The moment starting outside linebacker La’Mar Winston lay on his back on the Autzen turf in the season opener, freshman Adrian Jackson knew his time had arrived.

The former four-star recruit had drawn rave reviews from teammates throughout fall camp, including Troy Dye labeling him a “phenomenal beast”, and with Winston possibly out with injury, opportunity knocked.

“I thought ‘this is my time, so I better make it work,” he told DuckTerritory.com following Wednesday’s practice.

Not only did Jackson see an uptick in playing time in Saturday’s 62-14 win over Portland State, but he also received the start — the first of what figures to be many at the D-1 level. He spent the day splitting snaps with sophomore Keith Simms, and finished with two tackles, including one for loss.

“I did a pretty good job,” Jackson said in assessment of his play. “I feel like I could’ve been way more aggressive than I was. I would guess that’s going to be a process, and as I continue on with my career I’ll get better at that.”

“He has flashes of being a great player,” senior Jalen Jelks said of Jackson. “We’ve just been pushing him at practices to make sure he finishes, because sometimes he doesn’t run to the ball, he just thinks he beat the block, so he can give up.

“We’re trying to push him now so when its his time, he can be flying around making more plays.”

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Jackson was alerted of his starting status on Monday of last week, giving him five days to prepare for the enhanced role. It was a heads up the Colorado native appreciated, as it helped him get his “mentality” right for the game.

Even if it wasn’t, he had coaches and teammates in his ear throughout the game. Senior Justin Hollins, who started opposite of him at outside linebacker, swapped notes with the 218 pounder the night before at the team hotel, and Winston was the first to meet him every time he stepped off the field.

“Every time I came off the field, he had something to say,” Jackson said. “He was telling me what to do better and what not to do… He was really right there, teaching me everything. He was hand-in-hand with me throughout the whole process.”

Jackson’s stint as a starter appears short-lived. Winston will likely make his return to the field this weekend. After wearing a red non-contact jersey at Tuesday’s practice, Winston was full-go on Wednesday and ran with the first-team offense. For now, Jackson expects to remain Winston’s back up, but would not be surprised to see a move back to inside linebacker where he started fall camp.

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There are certain similarities between Jackson and the player he backs up each day in practice. Cornerback Thomas Graham says Jackson reminds him of "a younger La'Mar [Winston]".

"I see a lot of good in Adrian," Graham said. "I love seeing him pass rush. I know if he’s out there, the quarterback has two seconds. That’s a great feeling for me, because I know certain routes cannot be ran."

According to Graham, Jackson has elite speed, quickness and a high football IQ, but it's his strength that stands out most. Jackson is "deceptively strong", he says. A practice rep this fall highlighted that fact, as Graham recalls watching Jackson bull rush 374 pound Steven Jones backwards during a pass rushing rep.

"I was like 'Oh wow," he remembered. "He does not look as strong as he is. He’s very very strong."