Kareem Jackson

Kareem Jackson (born April 10, 1988) is a cornerback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Alabama, and high school football at Westside High School in Macon.

High school career
Jackson played for Westside High School and Fork Union Military Academy as a prep and was ranked No. 15 nationally by Rivals.com. He also played in The Max Emfinger Third Annual High School All-American Bowl Classic in Shreveport, La. in which he had five interceptions.

At Fork Union Military Academy, Jackson converted from runningback to cornerback.

As a senior at Westside High School, he mainly played running back and rushed for over 1000 yards. He also added 16 tackles with three interceptions on defense. Jackson enrolled at UA in January 2007 and participated in fall drills.

College career
As a true freshman, Jackson started in 12 of 13 games for the Crimson Tide. He ranked second on the team with three interceptions on the season and was fourth with four pass breakups. Jackson recorded 66 tackles on the season, good for fifth-best on the team. He subsequently received Freshman All-American honors.

Jackson was eighth on the team in tackles with 44, including 28 solo stops, as a sophomore in 2008. He registered 10 pass breakups on the year with one interception.

As a junior in 2009, Jackson started in all 14 games and was fifth on the team with 49 tackles. He also had one interception and broke up 13 passes.

On January 15, 2010, Jackson declared he would forgo his senior season and enter the NFL Draft.

Professional career
Jackson was drafted by the Houston Texans 20th overall in the 2010 NFL Draft. He signed a 5 year $13.1 million contract on July 30, 2010. Jackson started the entire 2010 season for the Texans, a unit that was ranked 32nd out of 32 teams against the pass.

During the 2011 season, Jason Allen was placed ahead of Jackson on the depth chart for a brief time after Allen created big plays and better coverage, including a game-sealing interception against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 4. However, Jackson got back on track, and played better the rest of the season, finishing with 42 tackles (37 solo), a forced fumble, an interception, and six passes defensed.

In the 2012 season, with a full offseason under Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips and the mentoring of Pro Bowler Johnathan Joseph, Jackson got off to a hot start, intercepting a Ryan Tannehill pass that was tipped into the air by J.J. Watt in week 1. In week 4, Jackson deflected two passes and intercepted Tennessee Titans quarterback Matt Hasslebeck and returned it 63 yards for his first career touchdown to seal the Texans' 38-14 win.