From the Fall 2026 issue of Bison Illustrated.
Photo by Gavin Fernholz, Dynamic Studios.
Q: You’re entering your third year with NDSU and your first season making the leap to the FBS level. What’s the most exciting thing about that for you?
Jackson Williams: I think it’s just the excitement level around the program. It’s awesome. It’s huge.
Everyone here is working so hard, and all the guys are getting into it. We’ve got a lot of new guys and new faces, so getting everyone together and getting everybody into the program is the most exciting thing about it for me.
Q: Have you approached the offseason any differently since hearing the news, or is it the same challenge as any other year?
Williams: We’ve got new faces and new opponents, but it’s the same hard work and the same familiar workouts we’ve been doing.
We’re pushing it in the weight room, pushing it on the field, and getting work in off the field as well. So, it’s all the same.
Q: You contribute both as a receiver and return specialist. Returns are often described as instinctive, but how much of a great return is actually created through film preparation and understanding an opponent’s coverage rules?
Williams: There’s a lot that goes into a return that people don’t know about. Like you said, there’s the film that we watch. Some kickers have a different way they kick the ball, and teams have different coverages.
Some guys cross. Some teams have gunners on the outside or gunners on the inside. So, a lot goes into the preparation—who we’re blocking, where we’re getting the ball, where they’re kicking it, and the kick location.
It’s the same with punts. Punters have different legs. There are Aussie punters who kick little knuckleballs out there and left-footed kickers as well. There’s a lot that goes into preparation and film study.
Q: As your receiving role grows, which part of playing wide receiver requires the greatest development for you? Is it defeating press coverage, expanding the route tree, making contested catches, or blocking consistently?
Williams: I think all four of those are big pieces of it. What I need to work on very consistently is blocking and releasing.
I play in the slot and outside, so it’s a little bit easier to release on the inside where there’s not as much press coverage. But when you get outside and it’s press coverage and man coverage, and they’re very close, you’ve got to be able to defeat the hands, stack on top of the man, and find your way to get open.
Q: How are you and Nathan Hayes developing the timing required for deeper routes and throws that need to be released before you make your break?
Williams: We’ve been developing it since 2024, I’d say. I’ve been catching a lot of passes from Nathan Hayes over the years.
Those deep routes and short routes are things we’ve been connecting on for a long time. I think it’s been really good to get all those reps together throughout the years and now be able to put it in the spotlight.
Career Highlights
- 2026 Preseason Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year.
- 2026 Preseason All-Mountain West at both kickoff returner and punt returner.
- 2026 HERO Sports G6 Preseason All-America Second Team.
- 2026 Paul Hornung Award watch list.
- 2025 Phil Steele FCS All-America Second Team as a punt returner.
- 2024 and 2025 All-MVFC Second Team as a return specialist.
- 2024 FCS Football Central Freshman All-America Team.
- 2024 Phil Steele FCS Freshman All-America First Team at both kickoff returner and punt returner.
- 2024 MVFC All-Newcomer Team.
- Three-time MVFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
- 2025 CSC Academic All-District Team.
- 2025 MVFC Scholar-Athlete honorable mention.
Read the Fall 2026 magazine feature.
