![Florida Gators wide receiver Kahleil Jackson (22) stretches for a catch while running pass routes during Fall practice at Sanders Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Thursday, August 8, 2024. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_123,w_2483,h_1396/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/213/01kgn72mpvvmjef1wycg.jpg "Florida Gators wide receiver Kahleil Jackson (22) stretches for a catch while running pass routes during Fall practice at Sanders Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Thursday, August 8, 2024. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]")
It looked like Kahleil Jackson's football career would be cut short by a severe knee injury he suffered in the 2024 opener against Miami. But the former standout quarterback from Hawthorne, Florida, received a medical hardship waiver that will grant him a seventh year of eligibility.Â
Jackson was part of the Gators' 2019 recruiting class built under Dan Mullen. From 2021 to 2023 he was a regular guy in the rotation, making 19 appearances with nine starts. He had his best season as a redshirt sophomore with 21 catches for 254 yards and a touchdown. He was already granted an extra season for being on the roster during the abbreviated COVID season in 2020.
Breaking: Florida WR Kahleil Jackson has obtained a seventh season of college eligibility via medical hardship waiver, @Swamp_247 has learned.
— Zach Goodall (@zach_goodall) February 4, 2026
Jackson has not played since Week 1 of the 2024 season due to a knee injury.https://t.co/QPPytXFZmH
WR Kahleil Jackson gets hardship for seventh season
It/s hard to tell exactly what Jackson can offer the Gators in 2026. He hasn't played in a long time and there have been multiple coaching changes and changes to the offense since he last took a snap. But he is a big target (6-foot-3, 220 pounds) in the pass game and his experience in the program should help some of the new faces brought in by Jon Sumrall get acclimated to Gainesville.Â
Jackson's recovery from his knee injury has been an ongoing struggle and the receiver has needed several surgeries. He had another surgery in July and the hope coming out of that would be that Jackson could return during the 2025 season, but that didn't happen, and he sat out the entire season.
The legacy at Florida for Jackson runs deep. He is a third-generator Gator with his grandfather Willie Jackson Sr., his father Willie Jr. and uncle Tarry Jackson, all coming through Gainesville. Terry Jackson was part of the 1996 National Championship team under Steve Spurrier.Â
Jackson will try to break through a deep room of wide receivers with a lot of young talent like sophomores Dallas Wilson and Vernell Brown III and additional bodies brought in through the transfer portal. As a veteran in the room, Jackson will likely find a role on the field and, hopefully, he can show his teammates, coaches and fans what he's like at full health.Â