NFL stars Edgerrin James, J.C. Jackson want Immokalee's youth to follow in their footsteps

Edgerrin James and J.C. Jackson sat in the Immokalee High School auditorium many times as students.

Back then they had big dreams and wondered if they would be fulfilled.

Monday, James and Jackson looked out at the Immokalee football team sitting in those same auditorium seats and encouraged them to look at them on stage and remember they were once also Immokalee High students before finding stardom in the NFL.

"There's not a lot of schools that can do this, the best defensive player in the league and a (Pro Football) Hall of Famer," Immokalee athletic director Chris Siner told the group. "Cherish that, OK?"

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Indeed, James and Jackson have given Immokalee something to cherish.

James, a star running back, played at the University of Miami and then 11 seasons in the NFL, predominatly with the Indianapolis Colts. Last summer, James, 43, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The first Collier County high school football player to participate in a Super Bowl, James rushed for 12,246 yards and led the league in rushing in each of his first two seasons before suffering a knee injury. He is one of four running backs with at least four 1,500-yard rushing seasons and had 91 total touchdowns.

Jackson took an indirect route to the NFL, playing in junior college after leaving the University of Florida, then playing at Maryland, and getting signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent. But Jackson's journey has led him to a Super Bowl ring, leading the NFL in passes defended in 2021, and signing a five-year, $82.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers this offseason. Jackson has 17 interceptions over the past two seasons.

"Anything is possible," Jackson said of the message he and James could share.

"To have two of our own, that's a big deal," said James, who said the presentation was Jackson's idea.

James and Jackson did a question-and-answer session, with one player asking James what they see as a leader.

"I look at a leader, a leader does things the right way and he leads by example," James summed up.

Both were asked what they think of when they think of Immokalee.

"It's a town that's hard-working people," Jackson said.

"I always bring everything back to Immokalee," James said. "I always hang my hat on Immokalee. It's tough to make it out of Immokalee. In Immokalee, you really don't have too many chances. You don't have too many people that are actually pulling for you.

"When things get rough, you just start thinking about the things that we had to do to make it out of Immokalee."

James gave much credit to Jackson for not only making it out of Immokalee, but making it all the way to the NFL as an undrafted free agent, and then making the Pro Bowl, Super Bowl, and signing a big contract.

"That's unusual, it's very rare," James said. "That's one thing that I always remember J.C. as."

A year ago, James got the opportunity to be remembered as a Hall of Famer, and it's something that's only grown in the time since his induction.

"From Day 1 until right now, you're still riding that high because you understand football," James said. "Football is a tough sport. It's hard to make it to the highest of the high. I'm one of the guys that's always going to cherish it and always have a great appreciation for the game.

"I really can't speak too many words. It's one of those things that you really can't explain because it's different. It's totally different."

James stressed to the players and anybody else listening that there is much more out there, despite some of the limited opportunities in Immokalee.

"I always bring it right back to the roots and you kind of keep things in perspective," he said. "When you leave here, you're going to realize we have way more opportunities than we had."

James certainly didn't have anyone with his achievement to look at to help him realize his dream could be real. Fortunately for Jackson, he had James. Back when James had a youth football camp each year at Immokalee, Jackson was one of those campers, listening to the same types of messages that James gave Monday.

For the players to be able to see them in person makes it hit home.

"It's really real," James said. "We sat in these same seats."

Jackson isn't the only one for the current kids to look up to. Vikings cornerback Mackensie Alexander, Browns running back D'Ernest Johnson, and defensive lineman Deadrin Senat, who signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the offseason, are all in the NFL.

"It's a special day for sure," first-year Immokalee coach James Delgado said. "It's special for our program. It's special for Immokalee for these guys to take time out of their schedule to be here.

"You could be the next one that comes out of here, be the next Immokalee guy who makes it."

Jackson signed mini-football Chargers helmets, while James signed copies of his book "From Gold Teeth To Gold Jacket: My Life in Football and Business" for the players and others.

Their connection goes deeper than their Immokalee roots.

Jackson is one of the first clients of James' new management company, One Sports. James described it as taking care of players while they're in the game and also beyond, which is something he has had his own success doing. It's also something he's passing on to his daughter Qui, a law school graduate.

"It's been pretty big," James said. "It's going to be pretty dope. It's something that we've been working on for a long time. You'll see a lot of One Sports in the future."

James and Jackson hope they see a lot of Immokalee players making it into the NFL in their future.

Greg Hardwig is a sports reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. Follow him on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: @NDN_Ghardwig, email him at ghardwig@naplesnews.com. Support local journalism with this special subscription offer at https://cm.naplesnews.com/specialoffer/

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Edgerrin James, J.C. Jackson want Immokalee youth to follow in footsteps