today. He’s very methodical and everything is thought out.”

Explaining his mind-set, Jackson said, “It’s about hustle, going and getting it. My dad taught me about the world. He didn’t sugarcoat it. It was explaining the real world and what’s out there and helped me understand that nothing’s going to be handed to me. I’ve got to go get it. Being athletic was cool, but being a people person took me a long way, so it’s just having those two different mentalities and going about my business.”

Pulling back the curtain

For his first home as a pro athlete, Jackson didn’t want a big house. For himself and his high school sweetheart, Veronica Parada, he settled on a two-bedroom, 2,000-square-foot luxury condo, which is housed on the fourth story of a renovated factory in the heart of Germantown, not far from Titans headquarters. The place has both a modern and rustic feel with exposed brick and marble, wood floors, floor-to-ceiling windows and a 1,000-square-foot wrap-around balcony.

The decor remains incomplete, but already there are signs of his creative and artistic mind. He’s proud of the white leather couch, inspired by the one that Tony Montana owned in "Scarface." He’s also fond of the white, shag carpet, which he had to have because he loved Frank Lucas’ in "American Gangster."

But otherwise, the place needs some more special touches. Why not pull back the curtain and take his fans along for the journey, he and Moore figured.

It’s not quite "MTV Cribs," as most of the athletes Jackson’s series will feature are on their first contracts and have to practice a degree of frugality. But the show’s design team will still help them find ways to outfit the homes in luxury while adhering to a budget, Moore says.

Jackson said the goal is “for athletes being able to express themselves. People just see us as athletes with our helmets on, but to see them more as a person and what they like, getting their first home and decorating and designing it, getting something for their parents ... just having that aspect for people to dive in deeper to them as a person.”

After longing for close interactions with his sports idols growing up, Jackson is always looking for ways to connect with fans. That’s why he communicates with them on social media platforms and obliges autograph requests. He paid for and spoke at the funeral of Jaylon McKenzie, an eighth-grade football player from St. Louis who was killed by a stray bullet, in May.

“Watching him, and working with him, seeing how he carries himself,” Moore said, “it gives me hope that there are some guys still out there that are going to carry on and do some things that are great for the next generation. That’s what drives him. Anything that he does, he’s thinking about who it impacts and who it can help.”

Making them proud

It’s 9:30 a.m. on game day when Jackson’s white, 2018 Mercedes-Benz S-Class pulls into the players lot at Nissan Stadium. He starts scanning for his father’s truck and soon spots it. The black GMC Sierra Denali 2500 is backed up to the far right corner of the lot, a giant black smoker on wheels hitched to the back of it. Smoke curls out of the double stacks that extend from the top of the converted oil tank.

Chris has been grilling, smoking meat and making his own barbecue sauces and rubs since 1984. He has smoked feasts for his son following every home game dating back to Adoree's Pop Warner days.

Now, Chris makes the four-hour drive from his home in Belleville to Nashville, smoker in tow, to tailgate with fans and feed his son and other Titans players after games.

Upon seeing his mother in the passenger seat, Jackson goes over for a hug and a kiss. She hands him a container full of homemade brownies and a birthday card because Sept. 18 is just days away. Chris takes a break from the smoker to hand his son a jar of sauce and canned pickles.

The pork chops, ribs, chicken wings, jerk chicken legs, turkey wings and turkey ribs already smell amazing, but they won’t be done until after the game.

Jackson brags on his dad’s cooking, then heads into the stadium where he will turn his attention to his most important business venture while fueled by his greatest source of motivation.

“When I moved from East Illinois to California, my whole mind-set was I didn’t want to let my family down. I had that fear. I wanted to always do well and excel,” Jackson said. “I think that’s how I was able to balance everything. I think I knew if my mom saw something bad about me in the news, it’s only going to make her sad and hurt her. But if she sees something good about me, then it’ll make them proud. So wanting to see my parents proud of me always motivated me and that fear of making them sad about something I wasn’t going to be always drove me.”

Follow Mike Jones on Twitter @ByMikeJones.

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