Steven Jackson's Self-Made Power

He may be best known for his physical, hard-nosed style of play, but running back Steven Jackson prides himself on being an all-around football player.

Since he first started playing football at age seven, Steven Jackson has always played running back. His natural talent as a running back allowed him to thrive throughout youth and high school football, and earned him a scholarship to play running back at Oregon State University.
Once he arrived at Oregon State, Jackson soon realized that he wouldn't be able to succeed as a running back just on talent alone. He dedicated himself to weight training, learning how to perform basic exercises such as the Squat and Bench Press safely and correctly, all in an effort to improve his strength and power in order to become the best running back he could be.
Jackson avoided being redshirted, and spent the early part of his freshman season splitting carries with the team's senior running back. Jackson took over as the starting running back midway through his freshman season and never looked back. He quickly earned the role as his team's feature back. After rushing for more than 100 yards against conference rival USC Trojans, Jackson realized his potential of playing football at an elite level. However, Jackson knew the work was far from over. He focused on studying the running back position in order to develop his all-around skill to become a complete player. The hard work has culminated in Jackson evolving into one of the elite backs in professional football.