Daniel Jackson might be Minnesota’s most interesting kicker

ALEXANDRIA, MINN. - Daniel Jackson might kick a last-second, game-winning field goal at some point in his college career, and if that happens, Gophers fans should thank Jackson’s own inquisitive nature for that blissful moment.

That, and Blair Walsh’s toughest moment as a pro.

Jackson’s journey to Big Ten placekicker began in a fit of anger and disappointment after Walsh missed a 27-yard field goal with 26 seconds left in the Vikings’ playoff loss to Seattle in 2016.

Jackson, who was 9 years old, stormed out of the room in tears. Rather than sulk, he did what he always has done: He used his mind to understand the situation.

He went into the field at his family’s farm and measured off 27 yards. Then he attempted to kick his own 27-yard field goal.

“I couldn’t get the ball off the ground,” he said.

He wrote Walsh a letter of support. Walsh sent him a package in return that included a letter, kicking gear, football and autographed card.

He taught himself form and technique by analyzing kickers on YouTube. And now he’s a true freshman backup kicker on scholarship with the Gophers after a decorated career at Alexandria High.

Placekicking requires precise technical skill, which fits perfectly with Jackson’s innate curiosity. His interests outside of kicking are expansive.

An aspiring mechanical engineer, he built a roller coaster in his backyard using wood and PVC pipe. He plays Jim Croce songs on his guitar and Bach on his violin. He started a football repair business and imports supplies from Pakistan and distributes his products across the globe. He occasionally drives a 1951 Jeep Willys passed down from his great-great-grandfather. He owns one of the longest field goals in Minnesota high school history, and he placed fourth at the state track meet in the 100-meter dash.

“That’s him in a nutshell, basically,” his mom, Angela, said. “Find something you like, semi-obsess about it, and then keep working, keep fine-tuning, have that optimistic spirit and just know that you’re going to continually learn and grow.”

Jackson begged for a guitar at age 5. Angela and husband, Craig, bought him a toy guitar first to see if his interest lasted. Then came lessons from a music teacher who advised them to invest in a real guitar because the kid had talent.

“He was like, ‘This is going to fly,’ ” his dad said. “Eventually, he probably would have gotten it to fly. We’ve learned we can’t doubt him because he seems to figure it out.”

He turned his attention to roller coasters after a visit to Valleyfair. His design went through several iterations before finding a perfect location in the wooded section of his backyard that slopes toward a pond.

With the help of a computer software program, Jackson constructed the ride over several years. He estimates he used 400 feet of PVC pipe for the rails.

He fashioned a one-person seat out of metal found at a scrap yard. He drew a template of his design on the driveway. He put data taken from his phone into an app that calculates G forces. He learned to calculate the radius of curves, using a heat gun to bend segments of pipe to make turns.

“It was just trial and error,” he said.

“He saw a black cat and said, ‘That’s good luck,’ and went down,” Jackson said.

Thankfully, there was no error. His parents can laugh about it now. They had told their son and his friends that it was OK to build it but don’t ride it.

“All of sudden I hear, ‘Wheeee!’ ” his mom recalled.

Jackson completed the final segment of the track before leaving for college so that it is now a continuous loop. His last step will be to install a chain pulley system that pulls the cart up the incline to the top of the hill.

“That would be really cool just to watch it going around and around without having to do anything,” he said.

Buying new footballs gets expensive, so Jackson ordered a repair kit from a sports equipment manufacturer. He repaired his football himself by cutting off the laces, replacing the bladder and relacing it.

That led to repairing footballs for other kickers. He started buying repair kits in bulk, until the manufacturer stopped selling them. At that point he decided to make his own repair kits and sell them online. He located a company in Pakistan that makes bladders and was willing to work with him on specifications.

“The weight of the bladder is important,” he said.

The kicking community is tight-knit, which has helped grow his business. He has shipped kits to kickers across the country as well as Japan, Germany and Canada. He once passed time on a long family car trip repairing footballs. The process, after so much practice, now takes him just 15 minutes.

His interests require him to be good with both his hands and feet. Sitting on his living room couch, he strums Croce’s “Operator” on his guitar, then pulls his violin from its case and plays Bach’s Violin Concerto in E major.

He discovered a new passion in kicking. His introduction was different from many kickers in that he didn’t have a soccer background. He tried playing soccer after learning to kick but found it “messed up my kicking style,” he said.

He studied NFL kickers on YouTube to understand their routine and form. He watched clips in slow-motion and analyzed wind conditions.

A big break in his development came in sixth grade when former Gophers kicker Joel Monroe moved to Alexandria and became his coach through high school. Monroe wore No. 36 for the Gophers, which is now Jackson’s jersey number.

Jackson’s powerful leg served him well in high school. He made a 54-yard field goal against Chaska as a senior (fifth-longest in MSHSL history) and owns the three highest season averages in kickoff distance in state history.

He credits his leg strength to his overall athleticism. He was a member of Alexandria’s state champion relay team in the 4x100 and 4x200 track events. His fastest time in the 100 meters (10.65 seconds) puts him among the Gophers’ fastest players. He also competed in the high jump.

Jackson made his Gophers debut in a Week 2 blowout of Northwestern State, kicking two extra points. His goal is to kick in the NFL. If that doesn’t materialize, maybe a career designing roller coasters.

“I wake up and I get to live out my dream,” he said. “I know how rewarding it is that I’m blessed to be able to do this.”

He has a fan rooting for him from afar: Blair Walsh.

Over the years, Jackson has sent some videos of his kicks in practice to Walsh. Walsh was impressed with his leg strength at a young age and told Jackson he is on the right track.

“I will always be a big fan of Daniel’s because even though he was just a kid at the time, his message to me all those years ago was genuine and supportive,” Walsh wrote in an email.

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FOOTBALL ACROSS MINNESOTA

Isaiah Rodgers: Honors will pour in this week for the Vikings cornerback who became the first player in NFL history to record two defensive touchdowns and two forced fumbles in a game.

Martin Sleen: Hermantown junior continued to stack impressive performances with 369 yards rushing and six touchdowns in win over Cloquet.

Jack Curtis: Carleton quarterback completed 25 of 34 passes for a career-high 478 yards and six touchdowns in a win vs. Macalester. His passing yards were the fourth-highest in program history.

The best things we saw on social media this week:

Nice cut: His last name starts with rest, but there’s no resting for Minnetonka’s Quinton Restrepo. So many weapons on the Skippers offense.

One-handed catch alert: This one was sweet!

Mister Rodgers: This game ball was an easy choice for Kevin O’Connell after one of the best defensive performances ever.

“We love the rain. We saw that rain coming and we all started jumping up and down.”

1,311: Passing yards for Minnesota State Moorhead’s Jack Strand, second-highest nationally in Division II.

99.9: Isaiah Rodgers’ game grade by Pro Football Focus, the highest single-game score in PFF history (since 2006).

62: Yards on Will Reichard’s field goal against the Bengals, the longest in Vikings history.

260: Elk River’s rushing total in a loss to Alexandria – 220 yards below the Elks’ season average.

St. Thomas vs. San Diego, 3 p.m. Saturday, Torero Stadium, San Diego

“Historic.”

One of the great things about sports is one might witness something never seen before once the game begins. The Vikings’ rout of the Bengals provided another such occasion. Isaiah Rodgers made NFL history with his defensive touchdowns and takeaways. Will Reichard kicked the longest field goal in Vikings history. And Carson Wentz became the first NFL quarterback to start a game for a sixth team in six consecutive seasons.

. . .