![Florida Gators tight end Amir Jackson (7) runs with the ball during fall football practice at Sanders Indoor Practice Facility at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL on Thursday, August 14, 2025. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_6000,h_3375/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ReutersImages/mmsport/213/01kzvpb65y6nny3fdman.jpg "Florida Gators tight end Amir Jackson (7) runs with the ball during fall football practice at Sanders Indoor Practice Facility at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL on Thursday, August 14, 2025. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]")
Looking back at the Billy Napier era, it is a bit ironic that tight end Amir Jackson couldn’t find his way onto the field. Napier loved using two tight end sets, and yet last season he couldn’t seem to find a way to get Jackson on the field consistently. Jackson finished the year with 139 snaps on offense, with three catches.
Jackson had originally hit the transfer portal, but Jon Sumrall was able to convince Jackson to return to Gainesville. The hope for 2026 is that Jackson can live up to the potential he had coming out of high school and become a key cog of the Buster Faulkner offense.
Jon Sumrall saw something worth keeping in Amir Jackson
Jackson is a player that Sumrall hasn’t talked much about during the fall, but insider reports indicate he is doing quite well during week one of camp. This tracks with the impression he made back in the spring when Sumrall stated:
"Amir's really kind of a pleasant surprise. We all know he's got length and can run. He's a willing player at the line of scrimmage, blocking people. That's where he's got to grow, but he didn't turn it down at all.”
Amir Jackson has gotten considerably faster
Last week, strength coach Rusty Whitt did highlight Jackson’s increase in speed over the summer and said Jackson topped out at 22.09 MPH for a top speed.
Jackson was a former top-100 overall prospect coming out of high school and the 7th-ranked tight end by the 247 composite. He was also the highest-rated tight end Florida had signed since 2012. But Napier never seemed to put Jackson in a position to succeed. When he returned to Florida back in December, we noted:
“But despite Napier utilizing two tight end sets with frequency, Jackson just never found the field with consistency. He played just 12 snaps in 2024 before he got up to 138 snaps in 2025. He was used in blocking for 58% of his snaps in 2025, despite being the lightest tight end on the roster for Florida. In the 42% of snaps he got to run a route, he was targeted just six times for three catches and 29 yards.”
What is going to be interesting to see is whether Jackson’s camp buzz is legit and if his skill set is going to work well in Faulkner’s offense. On paper, one would think a player like Jackson would thrive with spacing. But Florida has also hinted at using four wide receiver sets that would cut out the tight end, and Jackson, being a receiving-based tight end, could get him rotated out for someone like Lacota Dippre when Florida needs more of a blocker.
As is the case with all players during fall camp, we won’t know for sure what their role is until September. But based on how things are going, don’t be shocked if Jackson morphs into a legit threat.
Amir Jackson’s 2026 outlook
2025: 138 offensive snaps; 3 catches, 29 yards, 1 TD
Current size: 6-foot-5, 232 pounds
Summer top speed: 22.09 mph
Spring evaluation: Sumrall called him a “pleasant surprise”
Potential role: Flex/move tight end and vertical receiving threat
Biggest question: Can his blocking improve enough to keep him on the field in every situation?
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