Offensive lineman Jaxson Deaton was recruited by Kevin Corless in 2015 from Frisco, Texas, where he earned a mediocre 5.2 rating from Rivals, although the Army coaching staff recognize his potential early in the recruiting process. He turned down an offer from Air Force to attend West Point, and spent a year at USMAPS before entering the academy in 2016.
Injuries to some of the offensive linemen gave Deaton an early opportunity for playing time and he appeared in 11 games with 2 starting assignments as a plebe in 2016. The starting offensive line stayed healthier last season, but Deaton played in 12 games as part of the regular rotation. His 23 games and 2 starts make him the second most experienced offensive lineman this season, and he is expected to be one of the stalwarts of the offensive line. He’s also likely to be the biggest of the linemen at 6-foot-4, 310 pounds.
GoBlackKnights.com had an opportunity to have a Q&A with the big O-lineman after yesterday’s practice, so let’s take a look.
GBK: GoBlackKnights.com’ Sideline Reporter Ashley Zarrelli had an opportunity to chat with senior center Bryce Holland two Saturdays’ ago and he shared with the fans his perspective of the “rebuilt” offensive line.
So, let’s pick up from that point. To date, and comparing this O-line to last year’s O-line, what are the similarities this time during the spring and what do you feel this unit needs to improve upon closing out spring practice?
Deaton: Well, last year’s group was one of the best that we have seen here in a long time. So, compared to them, very hard to do but we have a talented group and I see a lot of guys with a lot of potential.
I think a lot of the things that we have to work on is the speed of the game, knowing how to play the game, a lot of these guys are new and inexperience when it comes to that. The technique, footwork, the small stuff ... that stuff we need to work on. The last, but most important is mental toughness. Not being able to take criticism personally.
Our O-line last year was ... those seniors were just tough guys. They were always just ready to win the game, a lot of games came down to the last drive and they were mentally tough enough to do it. So, that’s another thing we need to build on and with a leader like Bryce Holland and kinda of holding people accountable, it’s a lot easier to get that process going.
GBK: Last year, the Army offense lead the nation in rushing. Based on current personnel, can that feat be duplicated or at least in the Top 5 in the nation?
Deaton: Oh, we can definitely be No. 1 again. We have a lot of returning backs, like I said this O-line is stepping up and I don’t see any let-down from last year’s O-line. We’ve got the potential, we can definitely lead the nation and our goal is to be better than last year. So, that’s the goal, that’s the plan and we just have to keep working to get there.
GBK: This is really your year to break-out. What goals have you established for yourself?
Deaton: A lot of my goals is that I like to be team oriented. I want to lead the nation in rushing, I want this O-line to get 1,000 knock-downs ... just some of the team goals that we have set for ourselves. I just want to be the best player that I can personally be and help achieve those team goals.
GBK: For the fans that may not know the other side of Jaxson Deaton ... when you are not playing ball and studying hard at the academy, what do you enjoy doing in your down time?
Deaton: Down time, I like to play X-Box a lot ... it’s a bad habit {laughing} and I should be studying more. But I like playing Call of Duty; Madden 2K ... all those games and I also like to read up on some literature, some of the leadership type books. To name a few, ‘Lead Yourself First’ by Mike Irvin; I’m reading ‘Extreme Ownership‘. I am reading books like that to work on myself as a potential leader in the Army.
GoBlackKnights.com will continue Army football spring coverage. Next up, our one-on-one with senior fullback Darnell Woolfolk, so keep it right here.
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